ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½

As his Blues team fell in seven games to the Jets earlier this month, Dylan Holloway could only watch.

Sidelined by surgery to repair a lower-body injury, Holloway was relegated to a spectator as ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ came within seconds of advancing to the second round by beating league-leading Winnipeg. During the season, Holloway was one of the Blues’ best players and said he “was pretty crushedâ€� not to be able to play in the playoffs.

“That was really hard,� Holloway said in a phone interview. “You work so hard all year to try and help the boys get to the dance. I was so proud of our group for making the playoffs. After the All-Star break, everybody was really counting us out. I would have definitely loved to have played in the playoffs.

“I was pretty heartbroken I couldn’t do it, but tried to cheer the boys on as much as I could. Tried to be around the team and talk to guys about different plays. Tried to still be involved, but ultimately, it was really hard to watch. I think our team did great. I think our guys stepped up.�

Holloway suffered his injury April 3 in the first period against Pittsburgh on a hit in the corner by Rutger McGroarty. Holloway took one abbreviated shift after the hit before quickly returning to the bench and not returning for the rest of the season.

“At that point, I was experiencing lots of pain, but sometimes you can play through pain,� Holloway said. “That was one I couldn’t play through. Ultimately, it was a lot worse than I thought it was.�

Holloway did not specify what his injury was or what kind of surgery he underwent but said that he had surgery about one week after the injury. The initial MRI on the day after the game pointed toward surgery, and Holloway collected other opinions that landed at the same conclusion.

He is expected to be ready for training camp in the fall, and said he was “really confident� about hitting that checkpoint. Holloway has already started the rehabilitation process, which has included skating.

“I’ve been able to work out, skated a few times,� Holloway said. “It’s been really good. We were pretty cautious after the surgery in wanting me to be out for a while. After the surgery, I couldn’t even move. For two weeks there, I was just on the couch and on painkillers.

“It’s been a faster recovery than I thought since then. Right now, I’m able to work out and skate. Obviously, I’m not doing anything too crazy. I’m not doing anything too explosive. For the most part, I can stay in good shape, get my touches and my edges going.�

Keeping Holloway off the ice is generally a difficult task. He’s often on the ice for optional Blues practices. He’s almost always on the ice late after practice working on different skills, a persistent work ethic that has been noticed by the Blues coaching staff and rubbed off on teammate Jordan Kyrou.

So this summer could be a mental task for Holloway, too.

“I feel like so much of my days are made up of trying to do things I can to get better as a hockey player,� Holloway said. “Ultimately, I need to be healthy to do that. They always say rest is a weapon. You’ve just got to chill.�

This season was Holloway’s first in ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ after coming over from Edmonton via offer sheet in the summer. He responded with a career season that was one of the biggest surprises in the NHL, posting 26 goals and 37 assists in 77 games. Entering the season, Holloway had 18 total points in 89 NHL regular-season games.

In the second half of the season, Holloway formed the Blues’ most consistently dynamic line alongside Kyrou and Brayden Schenn. In 55 games under coach Jim Montgomery, Holloway had 55 points.

“I started out good, I was playing good, but my numbers weren’t really there,� Holloway said. “All of the sudden, the goals and assists started to come. Once I started playing with Schenner and Rouzy, I think we built a ton of chemistry. It was a lot of fun playing with those guys. I was able to grow more, gain more trust with Monty and work as hard as I can, be as effective as I could out there.�

So how did Holloway go from depth piece in Edmonton to vital component of the Blues’ turnaround? He simply credits opportunity. Holloway averaged 16:49 of ice time per game with ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½, almost 5 1/2 minutes more than what he played in Edmonton the year prior.

“I think that’s all what it comes down to,� Holloway said. “When you’re playing less minutes, you’re out of the game a bit. Your legs don’t feel as good. You’ve got to get going again. When you get lots of opportunity, every game you get more confident and more touches. By Game 50, you’re super confident out there. I think that was probably the biggest thing.�

Only Kyrou (36) finished with more goals than Holloway among Blues; only Robert Thomas (60) with more assists.

Last summer was obviously a big one for Holloway, jumping from Edmonton to ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ courtesy of the seldom-used offer sheet. But this one could offer Holloway another dotted line to sign on. Beginning July 1, Holloway will become eligible to sign a contract extension with the Blues.

His current two-year contract with a cap hit of $2.29 million will expire after the 2025-26 season. Given his age, 23, and production, Holloway’s next contract could carry a cap hit of more than $7 million.

“Obviously, that would be really nice and it would be something that would be great,� Holloway said of a possible extension. “At the end of the day, it’s not up to me. It’s up to management. I still have one more year to prove myself, too.

“I’d love to stay in ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ long-term. I loved it this year. The team is great, the guys are great, the city is great, the fans are awesome. It was a super fun year. I’m just looking forward to next year, just hoping next year, we can go even further.â€�

When Holloway next suits up for the Blues, he’ll do so on a team with heightened expectations after they were the league’s best team for the final two months of the regular season.

“Every game, I just thought we kept getting better and better,� Holloway said. “I think that we deserved a little bit better there in the playoffs. That was really heartbreaking how that ended. Ultimately, I think it was a good year for our group. A lot to learn from, and I think we can grow and have an even better year next year.�

Jeff Gordon

Gordo: How Mark Sauer went from building teams to helping youths build futures

• Jeff Gordon | Post-Dispatch

ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Blues

What does the Blues' salary-cap situation look like amid league-wide increase?

• Matthew DeFranks | Post-Dispatch

Jeff Gordon

Tipsheet: Hellebuyck learned key lesson from his struggle against Blues

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Read the full transcript of our weekly Blues chat.

Matthew DeFranks: Good afternoon! The conference finals seem to be nearing an end, and perhaps a rematch of last year's Cup Final is up next. Let's get to your questions.

Tylerg: Matty D, wishing all the best to you on becoming a first time father my guy. It’s the best feeling in the world

Matthew DeFranks: Thanks. We're just trying to get some sleep.

Tylerg: I have two questions for you and as always thanks for doing these chats. We love to hear from you also Greta salary cap article from a few days ago Ok, question number 1.)

How man games do you think Dalibor Dvorsky going to get in the ‘25-‘26 season? 2.) Do you think Crosby has a shot at 2,000 points? I was doing the math and if he has 4 more seasons at around 80 points he will get there. Do you think Syd has it in him? Thanks again man, sorry for sending these so chopped up!

