Jori Lehtera has signed a contract with the St. Louis Blues. No terms were disclosed. Lehtera was the Blues' third-round pick in 2008 but played in the KHL the last few years. Last season he scored 12 goals and registered 44 points in 48 games with Novosibirsk. Lehtera could be a sleeper so watch what his role will be in training camp.

Jori Lehtera has inked a two-year deal to remain in the KHL with Novosibirsk Sibir. The St. Louis Blues were hoping that Lehtera would play in North America next season, but that won't be the case. "At the end of the day he does not want to play in the NHL, " GM Doug Armstrong said. "We offered him a one-way seven figure deal. Can't force guys to want to play in the NHL." It's expected that he's making more than that to remain overseas. Once this new deal expires, the Blues won't have his exclusive rights anymore.

St. Louis Blues GM Doug Armstrong essentially said that it's up to Jori Lehtera if he wants to join up with the team next season. The 25-year-old Finnish center was the 65th pick of the 2008 NHL Draft. He's been close to a point-per-game player in the KHL the past two seasons, so it's possible that he can fit in well with a team that could use more offense.

Jori Lehtera assisted on both goals to lead Sibir Novosibirsk to a 2-0 win over Metallurg Novokuznetsk Monday. Lehtera got off to a real hot start as he led the KHL in scoring with 16 points in his first 12 games but tailed off as he has picked up 12 points in his last 14 games including today.