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During a 40-minute meeting with reporters on Monday ahead of this weekend’s NHL draft, Armstrong made it clear that the Blues would have enough financial flexibility to match any reasonable offer sheet presented to Hofer.

“I’m very comfortable we can match any offer if we choose to match it,” Armstrong said. “It won’t be (that) we didn’t match it because we couldn’t afford it. It’s we didn’t match it because we thought the value we were getting back was better, and that value would have to start with a first-round pick or else we’ll just match it. I’m not saying we wouldn’t match it with a first either. I guess this is my shot across the bow. You can go after him. You’re not going to get him.”

Hofer is scheduled to become a restricted free agent on July 1, and the Blues must issue him a qualifying offer by Monday in order to retain his rights. As an RFA, Hofer is eligible to negotiate with other teams and potentially sign an offer sheet with them. If an offer sheet is signed, the Blues would have a week to match the terms or accept the draft pick compensation according to the cap hit Hofer is signed at.

Hofer turns 25 on July 30 and had a .904 save percentage and 2.64 goals against average in 31 games played as Jordan Binnington’s backup last season. Next season would be his third as Binnington’s backup in ӣ����Ƶ.

If an RFA signs a contract with an annual average value from $4,680,077 to $7,020,113, the draft pick compensation would be a first- and third-round pick to the team that lost the player. From $2,340,038 to $4,680,076, it’s a second-round pick. From $1,544,425 to $2,340,037, it’s a third-round pick.

Last year, the Blues successfully acquired defenseman Philip Broberg and forward Dylan Holloway from Edmonton by signing them to offer sheets. Asked if he thinks other teams would offer-sheet the Blues because of that maneuver, Armstrong shrugged it off.

“I think we all look at it as a business approach,” Armstrong said. “When we have looked at it in the past, did it in the past, there has to be an avenue that you think you’re going to acquire the player. I don’t think ӣ����Ƶ gets better by making somebody else’s cap tighter. If you have $30 million in cap space and we offer a player money just so you have $27 (million) or whatever, I don’t think that type of business sense works. It just pushes the contract values up as comparables in free agency.

“Last year, we thought there was an opportunity to get the players, and we did it. If we didn’t think we were going to get the players, we wouldn’t have done it.”

When the Blues plucked Broberg and Holloway, they did so after Edmonton spent big in free agency on July 1 and left limited room to sign their own RFAs. ӣ����Ƶ won’t be in the same position.

“We’ve taken the Boston (with Jeremy Swayman), Detroit (with Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider) approach last year,” Armstrong said. “When they had restricted free agents, they made sure they left enough cap space that any offer could be matched.”

With 13 forwards, eight defensemen and one goaltender under contract, and with Ryan Suter’s bonus overage accounted for, the Blues are projected to have $5.912 million available in cap space. That figure also includes Torey Krug’s $6.5 million cap hit counting, and the Blues have the option of shifting him to long-term injured reserve to exceed the salary cap even further.

Armstrong said he spoke to Krug on Monday, and Krug will not be playing this year after ankle surgery last fall.

Armstrong said the Blues were currently negotiating with Hofer. According to previous comparable contracts for young goalies, Hofer’s market value likely lies between $2 million and $3 million on a short-term deal. If the Blues matched an offer up to a first-round pick compensation, that means they would assuredly match up to $4.68 million.