Blues Sign Defensemen Richmond & Fletcher

The St. Louis Blues have announced that they have re-signed defenseman Danny Richmond and signed defenseman Justin Fletcher to contracts. Exact length and financial terms of their deals were not disclosed. Richmond was traded to the Blues from the Pittsburgh Penguins at the 2009 trade deadline for defenseman Andy Wozniewski. Richmond did not appear in any NHL games last season, instead playing in 73 AHL games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and Peoria, scoring four goals and 18 assists for 22 points and 129 penalty minutes. He has appeared in 49 NHL games with the Carolina Hurricanes and Chicago Blackhawks, scoring three assists and 75 penalty minutes. Fletcher did not play in any NHL games last season, instead playing in 68 AHL games with Peoria, scoring eight goals and 24 assists for 32 points and 50 penalty minutes. These are really just depth signings for the Blues. Richmond is a very physical blueliner, while Fletcher plays with a bit of offense to his game. Both players will likely spend most of next season in the minors given the team’s depth on defense.