St. Louis Blues forward Connor McMichael has signed a six-year contract worth $6.75 million in average annual value, avoiding an arbitration hearing that was scheduled for July 25, the team announced Thursday. Blues sign McMichael to 6-year contract in pre-arbitration settlement

In June, the Blues acquired the 25-year-old along with a first-round pick and prospect Milton Gastrin from the Washington Capitals in exchange for Jordan Kyrou. The club used the first-round pick to select center Maddox Dagenais at No. 16 in last month’s NHL Draft.

McMichael was a first-round pick (No. 25) of Washington in 2019. In 315 games with the Capitals, playing both center and wing, he had 67 goals and 154 points.

He recently wrapped up a two-year, $4.2 million ($2.1 million AAV) contract and became a restricted free agent this summer. He was one of 15 NHL players who elected for salary arbitration, but that case won’t be heard following the contract resolution.

What this means for Blues

The Blues weren’t going to sell low when they traded Kyrou earlier this summer, and the fact that they got McMichael back in the deal with the Capitals shows how highly they thought of him.

In fact, it was a unique situation that McMichael was acquired as a restricted free agent with arbitration rights. If the process had advanced to a hearing, the Blues would have been put in the awkward position of having to build a case against him.

Instead, the two sides agreed on a contract that will give McMichael the fifth-highest AAV ($6.75 million) among forwards on the team behind Robert Thomas ($8.125 million), Pavel Buchnevich ($8 million), Dylan Holloway ($7.75 million) and Mason McTavish ($7 million).

McMichael might be coming off a down season statistically, but he’s produced in the past with a 26-goal, 57-point season two years ago. And he’s still just 25, which perfectly fits the team’s preferred age range for its young core.

Six years is a lot of term, and McMichael’s AAV jumps from $2.1 million to $6.75 million, but that’s because the Blues are buying out four unrestricted free agent years. It’s a good deal for the Blues if he can be a top-six option at wing and center and put up numbers that he’s recently shown he’s capable of.