The Blues are one of two teams eligible to clinch a playoff spot tonight. They and the Oilers can book their ticket to the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs if the Flames lose to the Sharks in regulation. St. Louis will need to hold up their end of the bargain by defeating the Jets in regulation to wake up tomorrow morning with an “X” next to their name in the standings. Doing so would mark their 13th straight win, the longest winning streak since Edmonton won 16 straight last year between Dec. 21 and Jan. 27. The Blues haven’t lost since a 5-3 defeat at the hands of the Penguins on March 13. They’re now 34-16-6 since replacing Drew Bannister with Jim Montgomery behind the bench in November and are two points ahead of the Wild for the first wild card in the Western Conference. Both St. Louis and Minnesota have four games remaining. The Blues have a 64% chance of holding onto the WC1 spot, a 33% chance of falling back behind the Wild and finishing in the WC2 slot, and a 1% chance of lapping the Avalanche for third place in the Central, per MoneyPuck. Their streak has been fueled by top-line center Robert Thomas, who leads the league in scoring since March 15 with 4-19–23 in 12 games.
Blues Rumors
Blues Recall Dalibor Dvorsky
The St. Louis Blues have recalled top center prospect Dalibor Dvorsky from the minor leagues. Dvorsky was reassigned to the AHL on Wednesday, but will now return to the Blues roster after news that top-line winger Dylan Holloway is out week-to-week with a lower-body injury.
Dvorsky made his NHL debut on his last recall. He didn’t manage any scoring in what was a productive 4-1 over the Nashville Predators, but Dvorsky looked effective enough in a bottom-line role. He returned to the minors for two games and one point this weekend, bringing his year long totals in the AHL up to 20 goals and 44 points in 59 games. That scoring ranks Dvorsky fourth on the Springfield Thunderbirds and eighth among all AHL rookies in total points. He’s carried his strong scoring into international play this season as well – netting five goals and nine points in nine games of the 2025 World Junior Championship, while captaining Team Slovakia. Everywhere he’s gone, Dvorsky has earned top scoring totals on the back of his confidence on the puck and poise on the forecheck. His strengths look like they’ll clearly translate to the top flight once he gets comfortable, and this recall could be a golden chance to find that footing before the season ends.
It seems clear that Dvorsky is headed right back into St. Louis’ lineup with this move. The Blues managed a closely-fought 5-4 win over the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday, extending their win streak to a franchise-record 12 straight games. But nobody in St. Louis’ bottom-six managed any scoring through the record-setting win, and names like Mathieu Joseph and Radek Faksa seemed near invisible. St. Louis is now confidently in hold of a Western Conference Wild Card, and adding Dvorsky to the lineup over a quiet fourth-line veteran could go far in giving them another spark plug. With the season dwindling down, the Blues will have to find some way to make up for Holloway’s electric 63 points in 77 games this season, and 14 points in his last 10 games. High-offense rookies like Dvorsky and Jimmy Snuggerud, who recorded his first NHL point on Saturday, may be the key to keeping the offense afloat.
Parayko Skating But Not Ready To Return Yet
- While Blues defenseman Colton Parayko has resumed skating, head coach Jim Montgomery indicated to reporters, including Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic (Twitter link), that he’s not comfortable about putting him into the lineup just yet. The 31-year-old is trying to return earlier than expected from a knee injury but Montgomery acknowledged that there were a couple of instances in practice that showed he’s not ready to return yet. Still, it would appear that Parayko is getting close to coming back which would be a big boost to their back end with him being their number one blueliner.
Blues’ Dylan Holloway Out Week-To-Week With Lower-Body Injury
The Blues confirmed today that winger Dylan Holloway is considered week-to-week after suffering a lower-body injury during the first period of their 5-4 overtime win against the Penguins last night. With just five games left on their regular-season schedule, a return before the postseason begins is questionable at best. It’s unclear when Holloway sustained the injury, but he didn’t come out following the first intermission and didn’t return to the game.
St. Louis is almost certainly headed to the playoffs, boasting odds of 95.8% entering tonight’s games, per MoneyPuck. That’s on the back of an 11-game win streak, during which the 23-year-old Holloway ranks third on the team in scoring with 5-10–15 and a +13 rating.
