- The St. Louis Blues announced that forward Jake Neighbours would miss the first three days of the team’s training camp due to a family matter. As expected, the team didn’t share any insights into the matter, though it doesn’t appear they expect Neighbours to miss much more time. The former first-round pick has become a quality secondary scorer for the Blues over the past few years, recording 49 goals and 84 points in 159 games.
[SOURCE LINK]
Blues Rumors
Latest On Torey Krug
2021 Calgary Flames draft pick Jack Beck is headed to college hockey. SunDevilSuource’s Gabriella Chernoff reports that Beck has committed to play for Arizona State University this season. On the surface, Beck’s commitment might seem like a normal roster addition, but the reality is it’s anything but. Beck was a professional hockey player in 2024-25, playing most of the year with the ECHL’s Wheeling Nailers.
The NCAA had long held that athletes in almost all cases, at the moment they receive compensation in exchange for their services as players, sacrifice their eligibility to compete in NCAA competitions. But the college sports landscape has undergone massive shifts over the last several years, and Beck’s commitment is indicative of a major shift within hockey. CHL players, who were previously ineligible to play college hockey, have been committing to NCAA programs en masse for months – and now players who have signed professional contracts and played professional games, like Beck, are following them. In light of this development, is not immediately clear where the NCAA draws the line in terms of what pro experience is allowed for a player to retain his eligibility, but ESPN’s John Buccigross commented today that college coaches “aren’t happy” with the direction things are headed.
Other notes from the hockey world:
- In a bit of unfortunate but also expected news, The Athletic’s Jeremy Rutherford reported that veteran defenseman Torey Krug failed his season-opening medical, and will, barring a hugely expected turn of events, not play in 2025-26. Rutherford added that the organization hopes to be able to place Krug on in-season long-term injured reserve to give them a “greater ability” to use the additional financial flexbility such a move would create over the course of the season.
- The Dallas News’ Lia Assimakopoulos relayed word from Dallas Stars general manager Jim Nill related to pending restricted free agent Jason Robertson: Nill said negotiations with Robertson, who is repped by Pat Brisson of CAA, are currently “at a standstill.” Nill added that both sides want to see where the market progresses before continuing further – but added that he remains confident they’ll reach an agreement on a new contract. Robertson, 26, is one of the Stars’ best players, scoring 80 points in 82 games in 2024-25.
Blues Sign Nathan Walker To Two-Year Extension
The Blues have agreed to a two-year extension with forward Nathan Walker, the team announced. The diminutive lefty earns a $1.775MM commitment that will count $887,500 against the cap in 2026-27 and 2027-28, just above a league-minimum deal covering those campaigns.
Walker, 31, has been a fan favorite wherever he’s played. Either a high-end AHLer or press box piece for most of his career, he’s the only Australian skater in league history and has slowly begun to establish himself as an everyday NHLer over the past few seasons, more than a decade after the Capitals made him an overage choice in the third round of the 2014 draft. He’s now appeared in each of the last eight NHL seasons, but hadn’t breached the 40-game mark until three years ago.
Last season was Walker’s sixth in the Blues organization after signing there as a free agent in 2019. It also marked a considerable breakthrough for the 5’9″ winger, who worked his way into a career-high 73 appearances and recorded an 8-8–16 scoring line in fourth-line minutes. He also became something of a fringe penalty killer for them, averaging a few ticks over 12 minutes per game. His small stature doesn’t mean he doesn’t play a high-energy game – in fact, he led St. Louis in hits by a wide margin last season with 281 and blocked 61 shots, most among Blues forwards.
Walker also had a mini-breakout in the postseason. In his first playoff action since appearing four times for the Blues in 2022, Walker skated in all seven games in St. Louis’ first-round loss to the Jets and had three goals and four points – all coming in Games 5, 6, and 7.
He’ll now fight to keep his regular role in the lineup in training camp. He’ll be challenged by returning depth pieces Mathieu Joseph and Alexandre Texier, free-agent pickups Nick Bjugstad and Pius Suter, and young names like 2023 first-rounder Dalibor Dvorsky for ice time. He’ll do so with some added financial security after signing his second two-year extension with the club in as many years.
