The St. Louis Blues locked in two more young forwards on June 4, signing Zach Dean and Dylan Peterson to one-year, two-way contract extensions. The deals keep both players in the organization for another season and leave their NHL-AHL status open heading into next fall.
Peterson is the name that jumps out for what he did in Springfield. He set a career high at the AHL level with 12 goals and 24 points in 57 games for the Thunderbirds in 2025-26, while also working as a bottom-six center and a secondary piece of the penalty-killing rotation. PuckPedia reported his new contract carries an $850,000 NHL salary, a $100,000 AHL salary and a $125,000 guarantee.
The Blues needed the depth. Dean was a pending restricted free agent without arbitration rights, and Peterson was a pending restricted free agent with them, so the signings let St. Louis hold onto two players who can move between the NHL and AHL under the same club control. Both agreements were also the first outside the entry-level system for each forward.
Dean's new deal also shows how far his stock has settled since he was taken in the first round by the Vegas Golden Knights in 2021. PuckPedia listed his extension at an $850,000 NHL salary and a $95,000 AHL salary, a modest step up after he earned only his $80,000 AHL salary last season. He has 32 points in 96 AHL games since turning pro, and his pro scoring has never matched the production he once posted in Gatineau.
That is the part that hangs over the signing. Dean entered the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program in September of last year and returned to the ice in January, then finished the 2025-26 season with 17 points across 48 regular-season and playoff games for Springfield. The Blues are clearly willing to keep working with him, but the contract suggests they are still waiting for the first-round version of Dean to show up at the pro level.
For now, the move gives St. Louis another season to find out whether either forward can break through. Peterson already showed he can help in Springfield. Dean still has to turn flashes into numbers. The next step is straightforward: one of them has to force his way into an NHL conversation, because the Blues have already bought one more year of patience.