Matthew DeFranks: On Dvorsky, I'd start with an estimate of like 30 games. He feels so much more advanced because of his development path, and playing in the AHL as a teenager, but we can remember that a Canadian player in Dvorsky's shoes would just now be exiting junior hockey.

If I look at Zack Bolduc a couple years ago, he played 25 games down the stretch. I would expect Dvorsky to be above that, but the Blues' insistence that they will not rush Dvorsky leads me to be a bit more conservative.

As for Crosby, he's currently at 1,687 career points. He'll turn 38 in August. And a decline is going to come at some point, but nothing has suggested that it's imminent. Everyone knows that he's been a point-per-game player in all 20 of his seasons, so your math is right that he would need four more years, but theoretically do it in about three-plus at his current 1.24 point-per-game pace (~250 more games).

I think he does it, even if it requires him to sign another contract. He would be just the second player ever to hit 2,000 points, and we all know the other one.

The bigger discussion around Crosby should be about the games he's missed. Whether it's because of his concussion, or the 2012-13 shortened season, or the 2019-20 shortened season or the 2020-21 shortened season. Those are all missing games in Crosby's legacy that makes you wonder what his true total would look like.

Phil in Louisville: Any updated opinions on how the Blues dealt Mikkola given his run of playoff success? I remember at the time Armstrong did an interview saying they had to make room for similar players that had similar talent/potential as Mikkola, but it seems clear Mikkola had a lot more to give than a Tucker or a Kessel. I know you had to give up something to get that 1st round pick in 2023, but did the Blues really think what Mikkola eventually signed for ($2.5M/year for 3 years) was out of the question at the time? Or was there an issue with the fit? I'm befuddled.

Matthew DeFranks: It's a good question, and it's one of the handful of defensive question marks from the last few years when we also throw in Walman, Dunn (although the expansion draft was different) and Pietrangelo (which I'm not sure we can classify as a mistake in evaluation).

You're right. At the time, the Blues looked at what Tyler Tucker was doing for them, and saw that Niko Mikkola was doing for them (14:12 at 5v5 on the third pair) and thought it was a simple replacement. I also think the Blues looked at Parayko, Leddy, Krug and Faulk and wondered where Mikkola was going to get top-four minutes in that group. Obviously, we know how injuries and performance impacted that group.

The Mikkola contract was almost $2M more than what the Tucker replacement would have been. Clearly, the Panthers have found something in Mikkola, and they've rewarded him with top-four minutes (17:10 a night!).

As for the deal with the Rangers, I like to look at Tarasenko as the first-round pick, and Mikkola as the third-round pick. But I guess it doesn't really matter. It all went to the same place like apple pie a la mode.

Sctdog: Army’s post season comments appear to suggest he’s fine w the top 4 on D, but we also know he pays attention to analytics and just the eye test regarding Faulk. How should we view Army’s comments. It seems clear the Blues need a top 4 D preferably one in his 20’s.

Matthew DeFranks: I don't think Faulk was as bad as a lot of people thought this season. I think we can look at different parts of the season and see that him and Broberg were being used as the No. 1 pair, and didn't get caved in. "Not getting caved in" is a low bar, sure, but the matchups were the matchups when Parayko was out.

I would tend to agree with you that a defenseman is needed, even without moving Faulk. Teams love to have depth on defense, and think back to last year when the Blues started the season with P.O Jospeh and Scott Perunovich.

I also wouldn't expect Armstrong to tank Faulk's value publicly now that Faulk's full no-trade lessens to a partial one in the summer.

Sctdog: Stretching back over a year Army has made comments suggesting he sees Scheen as a 3C at this point in his career. It appears from his 200 feet comment he needs a veteran 2C. Should we expect him to target through a trade such a player, maybe an RFA on a cap strapped team?

Matthew DeFranks: Yeah, I mean it's part of the reason why they approached Pavel Buchnevich last summer about playing center. It was a huge question in training camp, and Armstrong knew that. I think we can all give Brayden Schenn his props for keeping this group together, and wanting to be part of it, and then setting the tone physically in the playoffs. But the fact is that he's averaged 51 points per 82 games in the last five seasons. That's not enough for a second line center in today's NHL.

Marco Rossi would be a great addition, but I don't know if Minnesota would be willing to trade him within the division.

Sctdog: if you have to trade a Bolduc, Snuggy, or Dvorsky to get a 2C or top 4 D, which do you select?

Matthew DeFranks: Bolduc. I think the other two have higher ceilings, and Bolduc's contract is up first, meaning he becomes more expensive first.

Sctdog: can Holloway play center on the second line?

Matthew DeFranks: In spurts probably. But this was another early-season experiment that the Blues ran that frittered away. I also know at least one Blues scout prefers Holloway better as a winger because he's just better there.

Sctdog: Neighbors appears to be almost a unicorn amoung Blues forwards, a 20 goal scorer who fights hard in the corners. As FL has shown, similar to the 19 Blues, you need grit and shooters in your top 9. W the top 3 Blues prospects scoring forwards is a grinding top 9 player a need for the playoffs?

Matthew DeFranks: Neighbours has that hard skill that's tough to find. I think we can look at Dallas and Carolina right now and say that they're missing that. Tkachuk, Bennett, Marchand all have it. Not that Edmonton is overflowing with those types (Kane, Hyman maybe), but the Stars got punked with how they handled the entire Hintz situation, just as Carolina looked like that with the Aho-Tkachuk stuation.

Corey Perry was once the best in the world with that skillset, but it's not as impactful at this point in his career.

One GM used to tell me that they need to build two teams: one for the regular season, and one for the playoffs. And that physicality, hard skill allows players to fight through more in the playoffs when the space is tighter and the games harder hitting. I think it's also why you see the Stars struggling to score: Robertson, Johnston, Duchene, Seguin don't have that.

Bob: Reading about Mark Sauer and the historical financial struggles of the Blues, is the organization financially stable now? How much additional revenue was gained by hosting three playoff games?

Matthew DeFranks: The Blues are in a good spot. The biggest piece they have to figure out is the TV deal. They experimented with Matrix Midwest/KMOV and Victory+ this last season, and those numbers (not public) will help inform their decision moving forward. But the state of the fanbase is good, and the crowd responded to the late-season surge with attendance figures that were much, much better than the front half of the season.

