Bumper Blues deal for Cup hero Binnington

The Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues agreed to a two-year, $8.8 million deal with goaltender Jordan Binnington on Saturday.

Binnington was one of the players who was instrumental in the team’s rise from worst team in the NHL to eventual champions, all in the span of a few months. He had a 2.46 goals-against average in the playoffs and became the first rookie in NHL history to record 16 wins in a single postseason.

“I’m happy to get this deal done with the St. Louis Blues,” Binnington told the team website. “To the city of St. Louis, thank you for welcoming me in and trusting me to do me. I’m excited and motivated to keep doing my job and keep bringing success to the St. Louis Blues organization.”

By agreeing to terms on Saturday, Binnington and the club avoid an arbitration hearing.

“We are pleased to have Jordan signed for two more years,” general manager Doug Armstrong said in a statement. “His play was outstanding and we look forward to seeing him continue to be a major contributor for our team.”

Fernando Alonso would be free to race for a rival team in Formula One and remain an ambassador for McLaren, according to team boss Zak Brown.

The two-time world champion Spaniard has been linked with a return to F1 in recent weeks with Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko revealing that he had been informed by Alonso’s agents that the Spaniard was “available” for 2020.

Brown confirmed that Alonso could race for another F1 team.

Alonso raced in Formula One from 2001 to 2017 and spent his last four seasons with McLaren. He has also raced in IndyCar for a McLarenaffiliated team.

“Fernando remains an ambassador for us,” he said. “We have a great relationship and we are talking to him about racing programs with us that are not related to F1.”