The St. Louis Blues have signed former Dallas Stars forwards Jason Arnott and Jamie Langenbrunner.
Being a former Dallas Stars is no small thing. Former Dallas Stars General Manager Doug Armstrong is now the General Manager and Executive Vice President of the St. Louis Blues and he wants a few former Stars for his own lineup. And don't think they aren't proud of their latest acquisitions, just look at the Blues' front page.
The two forwards were signed to one year deals Wednesday, July 6th, 2011, and each worth $2.5 million plus $300,000 in bonuses. Arnott's deal included a no trade clause. Not too shabby from a pair of old guys.
“I just think they wanted to make sure they were going into a situation that they thought was best for them, not only this year but both players want to play multiple years,” Armstrong said. “If we have success as a team and as a group, I don’t see why these relationships can’t continue.”
Blues GM Doug Armstrong came to the Stars organization in 1991 and replaced Bob Gainey as the GM in 2002. Armstrong is the son of NHL Hall of Fame linesman Neil Armstrong, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1991.
One of Doug Armstrong's first moves was to hire Dave Tippett as head coach, both leading the Stars to the Stanley Cup in 1999. Tippett is now the head coach for the Phoenix Coyotes, who rallied and fought their way to the first round of the Playoffs in spite of being owned by the NHL.
Jason Arnott
This Ontario native native and 1994 Canadian World Cup Gold medalist came to the Dallas Stars in a March 2002 trade, along with Randy McKay, for Joe Nieuwendyk and Jamie Langenbrunner. Nieuwendyk and Langenbrunner had helped Dallas win the '99 Stanley Cup, so the trade wasn't a popular one with the Stars fans.
In 2005–06 Arnott had a career high 76 points for Dallas and scoring 32 goals, the most since his rookie season of 33. He also set a career high of 44 assists. In the offseason, he signed a five year contract for $22.5 million with the Nashville Predators where he was captain for three seasons from 2007-10. In 2010, Arnott returned to his Stanley Cup winning team, the New Jersey Devils, where he played with his friend and captain, Jamie Langenbrunner.
In February 2011, Arnott was traded to the Washington Capitals and on March 9, 2011, Arnott recorded his 900th career point against the team that originally drafted him, the Edmunton Oilers. And on April 2, 2011, Arnott scored his 400th career goal against the Buffalo Sabres. He now ranks ranks sixth among active players in career games and seventh in points, and has 12 seasons with 20 or more goals.
"Jason is a veteran forward and a Stanley Cup Champion who will be a valuable addition to our club," Blues General Manager Doug Armstrong said in a statement. "He’s a proven leader and we are excited that he has decided to wear the Bluenote."
Jamie Langenbrunner
This Deluth, Minnesota, native came to the Dallas Stars right out of high school as the 1993 NHL Draft as the 2nd round (35th overall). After spending a year with the Peterborough Petes of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), Langenbrunner stepped into the 1996-97 season as a candidate for the Calder Memorial Trophy with 39 points in 76 games with the Stars. Langenbrunner participated in the 1998 Winter Olympics, and again, in 2010, where he, and his team, won the silver medal.
In the 1998-99 season, Langenbrunner came was third in scoring behind Mike Modano and that year's Conn Smythe Trophy winner, Joe Nieuwendyk, with 10 goals and 17 points in the playoffs.
In March 2002, Langenbrunner was traded to the New Jersey Devils and in 2007, was named captain and set career-high goals in the second half of the season. His first hat trick came while playing against the Wild in his home state of Minnesota on January 2, 2010.
Langenbrunner returned to the Stars lineup on January 7, 2011, for a conditional third-round pick in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. He scored his first goal as a returned Star in his 1,000th career game against the Los Angeles Kings on January 17, 2011. Total, he has scored 233 goals and 388 assists for 621 points and is currently 29th on the all-time American-born scoring list for NHL players.
Langenbrunner is especially well-known for his post-season play, ramping up his achievements in the playoffs, which is probably one of the reasons Nieuwendyk traded for him late in the 2010-11 season. In 137 playoff games, he has scored 33 goals and 53 assists for 88 points and is currently 15th among active NHLers in points scored, with 35 of those points coming in his two Stanley Cup-winning seasons. But Dallas never made it to the playoffs and now Langenbrunner is back with the Blues and with his former GM Doug Armstrong and linemate Jason Arnott.
"Jamie is a solid player who will bring years of NHL experience on and off the ice for our hockey club," said Doug Armstrong.
The Stars, like the Blues, are hustling to make the best out of little under NHL ownership and in this case, I think the Blues got the better deal, at least for the coming year, while the Stars have some Stars of their own, they seem to be moving to a younger, faster team.
While it was fun seeing Langenbrunner wear the Stars jersey again this past Spring, and although he certainly didn't break any records, having him and Arnott on the Blues team under Armstrong's leadership will make for an interesting 2011-2012 hockey season.
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