That’s just a snapshot of the strong campaign Holloway has enjoyed after the Blues signed him and defenseman Philip Broberg to offer sheets, parting ways with a second and third-round pick as compensation to the Oilers after they failed to come to terms with the restricted free agents. After failing to record more than nine points in his first two seasons in Edmonton, the 2020 No. 14 overall pick has now firmly established himself as a top-six fixture in St. Louis. Skating most of the year on a line with Jordan Kyrou and captain Brayden Schenn, he ranks third on the team in scoring with 26-37–63 in 77 games. He boasts a +21 rating and 165 hits while averaging 16:49 per game, all the while only registering 10 PIMs on the year.
In addition to his scoring breakout, Holloway grades out as St. Louis’ best two-way forward this season. He leads the team with a +18.1 expected rating, and his 52.2 CF% at even strength trails only Kyrou. With Holloway on the ice at even strength, the Blues score 3.5 goals per 60 minutes and allow just 2.3.
That makes him a gargantuan loss, even with a playoff spot firmly within grasp. If his absence stretches into the postseason, that’s a huge dent into their chances of pulling off an upset over a divisional champion – likely either the Golden Knights or Jets – in the first round.
Holloway’s absence creates a major opportunity for 2022 first-rounder Jimmy Snuggerud, who moves into a top-six role after signing out of the University of Minnesota last week. He’ll skate alongside Pavel Buchnevich and Robert Thomas while Jake Neighbours slides down to take Holloway’s spot on the second line. The 20-year-old averaged 13:33 over his first two NHL appearances with the Blues and has one assist under his belt so far.
Image courtesy of Jeff Curry-Imagn Images.
Evening Notes: Mrazek, Soderblom, Holloway, Stastney
The Detroit Red Wings received split injury updates early on Thursday. Head coach Todd McLellan shared that goaltender Petr Mrazek will continue to sit out with a head injury, but that winger Elmer Soderblom could return from his undisclosed injury on Friday, per Max Bultman of The Athletic. Both players have missed Detroit’s last four games.
The Red Wings have maintained a duo of Cam Talbot and Alex Lyon while Mrazek’s been absent – the same tandem they ran before acquiring Mrazek at the Trade Deadline. Talbot has returned to the starting role after briefly missing time in March – and quickly found a hot streak. He’s posted a .922 save percentage and 2.48 goals-against average in four games since returning – though the low numbers have only led to a 1-2-1 record. His performances have lifted up Alex Lyon’s struggles as of late, with a 1-4-0 record and .843 save percentage in his last five games. Detroit will hope that pair continues to balance each other out as they continue to chase the Eastern Conference Wild Card.
Meanwhile, Soderblom will return looking to find his spark again after netting two goals in his last three games before injury. The pair doubled Soderblom’s year-long totals up to that point, pushing him to four goals and 10 points in 23 games this season. The six-foot-eight winger is playing through his rookie season in the NHL, though he did appear in 21 games and score eight points last season. He’ll step back into a role in Detroit’s bottom-six when he’s good to go.
Other notes from around the league:
- St. Louis Blues winger Dylan Holloway exited their Thursday night game against the Pittsburgh Penguins before the second period with a lower-body injury. He appeared to sustain the injury on a check from Penguins rookie Rutger McGroarty early in the first period. Holloway has been a major proponent of St. Louis’ 10-game winning streak. He’s scored 15 points across the streak, and was riding an 11-game scoring streak of his own before the early exit. That scoring brought Holloway up to 26 goals and 63 points in 77 games this season. Any missed games as a result of this injury would be his first as a Blue.
- Across the Central Division, the Nashville Predators were without defenseman Spencer Stastney for Thursday’s game against the Dallas Stars due to an upper-body injury. He was slated to serve as the team’s seventh dressed defenseman in the matchup, but in his absence, the Predators decided to instead promote rookie forward Ozzy Wiesblatt to the rotation. Stastney has tallied three points, all assists, in 22 games this season and filled a minimal role in Nashville’s lineup as of late.
Blues Assign Dalibor Dvorsky To AHL
Dalibor Dvorsky’s first NHL stint was a short-lived one. After being recalled for the first time a little more than a week ago, the Blues announced that the center has been sent back to AHL Springfield.
Dvorsky was the tenth overall pick back in 2023 and even though he’s just 19, he is eligible to play full-time in the minors this year since he wasn’t drafted out of the CHL. He’s done well this season with the Thunderbirds, collecting 20 goals and 23 assists in 57 games, ranking him in the top ten in points for a player considering that he’s still junior-eligible. Dvorsky got into one game with St. Louis while on recall but was held off the scoresheet in 10:40 of playing time.
With Jimmy Snuggerud signing and jumping right into the lineup, the Blues clearly feel that Dvorsky would be best served getting regular minutes in the minors over sporadically playing at the NHL level, a decision that certainly makes sense from a development perspective.
