Riddled by injuries, Blues captain Eric Brewer might not be ready for the start of the 2009-10 NHL regular-season, reports the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
As a result, the Blues might be going after a veteran free agent defenseman to add to their roster.
With Brewer out of the lineup, the Blues have just four returning defensemen: Barret Jackman, Carlo Colaiacovo, Roman Polak and Mike Weaver. Erik Johnson, who is coming back from a knee injury, will also take up a regular spot.
"As of right now, we are who we are," Blues president John Davidson told the Post-Dispatch. "If we find a deal that makes sense, we'd go look at it, whether that's a signing or whether it's a trade. But I can't go spend $3 or $4 million just because I don't know if a player is going to be back or not. I don't want to run out and sign an expensive player and find out that Eric can play. That doesn't make any sense."
The likes of free agent defensemen Mathieu Schneider and Sergei Zubov have been linked to the Blues.
While he didn't deny showing interest in those players, Davidson did not indicate if a signing was imminent.
Files from:
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
