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Family matters for Bozak -- and that helped bring him back to Blues

St. Louis Post-Dispatch - 9/26/2021

Sep. 27—For much of the offseason, as the Blues re-signed several players and made a couple of offseason additions as well, it didn't seem like there was a place for center Tyler Bozak on the roster. And certainly not the salary-cap space to make it happen.

But Bozak has been around the game long enough to know the lay of the land. When you're 35 years old, you're probably not getting grabbed off the shelves on the first day of free agency.

So he was patient, kept the lines of communications open, and here he is — back with the Blues for a fourth season with a new contract.

"It was the place I wanted to be from the start," Bozak said. "I was in no rush to get it done. I always thought it would (get done). There were other opportunities, too."

(Pittsburgh was one of the rumored teams.)

"But there's a lot more that goes into it now in making those decisions than when you're a young kid and single with no kids," Bozak said.

If that were the case, maybe the bachelor Bozak signs elsewhere. But he's married with three children. And that played into his decision to re-up.

"My family loves it here, my wife loves it here," Bozak said. "The kids have all their friends, and the schools that they're in and stuff. It was obviously a place I wanted to be, so I'm happy we did get it done.

"Wherever you are, there's gonna be good schools. But at the same time, your kids have their friends. They're comfortable in the places they are at. Obviously, you never want to take that stuff away from them, especially if they are close with their friends and love what they're doing.

"Maybe later in life they wouldn't remember it, but it is a difficult decision for sure and a lot goes into it."

Given his relationship with the team and its players, St. Louis always seemed like the place to be. It just took a while, and a creative approach, to get there.

At face value, Bozak signed a one-year, $750,000 contract. But there was much more there than met the eye. Players 35 years and up can negotiate performances bonuses into their contract. And Bozak's bonuses are relatively easy to reach.

He gets an additional $750,000 if he plays in 10 games. He gets $250,000 more if he plays in 41 games — or half the regular-season schedule.

Throw in another 100K if the Blues win a first-round playoff series, and then $150,000 more if they win a second-round series. Add it all up, and he could max out at $2 million.

That is good for Bozak. What's good for the club is that performance bonuses don't necessarily have to count against the salary cap this season. If any bonus money puts a team over the cap limit, it can be carried over to next season's cap.

"There was a lot of different ways we were trying to find a way to make it work for both sides," Bozak said. "I think this way works. I think it keeps the cap hit down to help the team, but also gives me incentives to perform well, play hard, and play a lot. And for the team to do well in the playoffs, too. So yeah, I think it's good for both sides."

Last year, when a concussion sidelined him for two months and 21 games, Bozak contemplated his hockey mortality. He'd had concussion before. With a growing family, maybe it was time to retire. But those thoughts never re-entered his head as the offseason dragged on without a contract.

"When I did come back from the concussion, I felt great," Bozak said. "I played really well, produced well and had good numbers."

Bozak had five goals and 10 assists in the Blues' final 24 regular-season games. Two of them were shorthanded goals, and one of the "shorties" was a game winner. He was as good as ever in the faceoff circle and killing penalties.

"At the end of the year, I felt young again," Bozak said. "That gave me the confidence to know that I could still play, and still wanted to play. So that (retirement) wasn't on my mind. ... The whole family's on board. They want me to play. I still believe I can contribute. I'm still confident."

So here he goes, back for another season. And who knows? Maybe more.

"Super guy," coach Craig Berube said. "We all know that. Great guy in the locker room for sure. Guys love him.

"He's a pretty solid two-way player. Very smart and intelligent player that you can use in a lot of situations."

And no doubt Berube will.

___

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