from Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch,

After taking over in May 2012, Stillman has been busy trimming off-ice expenses and authorizing the signing of several hefty player contracts. In all, 14 extensions have been granted, totaling 39 years and nearly $150 million.

Blues general manager Doug Armstrong recently called the financial commitment of the new ownership “seismic.”

“You go to these press conferences when there’s an ownership change, and there’s a lot of patting on the back and a lot of rhetoric saying ‘We want to win,’” Armstrong said. “The way they showed it is with their wallet.”

Entering the 2013-14 season, the Blues rank No. 8 in the NHL with a team payroll of $62.3 million. It’s a jump of more than $10 million from last season’s mark of $52.2 million, which ranked No. 29 in the league. No club can claim a sharper rise.

“We’re in this year with the top-paying teams,” Armstrong said. “One of the excuses that we don’t like is that we couldn’t afford to win a Stanley Cup, we can’t afford to compete. That’s been erased.”

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