Scott Gomez gets Blues camp invite, and he’s earned it
The good news for Scott Gomez is that, over the years, he’s become a punchline to fewer and fewer people.
The loudest guffaws came when he didn’t come close to living up to his elephantine contract, and went through an epic goal-scoring drought that earned him an ironic cult following. The chuckles continued when he went from a top six forward to a professional tryout contract hanger-on, and they continued when he ended up back in New Jersey, the team he spurned to sign that aforementioned contract with the rival New York Rangers.
But then, at 35 years old, the laughing subsided. Gomez had 34 points in 57 games last season, with 27 assists; had the Devils’ offense resembled anything close to being on an NHL level, he might have had more.
Gomez wasn’t invited back by the Devils’ new regime – the reruns left with Lamoriello – but he wasn’t about to let his NHL career end there.
“The thing is I know I can play. I've proven that. I know I can play at this level. I know I can contribute. But it's time to focus on somewhere else,” he told Fire & Ice.
Elsewhere turns out to be the St. Louis Blues, where Gomez will attend camp on a PTO. With Patrik Berglund out four months with shoulder surgery and Jori Lehtera on the mend from ankle surgery, they could use a steady offensive hand at forward. That, and Gomez would come cheap if he signs.
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The Martin Brodeur connection is being played up here and rightfully so, as Marty and Gomez go back aways – they skated together when both were looking for contracts last year – and Brodeur’s now part of the Blues’ front office.
But the Marty/Gomez link, I think, does a disservice to the job Gomez did last season to earn this. No, it’s not an iron-clad contact for 2015-16. But it’s a shot at making a roster that’s one of the Western Conference’s best, rather than sitting by the phone for some salary floor team to call.
There were still some “what are the Blues smoking?”-like reactions to this, and that’s unfortunate. Even as a stop-gap or a band-aid, just having his positive attitude and whatever’s left in his tank in St. Louis is a plus.
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