It would appear the general media remains low on the St. Louis Blues. Last month, we wrote about how The Athletic views the Blues as a team that could get stuck in the mushy middle. We are also concerned about their ultimate ceiling for the upcoming season, especially in a division that's as top-heavy as the Central. Both analyses look at the short term, though: how the Blues ought to fare in the 2026-27 season, not over the next several years.
Well, The Athletic is back with their annual article on contention cycles--and the Blues are...not looking too promising. Last year, they were firmly in "No Man's Land," which describes a team too good to bottom out for top-of-the-draft picks, but not good enough to make consistent, deep runs in the playoffs. This year, the Blues' positioning is worse: a team in a rebuild with little direction.
The reasoning
One thing to keep in mind with these sorts of models is that they often heavily weigh past performance, rather than potential upside. For current NHL players, that means the Blues' best players (Robert Thomas, Dylan Holloway, and Philip Broberg) are measured by their play over previous seasons. That's a tough look for Thomas and Holloway, as they've both dealt with injuries, while Broberg has only just started to reach his peak.
As a result, the Blues have a good--not great--team heading into the season. Unless one of their players ascends to stardom, they're going to lack the sorts of ceiling-raisers contending teams need to compete. It doesn't help that they're in a Central Division with three of the perennial best teams in the league.
The future isn't exactly bright, either. According to the writers, the Blues have assembled a solid group of good prospects, but no clear needle-movers. It's a strong supporting cast but, without a star or two at the top, a team with a limited ceiling.
The way forward
The good news is the Blues have a ton of assets to work with: all of their first-round picks for the coming years, plus a respectable prospect pipeline that other teams may have interest in. If a star player hits the market and wants to come to St. Louis, new general manager Alex Steen is well positioned to make a trade.
Acquiring stars is one of the most difficult things to achieve, though. The Blues will have to hope that one of their own prospects develops well beyond expectations, or they swing a blockbuster deal to bring a star onto the roster.
For now, it's not the rosiest of outlooks--but a single star addition to the lineup could change everything for the Blues' future.
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