As good as Ilya Kovalchuk may be, he's not a player the Blues are going after, general manager Doug Armstrong told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Kovalchuk, 27, is the most sought-after unrestricted free agent this summer.
"Kovalchuk is a great player, but he's not the right player for the organization at this time," Armstrong said. "With a player like Kovalchuk, there are certain points for an organization when you feel comfortable making that plunge, and right now, we think that with our younger players continuing to grow, we think it's better short- and long-term to find out the growth pattern these players have.
"Everyone can have their opinions, but it has to work not only on the ice ... but it also has to work under the framework of the team's budget. Kovalchuk is a great player; I'll never deny that he's a great player. But right now, where we're situated, it's not the right player for us."
The Blues were fairly quiet yesterday, the first day of free agency, having only re-sign Alex Steen to a four-year deal and center Vladimir Sobotka to a one-year contract.
Armstrong is focused on re-signing his restricted free agents, like Erik Johnson, Jaroslav Halak and David Perron.
