The St. Louis Blues finished last season second in the central division and after getting bounced in an upset by the Los Angeles Kings, the team is looking to keep their core intact and that is why they signed  Jay Bouwmeester to a five-year contract extension.

According to NHL.com, the team signed Bouwmeester to an extension worth over $27 million, said sources, and it adds onto the five-year, $33 million deal that he signed previously with the Flames. The star defenseman still has a year left on that contract and now the 29-year-old Bouwmeester will be with the franchise for the foreseeable future and is one of the team's cornerstone players. Bouwmeester was acquired in a deal at the trade deadline for a first-round pick, minor-league defenseman Mark Cundari and Swiss League goaltender Reto Berra.

Bouwmeester previously starred with the Florida Panthers in 2002 and signed with the Flames in Calgary and 71 goals and 229 assists in 10 seasons while playing for those franchises. The Blues won 29 games during the lockout-shortened season and the team ranked 17th in goals per game with just over 2.5 per game and got some fantastic goaltending after ranking seventh in the league with 2.4 goals allowed per game.