Before the playoffs, I asked around the league what a home playoff game was worth, and the answer was about $2M in revenue. Obviously, not all of that is profit, but a good portion of that should be. So let's estimate about $6M in extra revenue, and that gets distilled after expenses and revenue sharing, etc.

Easy Ed - fan since 1967: Hi Matt, hope you are getting some sleep these nights. It appears obvious to add the type of player Army wants, he'll have to cut a salary or two. Which of the Blues' forwards that are peripheral have the highest trade value? I thought Joseph, who has a substantial cap hit, played well in the playoffs, defensively and forechecking especially. Am I wrong? As for defense, if Krug can come back, can Monty play him if he's on the track to be at his best? Which defensemen that they would trade has the best value? Of course, they'll want a good, 2-way forward and a solid defenseman. Which of these two do they need the most? Last, what are Dvorsky odds of making the team at some point--and which point. I see Pekarcik, who I've writing to you for years that I love, won the championship through great play. How far away is the 19-yr-old? Thanks.

Sorry, wrote the Dvorsky part before I read your last comment.

Matthew DeFranks: I think that Joseph ($2.95M) and Texier ($2.1M) are both candidates to trim salary around the edges. Both were healthy scratches for large parts of the season, and are overpaid for what they bring to the lineup. Texier would be a prime buyout candidate since he is under 26 years old. Normally, a buyout takes two-thirds of the remaining money and spreads it across double the term remaining on the contract. Under 25, it's just one-third.

So the Blues would only have to pay one-third of Texier's remaining $2.1M. That's $700,000, and spread across double the term remaining is two years. That's a $350,000 dead cap hit in the next two years that is so small in the grand scheme of the entire cap.

On Joseph, the Senators paid the Blues a third-round pick just to take on his contract. That was last summer, and Joseph's value has not increased since then, though there is one year fewer left on his contract now.

Until I'm told otherwise, I'm not expecting anything from Krug moving forward. If that happens, we'll deal with it then. But until that point, all the best to a really nice guy.

I think a 2C is more important than another defenseman right now. But I feel like the Blues do need both.

As for Pekarcik, he'll go to the AHL next season, and we'll go from there. I imagine Pekarcik and Dvorsky will find each other on a line at some point in Springfield.

DCG: MD: I know you went over this in a recent article, but I'm still confused about the dynamics in play with Krug's contract, assuming he continues to be on the long term injured list. Could you go back over this and assume I'm a moron (it's not hard, believe me). How does Krug's contract affect the Blues and their cap in the offseason? What about the regular season? Is there a difference? You referenced the possibility of trading the Krug contract. Why would a team want that?

Matthew DeFranks: Sure. So the Blues could opt to place Krug on LTIR before the season starts, which would allow them to exceed the salary cap by as much as $6.5M in the offseason. But the downside of that is that they would have $0 of cap space once the season began, and only be able to create space by removing players from the roster.

Another scenario is including Krug on the opening roster of the season, and then placing him on LTIR, which would allow the Blues to exceed the cap by close to his $6.5M during the season, depending on how close they were to the cap when they placed Krug on LTIR. This is what the Blues did this season, which allowed them to add Fowler without any cap troubles.

(And also was necessary early in the season due to Brandon Saad missing time with the birth of his child.)

So basically the options are offseason or in-season flexibility.

As for a team trading for Krug, you see LTIR contracts move around from time to time. Sometimes, it's to help a team get to the salary floor (think San Jose, Chicago, etc.). Sometimes, a team is already using LTIR, and is willing to take on the real money of a contract in exchange for a draft pick.

So an example would be Ben Bishop, who was actually traded from Dallas to Buffalo to finish his career. The Stars sent the Sabres a seventh round pick in order to have Buffalo take on Bishop's contract, and pay him the final year of his deal.

While it may seem that using LTIR is a simple maneuver for teams, it's actually quite complex and has some downsides, so teams will try their hardest to avoid it when they can.

Bill: I feel like the Blues need a legit #2 Center and to bump Schenn down to a good #3. Do the Blues make a legit run at Sam Bennett? I would not delve into the other 33+ year old centers in the FA pool. I still think another possible move is Kyrou prior to his NMC on July 1 and at a high value. It looks like Snuggy slots top 6 (probably first line) and you have Buch, Holloway, & Neighbors top 6 so we do have some depth there currently. Pettersson may be a buy low candidate if Vancouver chooses to move on from him.

Matthew DeFranks: Before the playoffs, I would has said yes. AFP Analytics projects Bennett ay 6 x $6.64M, but that feels pretty low after his physical showing so far this postseason. I've seen the chatter on Twitter about him being a $10M player, and I don't see that, but I do think he'll get more than that $6.64M.

I don't really understand the Trade Kyrou train. I get that you lose control of the situation shortly, but this guy still scores goals, took big steps away from the puck this season, and has a contract that will age beautifully.

Pettersson's cap hit should scare teams from him being a buy-low candidate. With seven more years at $11.6M, he better bounce back, and that's a lot of money to risk on it.

Barry-Blues Fan in Orlando: Happy Wednesday Matt. Good to see you are back in the Big Blues Chattin' Chair once again. Are you surprised Hofer has yet to sign? Is Hofer looking to test the offer sheet waters as he wants #1 goalie money versus a $2m per year contract as a backup? You know the rest of the teams are looking to burn the Blues with a high offer sheet to Hofer given what Army did to the Oilers and maybe the league with his offer sheet signings last summer. What say you?

Matthew DeFranks: Eh, not really. It's still May. There's no real pressure point to get anything done. There's still plenty of time. As for offer sheets, I would think it would have to be more than $4.68M in order for the Blues not to match, and at that point, they would get a first and a third.

In that $2.34M to $4.68M tier, the comp would only be a second-round pick. I'm not sure that would be enough for the Blues not to match at that point.

GoThunder: You are the Blues' GM: what are the perfect, but realistic deals you make this summer?

Matthew DeFranks: I haven't mapped out a plan for this summer. But I would be open to trading the No. 19 pick, open to buying out Texier to free up $1.75M, and looking to extend Broberg and Holloway.

Barry-Blues Fan in Orlando: Matt, with your leave of absence late in the season and the playoffs, I am curious do you know why the PD management didn't have Jeff Gordon, Tom Timmermann or some guy named Jim do the Wednesday Blues chats? It was the playoffs! Playoffs!! Playoffs!!? I missed those chats.