Salary Cap Deep Dive: St. Louis Blues
Navigating the salary cap is one of the most important tasks for a front office. Teams that can avoid total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those who don’t often see struggles and front office changes.
PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation for the 2025-26 season. This will focus more on players who are regulars on the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of PuckPedia. We’re currently covering the Central Division, next up are the Blues.
St. Louis Blues
Current Cap Hit: $94,874,849 (below the $95.5MM Upper Limit)
Entry-Level Contracts
D Logan Mailloux (one year, $875K)
F Jimmy Snuggerud (two years, $950K)
Potential Bonuses
Snuggerud: $800K
Snuggerud joined St. Louis for the stretch run last season after his college campaign ended and made a solid first impression with four points in seven games while adding four more in their first-round loss to Winnipeg. He should land a middle-six role, giving him a shot at reaching some of his ‘A’ bonuses. He’s someone that, if all goes well, they’d want to sign long-term but with several other core youngsters up by then, can they afford to do so?
Mailloux came over from Montreal in a one-for-one swap for Zachary Bolduc in a swap of 2021 first-round picks. He has shown plenty of offensive promise in his first two seasons and should have a chance to come in and be a secondary contributor on their back end. At this point, it’s likely he’ll land a bridge agreement which, depending on his production this season, could plausibly run anywhere between $1.5MM and $2.5MM.
Signed Through 2025-26, Non-Entry-Level
D Philip Broberg ($4.581MM, RFA)
D Cam Fowler ($4MM, UFA)*
F Dylan Holloway ($2.29MM, RFA)
D Matthew Kessel ($800K, RFA)
F Mathieu Joseph ($2.95MM, UFA)
F Oskar Sundqvist ($1.5MM, UFA)
F Alexandre Texier ($2.1MM, RFA)
F Alexey Toropchenko ($1.7MM, UFA)
F Nathan Walker ($775K, UFA)
*-Anaheim is retaining an additional $2.5MM on Fowler’s contract.
Joseph was acquired from Ottawa with St. Louis picking up a third-round pick to take on the rest of his contract. He wasn’t particularly impactful in his first season with the Blues and while he’s only a year removed from a 35-point year, a similar showing in 2025-26 could have his next deal coming closer to half of this amount. On the other hand, Holloway is on the rise. Acquired for a third-round pick via the offer sheet (not the one they got to take on Joseph), he had a breakout year with 63 points, good for third on the team in scoring. With arbitration rights next summer, a similar showing this season could have him more in the $7MM range on a long-term deal. What a difference a year can make after being limited on the depth chart in Edmonton.
Texier was also brought in last summer with the hopes that a change of scenery could help him most consistently show the upside he briefly displayed with Columbus. Instead, injuries were once again an issue and his playing time was a career-low when he was in the lineup. At this point, he might be a non-tender candidate or needing to sign for close to his $2.1MM qualifying offer. Toropchenko surprisingly signed this one-year deal last October and while he brought plenty of physicality, he also only scored four goals in 80 games. A small raise could nonetheless come his way but if he remains around the 20-point range, he should land somewhere around the $2.25MM mark next year.
Sundqvist has been an effective bottom-six center for a good chunk of his two stints with St. Louis but still had to settle for a minimum contract just two summers ago. He’s done enough to earn a small raise but given his market limitations the last time he tested the market, it might only be worth a few hundred thousand per season. Walker had his best season in 2024-25, becoming more of an every-game player but his overall track record remains that of a depth piece. The increase to the minimum salary guarantees him a raise to $850K and it’s possible he can do a little better than that.
Broberg’s offer sheet was much riskier than Holloway’s given the higher cap hit associated with it and what was at the time a very limited track record. But the opportunity to play regular minutes in the top four for the first time in his career helped him break out and look more like the player Edmonton hoped he’d be when they drafted him eighth overall in 2019. Now, the deal has gone from a risky one to a team-friendly pact. Also like Holloway, Broberg will be arbitration-eligible next summer, putting him in a position for a big jump again. A long-term pact will likely run them past the $7MM mark while if they needed short-term flexibility, a one-year deal could be an option but still might check in around $6MM.
