Blues sign Dean, Peterson to one-year contract extensions
A couple of prospects are staying in the St. Louis Blues system for at least another year.
On Thursday, Blues general manager Doug Armstrong announced that the team has signed forwards Zach Dean and Dylan Peterson to one-year, two-way contract extensions.
Both players are at the end of their entry-level contracts. Dean finished up this three-year contract, which he originally signed with the Vegas Golden Knights in December 2021. The deal had an AAV of $863,333. Peterson was on a two-year contract signed with the Blues in April 2024, carrying an AAV of $925,000.
Dean’s new deal has a cap hit of $850,000, with a minor-league salary of $95,000. He’s set to be a restricted free agent once again next season. The Grande Prairie, Alb. native missed a good chunk of the 2025-26 season, as he entered the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program this past September. He returned to the Blues’ American Hockey League affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds, in January. In the 36 games he appeared in during the regular season, Dean scored four goals and 14 points. He added another three points during the Calder Cup Playoffs, as the Thunderbirds made it as far as the Atlantic Division Final.
The 23-year-old has been hindered by injury in previous seasons, appearing in just 11 games during the 2024-25 campaign. In 96 regular-season games in the AHL, Dean has posted 14 goals and 18 assists for 32 points, with another four points in 15 postseason contests.
Dean has appeared in nine games with the Blues, all coming during the 2023-24 season. He has yet to register a point in the NHL. He was originally taken by the Golden Knights in the first round, 30th overall, of the 2021 NHL Draft. He was traded to St. Louis for Ivan Barbashev in February 2023.
Peterson has signed on with an NHL salary of $850,000 and a minor-league cap hit of $100,000, with $125,000 guaranteed for the 2025-26 season. Unlike Dean, the 24-year-old has yet to find his name in an NHL lineup. He has spent over two years in Springfield, signing with the team near the end of the 2023-24 campaign after finishing up his career at Boston University.
After a solid rookie season, Peterson scored 12 goals and a career-high 24 points in 57 games during the 2025-26 season, with another two points coming in 10 playoff games. In 112 career games with the T-Birds, he has notched 25 goals and 22 assists for 47 points.
With the two signings, the Blues have 37 of a possible 50 NHL contracts signed for next season. According to PuckPedia, the team has over $14.7 million in projected cap space.