Matthew DeFranks: Tom was already taking on a lot. The man was the main reporter on Blues, City and SLU. Gordo has his chats on Friday. I was going to do the one before Game 5, but then life happened.

Asking for a Friend: It's being reported by the Daily Faceoff that JJ Peterka of the Sabres wants out of Buffalo. It has also been confirmed that Buffalo is shopping Bowen Byram. Here is a chance to once again get two solid younger players. Would the Blues have interest in moving Jordan Kyrou and their 2025 first round pick to obtain these two players. The Blues get a right winger on the upswing who produces close to Kyrou's stats while also getting a top 4 young defenseman who can play his off side (Right). By the time Juricek is ready for the NHL, Fowler will be gone and Byram and Broberg become the top two lefties on defense for the Blues. Kyrou can be the scorer that Buffalo is looking for to pair with Tage Thompson. Seems like a fair hockey trade for both teams.

Matthew DeFranks: I think that's still a bit rich for those two players. As mentioned before, I think Kyrou is a great asset given his production and contract.

But I believe chatters have been talking about Sabres defensemen for a couple years now with all eyes on their logjam there with Dahlin, Power and Byram. Byram has potential and has flashed it before with the Avs, but that would be a big bet. I wonder what the Blues think about his game, and what the pro scouts have seen in him.

Easy Ed - fan since 1967: Boy, I'd love to see Pekarcik and Dvorsky on a line, like Federko and Sutter (people have no idea how great those two guys were together, except Bernie is in the HOF). In fact, I think Federko is the greatest forward the Blues ever had. Bernie was our best center through all the turmoil the Blues and ownership and the BS; he held the franchise together with class. Hull, not as long with the Blues. Others, not as central. Thomas, maybe someday=for the present, he's there already, but many years short of Bernie. Your thoughts and the readers?

Matthew DeFranks: I think that's a good argument. Hard to go against the player with the most games, assists and points. I think Hull probably had the highest peak. Gretzky obviously had the best career outside of his time with the Blues. Thomas has the best potential to be a franchise icon currently on the team.

Barry-Blues Fan in Orlando: If the Blues have to sign Hofer to #1 goalie money, because of an incoming offer sheet or because that's what the Hofer camp demands, can you see Steemy (I hereby coincide with the phrase "Steemy" for Steen/Army) trade Binnington for a 2C? Anything is possible, right?

Matthew DeFranks: I don't think the Blues goaltender usage will be dictated by the contract figures they have, to be honest. If Binnington takes a downturn during next season, sure, more starts could come to Hofer. But I don't think that decision should be made based on cap hits.

DCG: Thanks for that explanation on Krug's contract and LTIR. I get it now.

Matthew DeFranks: I tried my best!

Barry-Blues Fan in Orlando: We Blues chatters missed you. Good to have you back!

Matthew DeFranks: We'll probably be a little more spotty during the summer at times when things slow down and not much has changed from week to week, but we'll see how that goes.

Barry-Blues Fan in Orlando: I agree with you Easy Ed. While Bernie was great, Sutter could score and protect Federko. I remember Sudsy fought a guy while having a partially dislocated shoulder.

Matthew DeFranks: I guess there's a reason Federko, Sutter and Hull are the only forwards with retired numbers.

DCG: Does the Blues turnaround this year and overall success really change anything about how they will go about their business from either a roster construction or playing time allotment than if they had missed the playoffs? I guess what I'm asking is that the talk about the season was that the success accelerated the Blues' overall rebuilding plan, but does that mean anything moving forward?

Matthew DeFranks: I think the biggest thing is that this season was sort of a proof of concept for the Blues that they could restock talent and also contend for a playoff spot. And that the Blues hockey ops department still has its chops in the pro scouting department, at least in the Pacific Division with Broberg, Holloway and Fowler.

But I think it turns next year into a very interesting one. It's the last year of Broberg and Holloway's cheap deals, and honestly could be one of the last productive years for the older players in their mid-30s. It's suddenly a win-now year where missing the playoffs isn't really a consideration.

KevoTG: We heard the 5 percent better next year line at the presser. Is the goal just that for the next couple years or are they going to push harder? And what do Bromberg and Holloway next contracts look like?

Matthew DeFranks: Doug Armstrong certainly made it seem like 5% better next year is the goal, and then I would imagine we get a redone vision once Alexander Steen takes over.

As for Broberg, let's see what Byram gets this summer, and that might set the market for Broberg after him. My guess would be somewhere in the $7M range for a long-term deal.

Holloway might be in the $7.5M range? Jesper Bratt is at $7.85M and he had 10 more points than Holloway in his contract year, and that was pre-cap increase.

Barry-Blues Fan in Orlando: Easy Ed....do you remember Parry Turnbull? That guy was a beast!

Matt, do you see any RFA's Steemy (Steen and Army) might go after this summer?

Matthew DeFranks: Peterka, Knies, Rossi and Bouchard will get a lot of the oxygen because of their numbers, but their contracts will already be high, so it's hard to pay above market value to secure them, and then they will also have big draft pick compensation attached to them.

So I would think more along the caliber of Nick Robertson, Alexander Romanov, Zac Jones, etc.

But I don't see it happening in back-to-back summers, to be honest.

That'll do it for today. Thanks for stopping by!

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Former Cardinals, Pirates and Blues executive Mark Sauer retired from the sports business in 2006 and built a fulfilling second life working with underprivileged youths.

Sauer, who died last week, became a teacher, basketball coach and athletic director at Village Academy in Delray Beach, Florida. He later led a nonprofit group that tutored students for college preparatory exams.

He found gratification in his next stage after confronting vexing challenges at every turn of his sports management career.

Had Sauer emulated Lou Lamoriello and just kept managing franchises, Sauer would have seen NHL commissioner Gary Bettman finally steer the sport into prosperity.

Enduring labor peace, a sensible salary-cap system, successful expansion, media rights growth, grassroots growth of hockey across the U.S. — many factors propelled the business forward.

The Blues finally gained firm footing here after surviving massive financial losses, multiple ownership changes and an aborted relocation.

When Sauer exited the business, he believed the Blues were doomed in the STL. No amount of cajoling from media types could brighten his outlook.