Fowler was an impactful pickup by GM Doug Armstrong early in the season as he stepped right into a top-four role. For the portion that they’re paying him, he’s a nice bargain. While he’s unlikely to command a price tag at the full portion of his current deal ($6.5MM), it’ll take more than what the Blues are currently paying him to keep him around. A two-or three-year deal around the midpoint of those two numbers might be enough. Kessel technically needs to play in ten NHL games to remain a restricted free agent, otherwise he’s a Group Six unrestricted free agent. Last season wasn’t as good as the year before in the NHL but he’s now waiver-eligible and should be up with St. Louis for the full campaign. If he can lock down a full-time role, he could plausibly double his current cost. If he’s more of a depth option, then something a little over the $1MM mark might make sense.
Signed Through 2026-27
G Jordan Binnington ($6MM, UFA)
F Nick Bjugstad ($1.75MM, UFA)
D Justin Faulk ($6.5MM, UFA)
G Joel Hofer ($3.4MM, RFA)
D Torey Krug ($6.5MM, UFA)
F Jake Neighbours ($3.75MM, RFA)
F Pius Suter ($4.125MM, UFA)
D Tyler Tucker ($925K, UFA)
Suter had a breakout year with Vancouver and with so few centers on the open market, it looked like he was poised to cash in. Instead, while he landed a nice raise over the $1.6MM he made in each of the last two years, only securing two seasons was a bit surprising. If he reverts to being more of a third liner as he has been, it’s still not really an overpay, making it a low-risk addition. Clearly, teams want to see him repeat his 46 points before committing big term and big dollars.
Neighbours continued to show steady improvement but St. Louis wasn’t in a spot to give him a long-term deal, making it another bridge pact. His production hasn’t quite taken off as much as Holloway’s but as a power forward, even maintaining a point total in the mid-40s would have him set for a notable raise on his $4MM qualifying offer. If he continues to progress, he could very well double his current cap charge. Bjugstad had a strong first year in Arizona but struggled last season with Utah which hurt his market. Still, he has been more of a bottom-six producer for the most part in recent years and at this price tag, there isn’t much risk.
Let’s get Krug out of the way quickly. He won’t play this season and probably won’t play next year, meaning he’ll again be LTIR-eligible. Under the new rules, St. Louis would get the full allotment of LTIR room (minus any amount they’re below the cap when they place him there.) Doing so means they can’t accrue cap space and any bonuses hit roll over to 2026-27 so their preferred method at this point is probably trying to avoid it. But while the LTIR change will affect a lot of teams and players this season, Krug will be one of the exceptions.
Faulk is not the higher-end offensive threat he was in his prime and as he nears the 1,000-game mark with the minutes he’s logged, he could start to wear down before too much longer. Nonetheless, he was still an all-situations top-pairing piece in terms of usage last season so even with the drop in production, they’ve still received a reasonable return in recent years. But if the drop continues, he will wind up with a drop of a couple million or so on his next contract. Tucker cleared waivers back in October but wound up playing a relatively regular role in the second half on the third pairing, a role he might be able to reprise. If he can become a full-timer, things will be looking up two years from now when doubling this could be an option. But if he remains more of a reserve player, he’ll stay in that range of being a little above the minimum salary.
It hasn’t always been pretty with Binnington on this contract with there being more ups and downs than teams typically like from their starter. But the good generally has outweighed the bad while he has been one of the workhorses around the league in recent years. Since he’s not in that top tier, he probably isn’t going to be able to reach the $8MM level that a few have hit but another multi-year pact at or even a little above this price point is feasible. As the Blues have done several times with their players, Hofer also received a bridge deal, one that gives them more time to assess if he can ultimately supplant Binnington as the starter. If so, he could land around where Binnington is now. If not, he likely wouldn’t get a big jump off where he is now as the high-end backup ceiling isn’t much higher than this at the moment.
