There is only one more preseason game remaining for the St. Louis Blues, and then it is on to meaningful hockey. Let's look back at the summer that was, and how much this team has changed since the devastating double overtime loss to the Winnipeg Jets in game seven of the first round of last season's playoffs.
What happened?
The Blues made a number of moves this offseason in an attempt to get back to the Stanley Cup playoffs in 2025-26. Players were traded, drafted, and retired.
Departures include Torey Krug, who will not be coming back to the Blues in any playing capacity, and will serve on the Long Term Injured Reserve. Zack Bolduc was traded to Montreal, in an attempt to fill a gap placed on the blueline. Radek Faksa moved back to Dallas after spending just one season with the Blues.
Logan Mailloux was the defenseman return in the Bolduc trade, and there are heavy expectations on him to excel. Backup goaltender Joel Hofer was brought back to the Blues on a two-year deal, hopefully bridging the gap to being the successor of Jordan Binnington.
The Blues didn't have a huge draft class, with only three selections in 2025. This is in large part due to the two offer sheets for both Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg, who have both been fantastic. The 19th selection of the first round might have been the biggest draft selection for the Blues since the 2010 drafting of Vladimir Taresneko.
Justin Carbonneau showed in the brief time he spent in Training Camp and the preseason that he absolutely has what it takes to be an NHL superstar. He now heads back to the QMJHL, presumably to clean house in the CHL closet of awards, and then return to the Blues at the end of the 2025-26 season to try and pull a Jimmy Snuggerud into the playoffs.
And that is just about everything. There are some smaller things here and there that was not touched, but they might not have a direct impact on the 2025-26 season. The Blues will open their regular season with a home debut against the Minnesota Wild, on October 9.