The NHL business model was broken, he insisted, and there was no way to make it work here. His pessimism was understandable, given the Blues’ grim financial state at the time and the decades Sauer spent facing small-market headwinds in baseball and hockey.

Sauer’s involvement with the Cardinals began while he was an executive with Anheuser-Busch. Sauer served the franchise as chief operating officer from 1989-91, as the team fell into its post-�Whiteyball� malaise, before moving on to run the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Sauer, then 44, took over a franchise suffering from ownership upheaval. Team Chairman Douglas Danforth tasked him with cutting payroll and seeking relief from the city.

At that point, the franchise was reporting losses of $1 million per month playing in Three Rivers Stadium.

“We’re in trouble,� Sauer said after requesting an $8 million bailout from the Pittsburgh City Council. “We’ve got the worst lease in baseball, coupled with the smallest market in baseball, and that means we have a real problem.�

The Blues brought Sauer back to ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ in 1996 and presented him with a similar scenario. The franchise was losing money, player salaries were soaring across the sport and the ownership group was losing patience.

Sauer pressed the city for relief from its onerous amusement tax, noting the lengths local and state government went to woo the Rams to ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½.

Relief ultimately came in the form of billionaires Bill and Nancy Laurie, who gained control of the Blues and their arena in 1999.

But Bill Laurie wanted the arena so he could buy an NBA team. Had he possessed the deal-making savvy of brother-in-law Stan Kroenke, he would have succeeded.

Instead, the Vancouver Grizzlies ended up in Memphis. The Lauries doubled the Blues payroll, chased the Stanley Cup, lost millions, then pulled the chute as the NHL labor war raged on.

Sauer experienced extreme highs and lows during this period. In 1998, his son Peter captained Stanford’s basketball team to the NCAA regional championship in ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½.

The Blues won the Presidents’ Trophy with 114 points in 2000, then reached the final four in 2001 with a loaded Joel Quenneville-coached team.

But the franchise kept losing money. The 2004-05 lockout was the last straw; the Lauries put the team up for sale and ordered Sauer to slash the payroll, citing a $30 million annual deficit.

Hence the tragic Chris Pronger-Eric Brewer trade.

At that time, Forbes magazine reported that the Blues had lost $225 million since its arena opened in 1994. Sauer kept the franchise operational until a new ownership group, led by Dave Checketts, arrived to take over.

During the entirety of his sports management career, Sauer dealt with ownership instability, small-market revenue constraints, soaring player salaries and owner-player labor strife.

Time and again, he had to be the bad guy, making tough decisions that circumstances demanded.

It’s no wonder he shifted gears, moving to Florida in 2007 to reset his life. He loved the beach and the ocean. He gained immense satisfaction working with young people who blossomed after receiving mentorship.

First, he did that as a substitute teacher. Then, he did it as a full-time teacher, coach and athletic director.

After grieving the loss of his son Peter, who died in 2012 at the age of 35 after collapsing after playing basketball, Sauer put his energies into his nonprofit tutoring program, which became Bound for College.

After cutting budgets in his first life, he helped build futures in his next one.

“I recommend such a sharp 90-degree turn in life to anyone approaching retirement,� Sauer said in a 2022 interview. “Get out of your comfort zone, the product of your working career, and go find something truly meaningful to do ... capitalizing on the skill set built in your working years but using it toward a deserving portion of our society that you choose, one that resonates with you.�

ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Blues

Former Blues president, Cardinals executive Mark Sauer dies

• Matthew DeFranks | Post-Dispatch

Jeff Gordon

Tipsheet: O's Morton finds himself just in time to stifle Cardinals

• Jeff Gordon | Post-Dispatch

Jeff Gordon

Tipsheet: Berube gains bigger personnel say as Maple Leafs plan big changes

• Jeff Gordon | Post-Dispatch

As the Blues enter the final season of Doug Armstrong’s tenure as general manager, they’ll do so in a different position than the one they entered a year ago.

The Blues returned to the postseason for the first time since 2022 and came within seconds of knocking off the Jets in the first round. They hired a difference-making coach in Jim Montgomery and uncovered two gems from Edmonton in Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg. The Blues’ retool, reset, retrench has ended, Armstrong said, and it’s time to return to regular contention.

In order to do that, the Blues will have to fortify their roster. They likely need another scoring forward and potentially a minute-munching defenseman.

That brings us to cap space. How much do the Blues have and what can they do with it? Let’s take a look:

Projected cap position

The NHL’s salary cap is expected to jump $7.5 million next season to $95.5 million, the largest year-to-year increase since the cap was implemented in 2005 and a welcome deviation from the flat-cap era from 2020 to 2024 as the league recovered from the financial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

That should give the Blues more room to work with, right? Well, they’ve largely used a lot of that space already. Pavel Buchnevich’s cap hit will rise $2.2 million from $5.8 million to $8 million due to the extension he signed last summer. Jake Neighbours will receive almost a $3 million raise coming off his entry-level contract, with a $3.75 million cap hit beginning next season.

Goaltender Joel Hofer is also due a raise, and we’ll get to him in a few moments.

While Radek Faksa ($3.25 million cap hit) and Ryan Suter ($775,000 cap hit) will become unrestricted free agents, Suter will still leave behind an impact. Thanks to his performance bonuses this season, the Blues will have to account for $2.153 million in bonus overages next season.

The cap increase will most affect teams with many pending UFAs, minimal raises on extensions and zero bonus overages. The Blues have none of those things.

With 13 forwards, eight defensemen and one goaltender under contract, and with the bonus overage accounted for, the Blues are projected to have $5.912 million available in cap space. Here is the breakdown of that:

Signing Hofer

The Blues only have one NHL player set to become a restricted free agent this summer, and that’s Hofer. Neighbours would have become an RFA, but the Blues signed him to an extension in October.

Hofer, who turns 25 this summer, figures to come in between $2 million and $3 million a season, at least based on previous comparable deals for young backup goaltenders. Dan Vladar might be the closest comparison, and he signed a two-year contract that began at age 25 in 2023 worth $2.2 million annually.

Connor Ingram (three years, $1.95 million cap hit), Pyotr Kochetkov (four years, $2 million cap hit) and Stuart Skinner (three years, $2.6 million cap hit) are other examples in that ballpark, albeit with different circumstances and experience.