Signed Through 2027-28
F Brayden Schenn ($6.5MM, UFA)
After two of his better offensive seasons in 2021-22 and 2022-23, Schenn’s production has come down over the last couple of years to more around the 50-point mark. Considering his physicality and the fact he plays center, this still isn’t a terrible price tag for someone who is deployed as a second liner. But with over 1,000 games under his belt now and the style he plays, there are going to be some concerns about his ability to provide similar value over these final three years.
Reporter Previews Upcoming Blues Training Camp
The St. Louis Blues enter the 2025-26 season with the clear goal of returning to the postseason and building off of their 96-point performance from 2024-25. With Blues training camp set to begin next week, The Athletic’s Jeremy Rutherford shed some light on the key lineup and roster decisions the club’s decision-makers are likely to ponder over the course of the team’s preseason process. The most consequential lineup position up for grabs that Rutherford identified was the first-line winger spot alongside star center Robert Thomas and key veteran winger Pavel Buchnevich. Former University of Minnesota star Jimmy Snuggerud is considered the front-runner for the role, in part due to his performance late last season when he posted eight points in 14 combined regular-season and playoff games. According to Rutherford, 2020 first-round pick Jake Neighbours, fresh off a career-best 22-goal, 46-point campaign, is another name in the mix for that spot.
Another lineup spot Rutherford identified as up for grabs this preseason is the third-line role vacated by Zachary Bolduc, who the team dealt to Montreal in exchange for blueliner Logan Mailloux. Bolduc had a stellar 19-goal rookie campaign, and his tenacity and scoring instincts could prove difficult to replace. Rutherford named veteran Nick Bjugstad, whom the Blues signed to a two-year, $1.75MM AAV deal this summer, as a potential fit for the spot. Bugstad, 33, is just one year removed from a strong 22-goal, 45-point season. According to Rutherford, he’ll likely have to fend off challenges from players such as 2023 10th overall pick Dalibor Dvorsky and veteran wingers Mathieu Joseph and Alexandre Texier to win the job.
Blues Sign Justin Carbonneau, Nikita Susuev
The St. Louis Blues have signed 2025 first-round pick Justin Carbonneau to his entry-level contract. The team also announced they’ve signed 2023 seventh-round pick Nikita Susuev to his entry-level deal. Carbonneau was one of 33 forwards named to the Blues’ 2025 training camp roster on Wednesday. Reports suggest that he could even have a chance at making the NHL roster straight out of camp, per Marco D’Amico of RG Media.
PuckPedia reports that Carbonneau will have a cap hit of $975K before performance bonuses and an AAV of $1.392MM with those bonuses factored in. They add that Susuev, who doesn’t have any performance bonuses in his deal, will have a cap charge of $855.
Word that Carbonneau could be headed for pro games sooner rather than later comes as no surprise. He was the main standout at the team’s 2025 rookie camp, held immediately following the NHL Draft. Fans were quickly tuned into the high-energy, hefty, and aggressively-physical style that Carbonneau brings to the ice. He was perhaps the best play-driver in the QMJHL last season, and finished the year with 46 goals – tied for the league-lead – and 89 points – second in the league – in 62 games played. Carbonneau was also the only player in the league to record more than 60 points and penalty minutes (61).
Draft pundits praised Carbonneau’s heft and strength throughout the season. He already stands at 6-foot-2, 205-pounds – plenty of size to cushion an early move to the NHL. If he doesn’t make the Blues, or if the team opts to return him after nine games, he will return to the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada for a fourth season. He has already amassed 168 points in 162 games with the team.
On the other side, Susuev – often spelled Susuyev – could finally make a push away from Russian hockey. He has bounced around the country’s major, minor, and junior leagues over the last three seasons. He’s also bounced around organizations, and ended up suiting up for five different clubs – helped along by three different loan-outs – last season alone. His stat line became a slog as a result – officially sat at 12 points in 21 MHL (junior) games, five points in 14 VHL (minor-pro) games, and one point in seven KHL (major-pro) games.
