Yes, the Blues can give the Winnipeg Jets, Dallas Stars, and Colorado Avalanche a legitimate challenge to take home the Central Division crown in 2026. While there are a few adjustments they can already make, one of which may be controversial in the short term, there are also ways to weaken the three best teams in the Central.
As for the Minnesota Wild, who they also finished behind, the Blues taking another step in their retooling efforts may be all they need to get ahead. They outplayed Minnesota through some portions down the stretch, and they were just a few slip-ups from snagging fourth place and the first wild card.
Still, the Jets, Stars, and Avalanche pose a threat. Luckily for the Blues, a strong offseason will weaken all three teams. Oh, and before you ask, the answer is no, they don’t need to ‘steal players’ via free agency. Not in every case, anyway.
Find a forward who can create chaos in front of the net
Maybe this forward is already in the Blues system. If not, there’s nothing wrong with going out and finding that one last piece to the puzzle. We saw how well the Blues play when they create chaos in front of the net, and it was a major reason the Jets had a tough time figuring them out.
So, now the Blues know exactly what they need to beat some of the league’s best teams. And while they have the personnel to wreak havoc in front of the crease, adding one more player will give opponents consistent headaches.
Someone unafraid of contact and willing to score ‘dirty goals’ is who I’d be looking for here. If they have a nose for the puck and can score off deflections, they’ll be a great fit in Arch City next season.
One more center who can win defensive zone face-offs
I know, everyone’s screaming the name Radek Faksa, and I agree. Faksa will return next season, mark me. He contributes next to nothing offensively, with just five goals and 15 points in 70 games, though he made his presence known in the playoffs with five points and a goal in seven contests.
Still, he won 432 face-offs in the regular season, good for a 57.0 face-off win percentage, and that success takes care of one player on the lower lines. But Oskar Sunqvist was next with 260 wins and a 45.5 percentage.
While some may scoff at face-off win percentage, gaining puck possession off the draw will force all three teams to chase the Blues, but I was specifically thinking about the Dallas Stars. A team that won 52.1 percent of their draws.
With so many solid-to-elite scorers, forcing the Stars to chase the puck will negate some of their chances. So, I’d like to see one more center who can consistently win at least 50 percent of their draws, weakening not only the Stars, but anyone they play with a reputation for scoring a lot of goals.
A defenseman who can block shots
Here, I was thinking about none other than the Colorado Avalanche, a team that logged 2,451 shots on goal in the regular season, good for 29.9 per game. And we all know how high-octane the Avs can get at seemingly any time.
This is one reason why I said previously that the Blues need to go after a player like Bowen Byram. Byram’s 116 blocks in the regular season would’ve ranked second on the Blues last season, behind only Colton Parayko, who registered 149.
The one downside is that, at even strength, Byram watched an eye-popping 83 shots go into his team’s net, but he more than prevented a few would-be goals in the process. As a bonus, Byram was on the ice for 90 goals scored in the same situation, so he’d be more than a pure shot blocker.