The St. Louis Blues have been one of the more active teams this season, in terms of roster changes. Internally, they have called up five players from Springfield as Quinton Burns was just given the call.
The reasoning for this has been due to injuries to key members of this team, as well as shuffling around the bottom of the lineup to find the perfect fit. At this point, that fourth line has looked the best it has been all season right now, and some key injuries like Alexey Toropchenko is close to returning.
This roster has a nice showing of what Alexander Steen and his predecessor before him, Doug Armstrong, have been trying to build. They have plenty of NHL-type players like Nathan Walker and Oskar Sundqvist down in Springfield, but they have yet to be called. Instead, it’s the young guns that have been given the opportunity, and they are rising to the occasion.
Next man up
Just about every call up this seen auhs had an impact. Dillon Dube was fantastic before getting injured, as was Theo Lindstein before the emergence of Justin Barron. The same can be said for this new-look fourth line unit alongside Pius Suter, as both Otto Stenberg and Aleksanteri Kaskimaki are proving to be brutes with skill.
Whenever an injury has occured, or a NHL regular has started to underperform, the next man up has been better than the last. That is a very encouraging sign for the longevity of this team, and how they are now set up for years of continuous success.
The long list of first round selections that have yet to make their big splash in the NHL are still chomping at the bits for a chance, and when they do, the trend is that they will seize the moment. As the 2026-27 season progresses, and the injuries continue to pile up, expect more and more prospects getting the nod from Springfield, and eventually toward the end of the season, some CHL prospects as well.
Good results now, better results later
With these up-and-comers like Dube, Stenberg, Kaskimaki, Lindstein and Burns, the results have been good to great. As this 84-game season goes along, those results could change to become even better later on, as well as whomever gets the nod going forward.
The Blues are playing .500 hockey, and rightfully so. Their new-look core group is still figuring itself out, with a stellar second line and a faltering first line. As well as a defensive unit that has been shifted around a good bit here to start this season due to those big injuries to Tyler Tucker and Logan Mailloux.
All across the board, Steen's first Blues squad is going to get better throughout the year. Their adaptability will carry them, and once the trade deadline hits in March, Steen has the chance to put the final touches on a finished product.
Add us as a preferred source on Google