On the higher end, there’s Jeremy Swayman’s previous contract (one year, $3.475 million) after splitting time with Linus Ullmark, and Filip Gustavsson’s three-year deal averaging $3.75 million after platooning with Marc-Andre Fleury.

For round numbers, let’s say Hofer ends up around a $2.5 million cap hit. That would leave the Blues with $3.412 million in cap space.

What to do with Krug?

Now, that number can change depending on what the Blues decide to do with injured defenseman Torey Krug. At his season-ending news conference, Armstrong said that he believes Krug’s career is over, which would allow the Blues to place him on long-term injured reserve and allow ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ to exceed the salary cap.

How the Blues want to utilize LTIR would be up to them.

If they use it in the offseason to chase acquisitions, they would have the ability to use all of Krug’s $6.5 million cap hit. Add that to the $3.412 million estimate from before, and the Blues could have $9.912 million to work with in the summer. The downside of that? The Blues would begin the season with $0 in cap space and could only create space by making moves to their roster (loans, trades, etc.).

If the Blues choose to use in-season LTIR with Krug, they would not have excess money (in addition to the estimated $3.412 million) to use in the summer. But they could construct a season-opening roster with Krug on it and do so as close to the $95.5 million cap in order to use as much of his $6.5 million cap hit. Every dollar the Blues are away from the cap is a dollar from Krug’s cap hit that they cannot use.

ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ went this route in the 2024-25 season, allowing them plenty of cushion to work with throughout the season.

A third option would be to trade Krug to another team in order to get rid of his contract and allow the Blues to operate without the many restrictions of LTIR. Krug has two years left at a $6.5 million cap hit and is owed a total of $12.5 million in actual cash.

Dvorsky’s inclusion

In theory, the Blues could have a low-cost option available to them at forward with Dalibor Dvorsky still on his entry-level contract. Because he did not play in 10 NHL games this season, Dvorsky’s contract slid to next season, which also lowered his cap hit to $886,666.

The Blues could use Dvorsky on the roster, allowing them to spend elsewhere due to the savings he would provide. But history has shown that the Blues are not willing to rush Dvorsky, and including him on a roster already with Zack Bolduc and Jimmy Snuggerud would be something the Blues haven’t done in quite some time.

Only twice in franchise history have the Blues played three forwards age 22 or younger at least 60 games in a season. Once was 1987-88, with Todd Ewen, Tony Hrkac and Herb Raglan. The other was in 1978-79 with Bernie Federko, Wayne Babych and Brian Sutter — and that was the worst team in franchise history.

Since the pandemic, only two franchises have played three forwards age 22 or younger at least 60 games while also making the playoffs: the Rangers and Hurricanes.

Creating space

There are always levers that teams can pull in order to try and create more cap space. Last summer, the Blues traded a second-round pick to Pittsburgh to dump Kevin Hayes’ contract. During the season, they got out from Brandon Saad’s deal through mutual contract termination.

While Armstrong has never bought out a player during his tenure, there is a prime candidate this summer: Alexandre Texier. At 25 years old, Texier’s buyout would cost one-third of his contract (at 26 years old, it increases to two-thirds) and he only has one year left at a $2.1 million cap hit.

If the Blues bought out Texier, his cap hit would be $350,000 for the next two seasons. It would save the Blues $1.75 million this upcoming season and cost them $350,000 in 2026-27, which is less than half of a league-minimum contract.

Texier played just 31 games for the Blues this season as a combination of injury, illness and ineffectiveness cost him playing time. He played just three of the team’s seven playoff games vs. Winnipeg.

Mathieu Joseph ($2.95 million) and Nick Leddy ($4 million) were each healthy scratches at points this season, while trade protections for Justin Faulk ($6.5 million) and Brayden Schenn ($6.5 million) decrease this summer.

ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Blues

DeFranks' chat: What could the summer look like for the Blues?

• Matthew DeFranks | Post-Dispatch

Jeff Gordon

Blues grades: Ownership, management, coaches earn A's as team gains relevance

• Jeff Gordon | Post-Dispatch

Jeff Gordon

Gordo: Doug Armstrong seeks improvements during his final offseason as Blues GM

• Jeff Gordon | Post-Dispatch

ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Blues

One year into apprenticeship, Alexander Steen ‘eager’ to learn more, prepare for Blues GM role

• Matthew DeFranks | Post-Dispatch

Former Blues and Cardinals executive Mark Sauer died on Thursday, the Cardinals announced on Friday night.

Sauer spent around two decades in ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½, highlighted by his 10-year run as Blues president and chief executive officer from 1996 to 2006. Sauer also worked for Anheuser-Busch in the 1980s, and became the chief operating officer of the Cardinals in 1989 before running the Pirates as CEO and president from 1991 to 1996.

During Sauer’s tenure running the Blues, the franchise owned the seventh-best record in the NHL, and the ninth-most playoff victories. They won the club’s only Presidents’ Trophy in 2000, and advanced to the Western Conference Final in 2001.

Sauer helped (with Ron Caron) hire Joel Quenneville as Blues coach in 1996, and watched as Quenneville became the organization’s all-time leader in games coached and wins, both in the regular season and the playoffs.

Sauer also found Caron’s replacement as general manager, hiring Larry Pleau as GM in 1997. Pleau was the team’s GM for the next 13 years, becoming the longest-tenured GM in franchise history before Doug Armstrong took over as general manager in 2010.

Sauer took over as Blues president from Jack Quinn, who was fired at the same time as Mike Keenan in 1996.

Sauer oversaw the sale of the Blues twice: in 1999 to Bill and Nancy Laurie and in 2006 to David Checketts. When the Lauries announced they were selling the Blues after the 2004-05 work stoppage, Sauer was tasked with slashing the payroll.

That included trading Chris Pronger to Edmonton for Eric Brewer, Doug Lynch and Jeff Woywitka. Pavol Demitra went to Los Angeles as a free agent. Chris Osgood went back to Detroit, and Scott Mellanby joined Atlanta.

During Sauer’s last year running the team, the Blues had the worst record in the NHL and earned the No. 1 pick in the following draft. It was the only time under Sauer that the Blues missed the playoffs.

Sauer retired in 2006 following the sale of the Blues to Checketts, and was succeeded by John Davidson.

Sauer lost his son Peter in 2012 because of an enlarged heart. Peter was 35 years old and a former captain on the Stanford basketball team that reached the Final Four in 1998.