Susuev did spend the majority of the 2023-24 campaign, his age-19 season, on the KHL’s Spartak Moskva. He only racked up six points in 40 games from a depth forward role, but nonetheless gained invaluable experience on a team that finished fourth in their conference. He’s a high-skill winger, with the flash to beat defenders and the instinct to crash the net. His hockey IQ was praised by Russian scouts ahead of the draft, and he could quickly become an interesting player to follow if and when he joins the AHL ranks. For now, Susuev has officially missed the start of Spartak’s season due to injury, and it is unclear what his next step will be.
Blues’ Zach Dean Enters NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program
St. Louis Blues prospect Zach Dean has entered the NHL/NHLPA Player’s Assistance Program and will be out indefinitely, per a release from the NHL Public Relations department. The announcement mentions that Dean will not be eligible to return to the ice until he is fully cleared by program administrators. This will likely hold him out of the duration of St. Louis’ training camp and the start of the regular season.
Dean is a former first-round pick, hearing his name called by the Vegas Golden Knights with the 30th pick in the 2021 NHL Draft. He was coming off a promising, albeit shortened, QMJHL season that he spent the next two years vindicating. Dean graduated from the QMJHL’s Gatineau Olympiques after the 2022-23 season, having accrued 188 points in 177 games, and four seasons, in the league. By that time, Vegas had traded Dean to the Blues in a one-for-one exchange for NHL winger Ivan Barbashev.
That move pushed Dean to start his career in the Blues’ minor-league system. He joined the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds for the 2023-24 season, and began a slow process of climbing his way up the organization’s depth chart. He only scored one point in his first 11 pro games, but managed to pull things together enough to total 14 points in 49 games by the end of the year. That was just enough to push the Blues to call-up Dean for the first nine games of his NHL career towards the end of a lost season. He didn’t manage any scoring in the spot starts, and returned to the minors for the 2024-25 season.
Dean seemed ready to repeat his climb towards an NHL call-up, but ended up outside of the lineup after just three games due to a nagging, undisclosed injury. He returned in late-January, after a three-month absence, but was reinjured after just six games back. That forced Dean out until late-April, and ultimately limited his season to just four points in 11 games. The uptick in scoring was an encouraging sign, but it now seems Dean will need a little longer to get back into the right mindset after a difficult season. He’ll have all the time he needs in the NHL/NHLPA Player’s Assistance Program, and will look to show St. Louis the responsible, two-way playmaking style that earned him a first-round selection on the other side. Dean should return to Springfield’s middle-six at some point this season.
Marco Scandella Confirms Retirement
September 2025: Nearly a year after telling reporters he was retired, Scandella has evidently filed his retirement paperwork. The Blues made an announcement today confirming his retirement.
October 2024: St. Louis Blues defenseman Marco Scandella has retired from his pro playing career, sharing as much with Matthew DeFranks of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Scandella attended the Blues’ morning skate on Saturday, visiting old teammates and affirming to reporters that he’s taken to traveling with his newfound free time. He last played in the final game of St. Louis’ 2023-24 season, though his year as a whole would be limited by routine healthy scratches. Scandella totaled eight points in 65 games in what is now his final season.
St. Louis acquired Scandella from the Montreal Canadiens in 2020, sending a 2020 second and 2021 fourth-round pick the other way. Those picks turned into prospects Jack Finley and William Trudeau, respectively, while Scandella pursued a five-year career in St. Louis. He appeared in 215 games over that span, stepping in as a stout two-way option down St. Louis’ depth chart. However, Scandella was never a prolific scorer with the Blues, reaching a career high of 24 points in 49 games during the 2020-21 season.
The Blues were one of four teams to host Scandella during his 14-year NHL career, which began with the Minnesota Wild in the 2010-11 season. He played in 20 games and recorded just two assists in his first season, impressing enough with his abilities off-puck to earn 63 games in a routine top-pair role in the following year. Unfortunately, his rise to a prominent lineup role would be coupled with the first long-term injuries of his career.
