Now that is how you end an Olympic tournament, featuring the very best hockey players on the planet. Unfortunately for fans of St. Louis Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington and defenseman Colton Parayko, the United States defeated Canada in an absolute classic.
New Jersey Devils star forward Jack Hughes sealed the game with a "Golden Goal", sparking a new generation of hockey fans and players across all 50 States. That singular goal and performance from the United States squad just inspired the next 46 years of potential hockey players.
But, after all of that, there is still a 2025-26 season to finish for the Blues. It has been a rough go, but there is a chance that it could end on a high note. It all depends on what direction General Manager Doug Armstrong decides to go in, and where Alexander Steen can go with it once the transition happens this summer.
Here is a look ahead at the next two months of Blues hockey.
Trade Deadline is here, basically
The Trade Deadline is not until March 6, but the start to trade season began last night at midnight. The rosters have been thawed out, and the freeze is over. The Blues, who could be using this year's trade bonanza to bolster their roster for the future, are going to be very busy.
The Blues play six games between February 26 and the Deadline on March 6. That is very little time to see if any bits of the core group are worth salvaging, or complete nuking and starting over. The No-Trade Clauses on Robert Thomas, Jordan Kyrou, and Pavel Buchnevich are going to be hard to move, but not impossible. The same goes for Colton Parayko, who has a full No-Trade Clause, and Justin Faulk, who has a modified clause on his contract.
Current standings
Currently, the Blues are scraping the bottom of the NHL barrel with one of the worst records in the league. At 20-28-9 for 49 points, they only stand in front of the Vancouver Canucks for the best odds at grabbing Gavin McKenna or Ivar Stenberg with the first-overall pick.
That is exactly why this team needs to wave the white flag and shut down the season. Playoffs are way out of reach, this current core group is not good enough, and it is time to see what the future stars in the pipeline have to offer. We have all seen just how good Dalibor Dvorsky was at the Olympics, and Jimmy Snuggerud has been a rockstar for the Blues since his arrival. Justin Carbonneau is up next to see how elite he can be in the NHL.