His assignment also helps the Blues duck a little more below the $88MM spending threshold which is notable in the sense that it allows them to bank a bit more cap space to apply against their achieved bonuses, an amount that already has reached $1.725MM thanks to Ryan Suter meeting his games played targets. Any dollar that they can save in cap space now is a dollar less of a carry-over penalty they’ll face next season, so keeping Dvorsky up to sit him would also have served little value on that front.
Poll: Which College Signing Will Make The Biggest Impact In 2024-25?
A contract signing frenzy has broken out across the NHL as the NCAA season draws to a close. Teams are in a mad dash to lock up their star prospects, or sign impactful free agents who slipped through the cracks of the draft. The range of outcomes for these fresh pro recruits will stretch across the hockey world. Some will finish their seasons on amateur try-out contracts in the minor leagues, while others have earned a proud AHL shot, and even more find themselves suddenly thrust into the NHL lineup. The group of signees is headlined by prospects with years of anticipation behind them, joining teams with important games left on the docket. Those big additions lead to the natural next question – which college signing will make the biggest impact through the remainder of the year?
University of Minnesota star Jimmy Snuggerud may be an easy top guess. The
20-year-old right-wing has joined a St. Louis Blues team in the midst of a nine-game win-streak that’s propelled them into a confident playoff spot. St. Louis’ success has come in no small part thanks to rookie Zachary Bolduc, who has 16 goals and 31 points in 65 games this season. He’s been backed by other thriving young forwards, like Dylan Holloway and Jake Neighbours. The Blues have leaned into their youth movement by promoting top AHL scorer Dalibor Dvorsky to the top flight, after he potted 20 goals and 43 points in 57 minor league games. Now, St. Louis also adds the snappy shot of Snuggerud after he managed a dazzling 24 goals and 51 points in 40 games of his junior season. Snuggerud doesn’t shy away from physicality and plays a cool, calm, and collected game that should blend well with a Blues offense that’s firing on all cylinders since the calendar turned over.
But St. Louis’ Central Division rivals have a pair of new faces who could find their way to a big splash. The Chicago Blackhawks may be well outside of postseason contention, but they’ve received their own injection of young potential by signing Snuggerud’s UMN teammates, centerman Oliver Moore and defenseman Sam Rinzel. Both players filled top-end roles for the Gophers this season, to dazzling results. Rinzel took home the Big Ten’s ’Defenseman of the Year’ honors this year, after recording 10 goals and 32 points in 40 games of his sophomore season. Moore just narrowly outscored him, potting 12 goals and 33 points in 38 games of his own. The pair have already made their NHL debuts – and while neither scored, they were both instantly noticeable amid a Blackhawks offense that’s slowed down as of late. Chicago is looking towards the future as the season draws to a close, and strong performances out of Moore or Rinzel could go a long way towards cementing their top-of-the-lineup role through next season. It seems Rinzel’s spot may already be locked up – after he recorded over 20 minutes of ice time and four shots on net in his debut.
There’s even more to watch from Gopher alums in the Central Division – with Matthew Wood inking a deal with the Nashville Predators after completing his junior year at UMN. Wood ranked second on the Gophers in scoring behind Snuggerud, with 17 goals and 39 points in 39 games this season. It was an impressive performance for the fresh-transfer – but perhaps even more impressive, it was Wood’s first time not leading his team in scoring since he made his junior hockey debut in the 2020-21 season. He’s a fierce shooter, with the heft and skating to push his way into space, even against top competition. He could quickly find a role on a Predators team that lost Mark Jankowski at the Trade Deadline – and one that’s in desperate need of a booming top prospect to spark hopes.
While the Gophers look to take control of the Central Division, the Metropolitan Division could soon be controlled by Eagles. Boston College stars Ryan Leonard and Gabe Perreault have inked their first pro deals, signing with the Washington Capitals and New York Rangers respectively. The duo are absolute top prospects who have spent the vast majority of the last four seasons playing on the same line. Leonard is a beefy sniper capable of driving down the boards with speed and getting the puck on net quick. Perreault is a bit more nimble – and uses a strong drive to overwhelm opponents on the forecheck and quick hands to beat them in his paths to the net. Both have done nothing but sparkle with their individual efforts, and seem fully capable of translating at least some of their upside to the NHL right away. Leonard will join the best team in the league, while Perreault will join a squad currently in tight contention for the Eastern Conference’s second Wild Card. Both roles should lead to major roles that could lead the top names to quick scoring.