He’d be limited by finger injuries, concussions, and groin injuries through his first three pro seasons. He kicked the injury bug in 2013 and became one of the most consistent parts of Minnesota’s lineup until a 2017 trade to the Buffalo Sabres. Scandella continued to serve as a low-scoring, high-responsibility defender in Buffalo, even serving as the team’s top defender in the 2017-18 season. That was a career year for Scandella, marking the only time he appeared in all 82 games of a season. He’d record 22 points, one shy of his career-high set in 2015, while averaging over 23 minutes of ice time.
Scandella’s role would decline every year after his peak with the Sabres, save for a 70-game season with the Blues in 2021-22. He played through his age-33 season, totaling 170 points in 784 games and 42 points in 96 AHL games. His career was marked by diligent and responsible defense, which could be enough to earn Scandella a coaching career down the road.
Summer Synopsis: St. Louis Blues
With training camps now less than a month away, the bulk of the heavy lifting has been done from a roster perspective. Most unrestricted free agents have found new homes, the arbitration period has come and gone, and the trade market has cooled. Accordingly, it’s a good time to take a look at what each team has accomplished this offseason. Next up is a look at St. Louis.
Last summer, the Blues were relatively quiet early on before striking with a pair of successful offer sheets to bring in a couple of potential core players. A second-half push helped propel them into the playoffs, and in his final summer at the helm as GM, Doug Armstrong largely elected to keep the status quo with only a few moves of consequence.
Draft
1-19 – F Justin Carbonneau, Blainville-Boisbriand (QMJHL)
5-147 – F Mikhail Fyodorov, Magnitogorsk (MHL)
6-179 – G Love Harenstam, Skelleftea (Sweden U20)
If this section feels a little light, there’s a good reason for that. The silver lining for St. Louis is that most of the missing draft picks turned into established players. The second rounder went in the offer sheet for Philip Broberg after being reacquired from Pittsburgh. Broberg showed lots of promise in his first full NHL season. The third rounder went in the offer sheet for Dylan Holloway. He finished third on the team in scoring. Even the fourth rounder yielded a roster regular as it went for Alexandre Texier. His first year wasn’t great, but he still has one more year left on his contract to turn things around. With the thought that a draft class should ideally yield two NHL players, they already got there before even drafting anyone. Not too shabby.
Carbonneau was one of the better offensive wingers in this year’s class and isn’t just a one-trick pony as he’s a deft playmaker with an above-average shot. There was some talk that he might make the jump to college hockey this season, but he decided to return to QMJHL Blainville-Boisbriand, although he notably hasn’t signed his entry-level deal yet, keeping his NCAA options on the table. Carbonneau is a few years away from being NHL-ready, but he has legitimate top-six upside. Fyodorov is a late-round project as he finds himself still in the Russian junior ranks, while Harenstam did okay in Sweden’s junior level last season and will now look to make the jump to the second-tier Allsvenskan. Both players are longer-term development pieces.
Trade Acquisitions
D Logan Mailloux (trade with Montreal)
While there was a lot of trade speculation surrounding the Blues, including one of their top-paid players in Jordan Kyrou, there was only one trade made. And while the Canadiens were one of the teams believed to be interested in Kyrou, the two sides made a much different deal, one that we don’t see occur too often with the teams swapping fairly recent first-round picks, with St. Louis dealing from their winger surplus to bring in an intriguing blueliner.
Mailloux has played the bulk of his two-year professional career in the minors, where he has been quite productive for a blueliner, recording 80 points in 135 regular-season games. With five points in eight NHL contests, he has done well in the offensive zone at the top level as well. There remain questions about his overall defensive game and how he’ll adapt to playing against tougher competition, but Mailloux should be able to be a capable secondary producer from the back end while likely starting in a depth role as he gets his first taste of extended NHL action this season. The ceiling is enticing, though if he can put everything together.