Sauer moved to Delray Beach, Florida, and founded Bound For College, a charitable college readiness program that included SAT/ACT tutoring and college tours in Florida. Among the students he mentored was Tre’Quan Smith, who spent six years in the NFL.

Read the full transcript of our weekly Blues chat.

Matthew DeFranks: Hello! Good afternoon. Sorry for the late start. It was an ill-timed and lengthy update for my laptop that took longer than expected. But I'm here now, so let's get to some questions.

Tylerg: Matty D, you are enjoying the off season with friends and family. 2 questions A lot of Faksa, Sunqvist talk, but I sort of see a Trent Frederic acquisition this summer. A tad more expensive, but a few years younger than Faksa and Sunqvist, a decent center, hometown guy, plays a grinding style but can score. Idk it just seems like a fit, what are your thoughts?

Matthew DeFranks: I am enjoying the offseason so far, and spending it as a new father, which is also why I wasn't around that much during the Winnipeg series.

As for depth forwards, I can see the fit with Trent Frederic, particularly with the hometown angle and the Jim Montgomery angle as well from their time in Boston. This season's production likely lessens Frederic's price tag, which is helpful, but I guess we'll see how the rest of his postseason goes with Edmonton.

Tylerg: Question 2. Are you coming back next season? I like your articles/takes, they are objective. Curious if we get more Matty D content and info. Thanks man!

Matthew DeFranks: Yep, I will be around this summer, next season and everything. Just with the timing of the birth of my child, I've been a little scarce.

DenMizzou: Hello, Mr. DeFranks. Thank you for the chat. I don't think defensemen Faulk and Leddy played very well this past season, though Montgomery seems to like that pairing. Should the Blues try to move on from both Faulk and Leddy this off-season, or would that leave them too exposed on the blue line? Any chance of upgrading from either of those two? Thank you.

Matthew DeFranks: Faulk and Leddy didn't really play together in the playoffs. It was almost exclusively Faulk with Broberg and then Leddy with Suter or Tucker. But regardless of that, there should be room to move on from them if the Blues want to pursue that aggressively.

Both Faulk and Leddy's full no-trade clauses will drop to partial ones. Faulk is a 15-team no-trade list, and Leddy is a 16-team no-trade list, according to PuckPedia. So that will provide more flexibility for Armstrong to navigate trade protection.

If we look at the Blues defense next season, there's Parayko, Fowler, Broberg, Faulk, Leddy, Tucker and Kessel. They would need a lot of bodies on the blue line if they get rid of both Faulk and Leddy. Even if we think back to the start of this season, they had Perunovich, P.O Joseph and Suter. The Blues like depth on defense, and I expect Armstrong to keep doing that.

Dr. Girlfriend: Does DA take a shot at either K'Andre Miller or JJ Peterka as RFAs? Based upon draft capital they have enough on hand for the $7 million dollar range (1st and 3rd in the 2026 draft). I think Buffalo would match, but I wonder if New York would.

Matthew DeFranks: I think I've learned not to rule anything out with Doug Armstrong, particularly after his last calendar year of moves. But I don't know if we'll see more offer sheets out of him. It took him until his second to last summer as GM to orchestrate two of them, and he's repeatedly said how many different factors went into them: Oilers cap space, players they liked, Blues cap space, Blues draft capital, timing in the summer, Oilers FA additions, caliber of player.

I will say that I don't watch a lot of Rangers games, particularly this season. So I'm not entirely up on the state of Miller's game and what he would provide to the Blues. Even so, the Blues would need to move some money out to make that sort of thing happen.

Tommy Pham: I will word it like this - In your opinion who do you think was the most overall improved player for the blues and who do you think has the most opportunity to improve? Thanks!

Matthew DeFranks: I think Dylan Holloway is the easy answer for the most improved player. He might be one of the most improved players across the entire NHL, to be honest.

As far as room for improvement, I take it to mean the player that has some upside to their game. Part of me wonders about Alexandre Texier with the flashes he showed at times, but he disappeared a lot too, and will be 26 in the fall, so he might be what he is.

So I'll go with Zack Bolduc. At times, electric. At times, maddening with some of his decision-making. There seems to be something there, especially under Jim Montgomery. They'll need more consistency from him.

Joe 99: How do you think Edmonton, and the other GM's in the NHL for that matter, feel about the Blues' "heist" of Broberg and Holloway? Did the Blues pay Edmonton back enough to unruffle the feathers? Or are they seen as rogues like the Blues of old when they signed Brendan Shanahan long ago (and were punished severely by losing Scott Stevens, arguably a much better player than Shanahan, by an unabashed very partial arbitrator)?

Matthew DeFranks: I think that Edmonton feels better about the summer with how their postseason has gone so far. And getting a series-winning goal from Kasperi Kapanen!

But I don't think anyone can look at how Holloway and Broberg played this season and blame the Blues for what they did. Those contracts were overpays for what those players were, and then they overperformed them and turned them into bargains.

I do think that the sweeteners that the Blues sent to Edmonton (Paul Fischer and a 2028 third) helped because that was the additional price that the Oilers wanted to not match the offer sheets.

Dr. Girlfriend: Does Toronto hunt around the Blues this Summer to get Berube some players he's comfortable with? You could tell in that Florida series that Toronto has very few players that really fit Chiefs style. I could see Walker or Torpo as guys that Chief would want, besides Schenn.

Matthew DeFranks: Walker and Toropchenko feel like pieces worth more on the Blues roster than the sixth-round pick or whatever that would come the other way.

But I do wonder if the Leafs come back to the Schenn discussion in the summer after the reported interest at the trade deadline. This summer, Schenn's full NTC drops to a partial one, and it's possible that was a real roadblock to a potential deal in the spring.

Mike: Matt, congratulations on the baby! Could there be interest in giving Hofer an offer sheet, and would the Blues be inclined to match it? And if Hofer is gone, any thoughts on who are candidates the Blues would look at. Thanks!

Matthew DeFranks: Looking at RFA goalies, I think there would be interest in Hofer for sure. Lukas Dostal is the best option on the RFA market, but he'll make a decent amount of money and the Ducks have plenty of cap space to match.

