although becoming more common with changes to the CBA over time, an elite player hitting the UFA market 'in his prime' is a bit of a rarity. Even in the cases when it happens, the deal typically will extend into the player's downslope.cprice12 wrote:I meant to say "we have never signed a UFA in his prime".
In any case, using the UFA market to fill holes -- whether first line or grinder line -- is not particularly cost effective. Building from within is preferable from many standpoints, not least of which is cost control. Failure to be able to fill from within necessitates spending on free agents (or dealing draft picks for players or scanning the waiver wire etc). This isn't to say we aren't hoping for the Blues to sign Stastny, we just don't expect to get him at a sale price. And there has been talk that Stastny is already in his downslope already.
Almost by definition with a free agent signing you are overpaying. Exceptions can occur when the market under values a particular player or type of player. This is one reason why it may make more sense for the Blues to deal a defenseman for a forward and then sign a defenseman UFA.