UFA Signings
F Nick Bjugstad (two years, $3.5MM)
F Milan Lucic (signed to PTO)
F Matt Luff (one year, $775K)*
F Pius Suter (two years, $8.2MM)
*-denotes two-way contract
Shoring up their center depth was the theme of Armstrong’s summer signings. Suter picked the perfect time for a breakout year last season, really boosting his stock heading into a free agent period that was lacking in terms of impactful middlemen. After being more of a middle-six player for the first few seasons of his career, Suter was able to produce at a much better rate, earning himself a near-permanent spot in Vancouver’s top six on the heels of a 25-goal, 46-point effort. While there are some reasonable questions as to whether he can repeat that performance, the Blues aren’t necessarily paying him to be that player. If he settles in behind Robert Thomas and Brayden Schenn and helps anchor the third line while helping out on the penalty kill, he’ll fit in pretty well even if the production reverts closer to the usual high 20-point mark.
Bjugstad is only a year removed from a 45-point effort in Arizona, but he wasn’t able to sustain that production following the move to Utah. His playing time fell by more than five minutes per game as he was deployed pretty much exclusively in their bottom six. That’s about the same role he’ll have with St. Louis, but having him as a fourth center is a nice luxury to have, while he could also move up and play alongside Suter on the third line, where the two could only focus on strong-side draws, with their overall faceoff success rate being limited.
Lucic is one of the more intriguing PTO candidates this fall. Between injuries, charges that were later dropped, and a stint in the Player Assistance Program, he hasn’t played in the better part of two years. While he’s far from the top-six power forward he was in his prime, he could come in and give St. Louis some extra grit on the fourth line if all goes well, giving them a bit more depth to work with.
RFA Re-Signings
F Nikita Alexandrov (one year, $775K)*
G Joel Hofer (two years, $6.8MM)
D Hunter Skinner (one year, $775K)*
G Vadim Zherenko (one year, $775K)*
*-denotes two-way contract
Despite the lack of prospect pedigree, Hofer is quickly becoming the heir apparent to netminder Jordan Binnington, making him the most important RFA for the Blues this summer. The new two-year pact will run through the 2026-27 season, the same time that Binnington’s six-year, $36MM extension expires.
As Binnington ages the next two years, Hofer should have access to additional playing time. In the past two years, Hofer has achieved a record of 31 wins, 20 losses, and 4 overtime losses in 61 games, with a .909 SV%, a 2.65 GAA, and 11.0 goals saved above average while serving in a backup role.
Outside of Hofer, Alexandrov is the only recent RFA that should feature on the Blues’ roster next season. Throughout the past two years, although he has typically played in the AHL, Alexandrov has scored three goals and nine points in 51 games in a bottom-six role.
Departures
F Corey Andonovski (unsigned)
F Zachary Bolduc (trade with Montreal)
F Tanner Dickinson (signed in Slovakia)
F Radek Faksa (signed with Dallas, three years, $6MM)
D Nick Leddy (waivers, claimed by San Jose)
F Mackenzie MacEachern (signed with Vancouver, two years, $1.55MM)*
D Anton Malmstrom (signed in Sweden)
D Ryan Suter (unsigned)
*-denotes two-way contract
St. Louis didn’t lose too much on the offensive side of the puck this offseason, but the jury is still out on whether they’ll be kicking their butts about trading Bolduc. In their defense, the Blues have sufficient depth in their top six, and prospects like Jimmy Snuggerud and Dalibor Dvorsky are ready to make an impact.
Still, Bolduc is one year removed from a solid sophomore campaign, scoring 19 goals and 36 points in 72 contests, typically situated in a middle-six role. In contrast, Mailloux is the same age as Bolduc, and although it usually takes defensemen longer to develop, he only has eight games of NHL experience.
Outside of Bolduc, the Blues lost solid, albeit replaceable, veterans in Leddy and Faksa. It didn’t take long for the team to replace either, as Leddy’s minutes will be replaced by one of the multiple young defensemen on the roster, while the Blues signed Suter and Bjugstad to balance out their center depth.
