Martin St. Louis has already bagged his 11th 20-goal NHL season and has every intention of going for a 12th.
“What else would I be if I wasn’t a hockey player? I have no clue,” the 40-year-old told Larry Brooks of the New York Post. “It’s all I know. It’s all I want to be.”
St. Louis requested a trade to the New York Rangers last season and has already been rewarded with a trip to the 2014 Stanley Cup Final and, now, his first Presidents’ Trophy — which was presented to the team at Madison Square Garden Thursday night.
The Laval, Que., native’s current contract, which expires July 1, carries a $5.625-million cap hit. This marks the first time St. Louis has wrapped a regular season without a new deal in place, and negotiations between management and St. Louis’ agent, Lewis Gross, have been put aside until season’s end.
“I thought about [my contract status] more at the start of the season but less and less as the year progressed to the point where it really was never a factor for me,” St. Louis told the newspaper.
“When you get to this stage of your career, you don’t know how many more chances you’re going to get, no doubt about it, so my entire focus is to do whatever I can to help the team win.”
How the 28 previous Presidents’ Trophy winners have fared:
8 won Stanley Cup
3 lost in Cup final
5 lost in conference final
6 lost in second round
6 lost in first round
The winger has done his part, scoring 21 goals, adding 29 assists and posting a plus-12 rating in 73 games.
New York already made sure to lock up its other UFAs-in-waiting — Cam Talbot, Marc Staal and Mats Zuccarello — mid-season, and one has to believe re-signing young restricted free agents such Derek Stepan, 24, and Carl Hagelin, 26, will take priority over St. Louis’ next contract.
But St. Louis explained he remains focused on the Cup and patient for next fall.
“There’s no doubt that I want to play next year. Period,” he said. “And for sure, yes, I want to play here. I want to finish my career as a Ranger.”
