The St. Louis Blues are likely done for the offseason and have no pressing contracts that need to be renewed before the 2026-27 season starts (unless you count Mikhail Abramov and Leo Loof). The Blues have a couple of decent contracts on the books but, as The Athletic's contract efficiency ranking highlights, there are some dire deals the Blues will have to navigate.
The bad
We'll start with those worrying contracts. The most glaring and least efficient contract the Blues have is the $8-million AAV extension that Pavel Buchnevich signed in July 2024, which runs through 2031--Doug Armstrong certainly did love extending players a full year before their current contracts were up. Buchnevich isn't the caliber of forward he once was, and his contract gets a D+ from The Athletic. He could end up a cap casualty in the years to come.
Speaking of players extended well before it was necessary, Cam Fowler's $6.1-million AAV deal gets a C- and, at 34 years old, he may never return to the form he showed in his first months in St. Louis. The model also shows some risk for Connor McMichael's extension, and questions whether Mason McTavish can get his career back on track. Add in a baffling deal for Ross Johnston, and it's easy to see why the Blues get a B- overall and rank 23rd in the league.
The good
There are, however, a trio of deals that have outstanding value. The best deal on the books is the obvious one: Robert Thomas, locked in at $8.125 million AAV for another five years, has one of the best contracts in the league. If he stays healthy this season, maybe he can start getting some love on a national scale.
The other two home run deals belong to the guys who came to St. Louis together in an offer sheet coup: Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg. Their $7.8-million AAV by five years and $8-million AAV by six years, respectively, both get A grades.
The future
For now, the Blues have a little over $4 million in cap space--but they could run into problems next season when Jimmy Snuggerud, Jake Neighbours, and Logan Mailloux are due extensions. Brandon Carlo, Torey Krug, and Jordan Binnington will no longer be under contract with the Blues, and that'll free up over $15 million in cap space--on top of the cap going up again next summer.
Middle of the pack ain't a bad place to be in the short term, but hopefully GM Alex Steen keeps the books clean in case a big trade comes along.
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