Salary Cap Outlook
As things stand, St. Louis projects to have around $625K in cap space to start next season, per PuckPedia. That doesn’t make for much wiggle room when the minimum salary is $775K. However, that number does not include potential LTIR flexibility. After missing all of last season due to an ankle injury, Armstrong noted this offseason that he doesn’t expect Krug to play again, meaning his $6.5MM is eligible to land on LTIR. The exact amount of cap space that would provide depends on their roster at the time they place him on there, but it’s safe to say they’d be able to use around $6MM of that if they have to go that route. There’s more wiggle room here than it might appear at first glance.
Key Questions
How Will Snuggerud Fare In His Rookie Season? As one of the more exciting prospects coming up through the Blues’ system, Snuggerud will have every opportunity to make a positive impact on St. Louis this season. Finishing off the 2024-25 campaign, Snuggerud scored one goal and four points in seven contests before matching that total (two goals, two assists) in seven games in the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs. There were a few instances, especially during the postseason, where Snuggerud’s lack of experience showed. Still, if Snuggerud can match his brief scoring pace from last season, he may compete for the Calder Memorial Trophy by the end of the campaign.
Will The Penalty Kill Improve? Without a doubt, one of the biggest weaknesses for the Blues last year was their penalty kill. St. Louis finished with a 74.35% kill rate, ranking 27th in the NHL, and was the second-lowest among playoff teams. Retaining most of their team from last season, it begs the question of whether the additions of Suter and Bjugstad will be enough to change their fortunes. Suter has maintained an impressive on-ice save percentage throughout his career, while Bjugstad displays his skill in the faceoff dot and with his physicality. Hopefully, for the penalty kill’s sake, the combination of the two can prove beneficial.
PHR’s Brennan McClain also contributed to this post.
Photos courtesy of James Carey Lauder and Walter Tychnowicz-Imagn Images
Morning Notes: Blues, Fedorov, Ciernik
Aside from 2023 10th overall pick Dalibor Dvorsky, forwards Aleksanteri Kaskimäki and Dylan Peterson have the best chance among the Blues’ young AHL-bound prospects of seeing NHL ice at some point this season, Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic relays.
Both are coming off their first full minor-league season with Springfield, although Kaskimäki is the younger one. The 21-year-old Finnish pivot was a third-rounder in 2022 and adjusted well to North American ice in his first season stateside, tying for fifth on the team in scoring with an 11-23–34 line in 63 games.
Peterson, two years Kaskimäki’s senior as a 2020 third-rounder, was in his first pro season altogether after four years at Boston University. The 6’4″ center/winger is more of a checking piece than a scorer – evidenced by his 82 PIMs – but still managed 13 tallies in 52 appearances for the Thunderbirds.
Rutherford posits they’ll have the upper hand over some potentially higher-ceiling scoring options like 2023 No. 25 pick Otto Stenberg, who only arrived in Springfield midway through last season. The organization would like to give him some more runway in the minors before considering him for a call-up.
More from around the hockey world:
- More than 20 years after his last game for the team, the Red Wings announced today they’ll be retiring Sergei Fedorov’s No. 91 before their game on Jan. 12 against the Hurricanes. Fedorov, perhaps the most high-profile member of Detroit’s ’Russian Five,’ sits fourth in franchise history in points per game (1.05), and his cumulative +276 rating is the best of any Red Wings forward. He was a defining member of Detroit’s 1997, 1998, and 2002 championship teams and also won a pair of Selke Trophies and a Hart, twice cracking the 100-point threshold in the process.
- Flyers prospect Alex Čiernik is hoping to continue to re-energize his development after getting past some injury troubles, he told Jackie Spiegel of the Philadelphia Inquirer. The 2023 fourth-rounder signed on with Pelicans in Finland’s Liiga for the upcoming season – his first in a top-flight European pro league – and will be coached by former Flyers forward and development coach Sami Kapanen. He scored 23 points in 46 games last season for Nybrö Vikings IF in Sweden’s second-tier HockeyAllsvenskan after missing most of his post-draft season due to multiple head injuries.