Plenty of other signings across the hockey world could pay off sooner rather than later. Even if they don’t, the chance to watch top prospects finally donning their NHL jerseys is hard no to be excited over. Who do you think will make the biggest impact? Vote below:
For mobile users, click here to vote.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Blues' Prospect Colin Ralph Enters Portal
- Blues’ 2024 second round selection Colin Ralph has entered the transfer portal, ending his time at St. Cloud State University. The 6’5, 225-pound defender spent one season at St. Cloud before opting to enter the portal. In 35 games this season, Ralph, 19, recorded eight points and minus-four rating. Touted for his strong defensive play and size, Ralph will look for a new opportunity in the NCAA. He is among a plethora of defensive prospects in the Blues organization, including Quinton Burns and Matthew Mayich (both currently in the OHL), Lukas Fischer, Hunter Skinner and Samuel Johannesson (all currently in the AHL), and William McIssac (WHL).
Pavel Buchnevich Returns From Illness
- The St. Louis Blues will have an important top-six forward back in the lineup tomorrow night against the Colorado Avalanche. According to Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic, Pavel Buchnevich feels “really good” and will return from his illness-related four-game absence. While Buchnevich’s significance to the Blues’ offense is undeniable, his absence from the lineup seems to have gone unnoticed by the team. Despite being on a winning streak before Buchnevich exited the lineup, St. Louis managed a 4-0-0 record without him, averaging 4.25 goals per game.
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St. Louis Blues Sign Jimmy Snuggerud To Entry-Level Contract
5:05 p.m.: The deal is official between the Blues and Snuggerud. The Hobey Baker Award finalist has signed a three-year, entry-level contract with St. Louis, and he’ll join the team for practice on Monday.
11:08 a.m.: The Blues are nearing an entry-level deal with top right-winger prospect Jimmy Snuggerud, per a report from team rinkside reporter Andy Strickland this morning. Snuggerud’s three-year pact will go into effect immediately and allow him to join the NHL roster for the remainder of the season and playoffs if St. Louis secures a berth.
The news comes less than 24 hours after Snuggerud’s junior season at the University of Minnesota ended, losing to UMass in overtime in the regional semifinals of the national tournament. He had two goals in the contest, including one late in the third period to tie the game at four after Minnesota blew a 3-1 lead entering the third. While he hoped to wait until April to arrive in St. Louis to suit up with the Golden Gophers at the Frozen Four, he’ll come for next week’s homestand in preparation for his NHL debut.
Snuggerud, 20, was the Blues’ first-round selection (No. 23) in 2022. The 6’2″ righty is tied with center Dalibor Dvorsky as the top prospect in the Blues’ system, and Scott Wheeler of The Athletic named him the No. 22-ranked NHL-drafted prospect last month. He’s the fourth-ranked right-wing prospect in the league behind a trio of top-10 picks in Montreal’s Ivan Demidov, the Capitals’ Ryan Leonard, and the Ducks’ Beckett Sennecke.
He leaves behind a spectacular three-year college career in which the Minnesota native topped 20 goals each season, earning Hobey Baker Award nominations in 2024 and 2025. He’s tied for fifth in the country in scoring this season, leading the Gophers with 24-27–51 in 40 games. Over three years in the Minnesota program, the dynamic offensive threat totaled 66-69–135 in 119 games with a +51 rating and 113 PIMs. Since beginning his collegiate career in 2022-23, only the Panthers’ Jack Devine (Denver) has more total points, and no one has more goals.
Even amid a chase to secure a wild-card spot in the Western Conference, the Blues could likely benefit by inserting Snuggerud into a top-nine role out of the gate. Shifting Zachary Bolduc from right to left wing while bumping underperforming Mathieu Joseph (4-9–13 in 55 GP) down the lineup creates an opening for Snuggerud on the third line with Bolduc and Oskar Sundqvist, giving the red-hot Blues an extra offensive weapon for the final few games of the season. On the heels of eight straight victories, St. Louis’ playoff chances are up to 73.1%, per MoneyPuck. They also have a 20.4% chance of passing the Wild for the first wild-card spot.
Snuggerud will have his presumably bonus-laden ELC run through the 2026-27 campaign, making him a restricted free agent upon expiry. They’ll also have key young forwards Dvorsky and Jake Neighbours in need of new deals that summer, so that’s a potential cap crunch to look out for down the line, with veteran goalie Jordan Binnington’s deal also set to expire in 2027.
Image courtesy of Imagn Images.