With Hofer, would think his number lands around $3M. That's above Kochetkov at $2M, which I'm sure will be a comp for a young backup, but with a higher cap percentage. Gustavsson ($3.75M), Oettinger ($4M) and Knight ($4.5M) provide different comps, but bigger roles on their teams.

So if Hofer's market value is presumed at $3M, teams would have to overpay in order to land Hofer. The upper limit at $4.68M would require a second as comp. If a team did it, I would guess that number.

Easy Ed, fan since 1967: Matt, congrats on the little one. Walker got an A on the NHL ratings and Torp at least a B+. Faulk got bad ratings from a number of sources. Can he recover? Was his year that bad? Also, when the playoffs started, I said I'd be thrilled if the Blues won one or two games vs. Jets. Well, they were within 2 min.s of an upset. I'm very proud and happy about that, and not losing sleep. In fact, I'm dying to see what the brilliant Army pulls off. He had three stellar moves this year, the Oiler kids, Monty, and Fowler, and should be the exec of the year. Be well and see if you can get some sleep.

Matthew DeFranks: I think Faulk didn't have the best season, but I don't think he had the worst either. I think we forget about the start of the season, when Broberg-Faulk was the team's best defensive pairing. Sure, Faulk had that massive point drought in November, too. There were also high points for Faulk coming back from 4 Nations, and when he was a top-pairing defenseman again when Parayko went out.

The production doesn't match the cap hit, and the age isn't ideal, but I do think Faulk was better this season (and healthier!) than he was back in 2023-24.

I think Blues fans should take solace in the fact that they were not going to be beating this Stars team anyways. If the Jets went on to win the Cup, there could be some forlorn moments. But now? I think you can understand what a true contender looks like, even if getting to the final eight would have been a major accomplishment for this group.

Phil: Do you see the Blues targeting a top goal scorer this summer, or with projected salary increases and available cap space, will they look at Holloway's development as their investment in higher scoring next year, and more of their moves will be on complementary pieces and depth additions?

Matthew DeFranks: The Blues have a lot less cap space than you'd expect after the cap increase this summer. They already committed to raises for Jake Neighbours and Pavel Buchnevich. Not to mention the performance bonus overage from Ryan Suter's bonuses that will roll over to next season. And the Joel Hofer raise, too, that has not been signed yet.

So if the Blues want to chase a big scorer, they'll need to move pieces out. The easy answers would be Mathieu Joseph or Alexandre Texier. The more impactful moves could be Nick Leddy or Justin Faulk, as mentioned before.

gern: Matt: Speaking of Holloway, it came out after the Blues were eliminated that he was never coming back for the playoffs, no matter how far the team went. Is it for sure he's going to be ready to start next season?

Matthew DeFranks: That's what Doug Armstrong announced at his season-ending press conference. That was also the expectation for Oskar Sundqvist last year, and he missed a few weeks.

GoThunder: Hi Matt. Congratulations to your family. My question is, who would want want Justin Faulk? He is an offensive defenseman who doesn't score and soft as your new baby's bottom around the net. The Blues can't expect to get a decent return for him, so it would basically be a salary dump if they move him, no?

Matthew DeFranks: I think everyone's minds would always go to the usual cap dump suspects: San Jose, Chicago, etc. But those teams could very well end up on Faulk's list of teams that he cannot be traded to. I honestly don't know what the trade market for him would look like.

We'll do about 15 or 20 more minutes if there are any more hidden questions out there.

GSW: Hi, Matt - congrats on the new addition, and hello from your old stomping grounds of Dallas. I'm curious about how you see covering the Blues as opposed to the Stars (really enjoyed your work for DMN, by the way). Stars are obviously a lot further along than the Blues, but the Blues are a much bigger deal in STL than the Stars are here. So . . .

Matthew DeFranks: The best way I know how to explain it is the bumper sticker test. In Dallas, I would see a Stars bumper sticker and think "Oh look a Stars fan." In ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½, I see one and have to remind myself that everyone is a Blues fan in ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½.

I do think that each team I covered had more of a fanbase than the previous one. From Florida to Dallas to ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½.

Tommy Pham: I just want to say, man I wanted the blues to advance, but that game 7 against Winnipeg was till FUN. Even tho we lost I will always cherish watching it with my dad.

Matthew DeFranks: Sports are about winning and losing, obviously. But they are not only about winning and losing. If they were, it would make for a lot of miserable seasons. Glad you got to enjoy that night with your dad.

AZRay: Just curious if Dalbor Dvorsky could be the 200 foot player DA is looking for?

Matthew DeFranks: Eventually, I think so. But hard to bank on that for next year.

DCG: Hey Matthew: hold on. I just joined, I have a question!

I was reading Jeremy Rutherford in The Atlantic about possible Blues moves over the summer. One thing he mentioned was the possibility of looking to move Faulk. He framed in a way that made Faulk sound like a bit of a drag on the team. For instance, "If there’s no trade partner, the Blues might have to keep rolling with Faulk, barring a buyout, which doesn't seem likely." I know Faulk has been up and down in STL, but I thought he settled in the second half of this season and was pretty good on D. He isn't producing offensively the way he once did, but to men, if his defense remains solid, he's an asset at his price given that the cap is about to go up quite a bit. Am I wrong?

Matthew DeFranks: We touched on Faulk a little bit earlier in the chat. I don't think he was as bad as everyone thinks he was. I think back to a few times this season when he delivered what was asked of him: at the start of the season, when Broberg-Faulk was the best pairing. After 4 Nations, when Faulk was driving offense. After Parayko's injury, when Broberg-Faulk became the top pair in usage.

The point drought in November hurt. And some of the errors hurt, too. Remember the puck into the bench at the end of the Vancouver game? The production doesn't match the cap hit, and the age isn't ideal. But it's not the worst deal in the league.

DCG: Skimming over the questions, I know everyone wants to speculate on how the Blues upgrade at center, that "200 foot' player. It seems like the options are pretty limited. I've gotta think it's more likely that DA stays the long term course and they give Dvorsky a test ride during the season to see what they have there and set their sights on the summer of '26 to really decide what final push they want to make to get the club back in Cup contention.

Matthew DeFranks: Possible. I just don't think they can rely on Bolduc, Snuggerud and Dvorsky to be consistent contributors throughout an 82-game season. And next year is the last one with Holloway and Broberg on sweetheart deals, so that cap increase will largely likely go to them anyways.

Looks like that's everything. Have a great week everyone!

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