Blues, Leopold agree on two-year contract

The St. Louis Blues agreed to terms with defenseman Jordan Leopold on a two-year contract Wednesday, keeping him off the free-agent market, which is scheduled to open Friday at noon ET.

The deal is worth $2.5 million per season, according to multiple sources. Leopold took a pay cut from his previous contract, which paid him $3 million in each of the past three seasons.

"He was here for a short period of time and I thought his experience was something that was beneficial to our team," Blues general manager Doug Armstrong said in a conference call. "I thought he and [Kevin] Shattenkirk found a comfort level with each other. I think now with [Jay] Bouwmeester, Leopold [and Barret] Jackman on that left side, and the right side is our strength. I think that gives us maybe one of the strongest defenses in the League with experience and youth. It's something that's a good fit for us."

Leopold, 32, played 15 games with the Blues in 2012-13 after coming over in a trade from the Buffalo Sabres. Including the 24 games he played with the Sabres before the trade, Leopold appeared in 39 games and had eight points with a minus-8 rating in 2012-13. He skated in all six games the Blues played in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.