The slow season is nearly complete, Blues fans. The questions came in quickly, which is a good problem to have for the first of many mailbags. With training camps and preseason action underway overseas, let's dive into the realistic, the wishful thinking, and where the organization still has work to do.
Lets' get to it.
Ethan Hannaford (@echann7): What area of play will St. Louis need to improve the most to get back into the (Stanley) Cup Playoffs?
Depth scoring. Period.
Last season, the Blues finished 24th in goals for per game (2.80). The late surge from Thomas-Holloway-Snuggerud really carried a lot of the workload, and honestly, too much of it. The trio accounted for just shy of 30 percent of the team's total goals. When that line wasn't scoring, the rest of the lineup had a very hard time producing. If McTavish and McMichael can give you 40-50 goals between the two of them, and Dvorsky can take a step offensively, you're looking at a very different Blues team offensively. If they don't, you're still looking at a top-heavy team relying on one line to carry the offense.
Ethan Hannaford (@echann7): What is a realistic expectation for Mason McTavish in 2026-27?
Thank you for the two questions, Ethan. I believe a 20-25 goal, 50-point season is a fair number. If he produces more, it's a win. Anything under 18 goals and you're looking at a bit of a disappointing first season in St. Louis. He's coming off of a down season in Anaheim, scoring 17 goals and 41 points after scoring 22 goals one season before that. He needs to return to that 20-plus-goal form to help make the two first-round draft picks paid for him show they were spent wisely.
Zack Meyer (@ztwin78): Of the new incoming players expected to be on the NHL roster, who do you think has the most to prove?
McMchael has already added a 26-goal season to his resume, and he's locked up now to a new six-year, $6.75 million contract. Carlo is a known quantity, Johnston is more of a specialist with a limited role, and Dube will get his chance in training camp but has lower expectations. McTavish really is the one who the organization spent real draft capital on and will need to show that last season was an outlier.
Blues Hockey Podcast (@BluesHockeyNHL): Will the Blues make any moves before training camp or is the roster set?
I believe it's mostly set, but not set in stone.
According to PuckPedia, they have just under $4.4 million in cap space with their full 23-man roster already set up. The front office appears comfortable with the Joel Hofer and Jordan Binnington tandem goaltending situation heading into camp.
Before camp starts, they could look to swap someone out with their fourth-line logjam of Johnston, Walker, Toropchenko, Sundqvist, Finley, and Dube looking very messy at this time. While I don't believe a Binnington trade is going to happen, a trade could still surface as more of an "if the right offer shows up," but again it seems unlikely.
J Tucker P III (@JTuxIII): Hey Mike, thank for doing this. My question is about the depth at RHD. It seems odd how light we are on prospects there. Perhaps the organization is higher on McIsaac than most outlets? How do you feel about the depth at RHD for now and the future?
I think you're on to something. Right-shot defense is the thinnest area in the organization once you get past Adam Jiricek. Right now, the Blues have Parayko, Mailloux, and Carlo holding down the fort while Jiricek continues to develop at the pro level, likely starting the season in the AHL.
Behind Jiricek, William McIsaac (2024 5th round), Luke Schairer (2026 3rd round), and that is basically it. McIsaac is a 6-foot-3 stay-at-home defenseman but projects as more of a penalty-killing, third-pairing defender at the height of his career. He's more of a complementary piece than a top-four though. Schairer has the tools, but is only 18-years-old and needs to continue flushing them out before truly knowing where his ceiling could be.
The present is fine with Parayko and Carlo, even if he is only here in the short-term. The future looks great with Mailloux and the soon-to-be top-four defender in Jiricek.
Morgan Mumma (@M_T_M18): Which Blues prospects do you think make their NHL debut at some point this season?
On defense, Jiricek could truly prove he is ready for the NHL and push his way to make a late-season appearance, carving out 10-20 games. The forward's, however, are fairly crowded, and most of the forwards who will be making their way from Springfield have already made their debut. I believe Carbonneau will get his fair shot, but the Blues may wish to take the cautious route and let him take the season to develop.
Marco Esquandolas (@mlp343s): What is Zupov's role in trying to get the Russians over to North America? What is the timeline? With Ott signing a 2-year deal without the certainty of him fulfilling that contract. This is time sensitive. I do know Buchelnikov and Korotky have signed extensions over there.
Zubov's job is not "go to Moscow and extract players." He was hired on as an advisor to hockey operations, and will complete evaluations, develop, European relationships, with a Hall of Fame defenseman's eye on how the blue line should play. The Russian piece to this is timely because he coached in the KHL for years and those relationships matter.
Koromyslov will be coming over for this season. Buchelnikov (22) and Korotky (20) are both signed through the 2026-27 season. There has been interest from Buchelnikov to make his way over to North America as the next step in his development and if he wants to make his way over, Zubov and the staff are the ones to help nurture that decision. Korotky is the wild card. Given his age, he could opt to sign another extension in Russia and continue to develop overseas. He and Buchelnikov seemed rather close during training camp and I would not be surprised they come over as a bit of a package deal.
Znystr (@Znystr): Among our goaltending prospects, who do you think has the highest ceiling? After Hofer, who is the next closest one with starter potential?
I will preface this by saying that prospects typically age out of the category by 25-years-old. That being said, Love Harenstam has the highest ceiling currently of the group. He has the size, athleticism and professional reps. He's been a little inconsistent at times, which is why he's not a consensus top goalie prospect. However, if someone in the system becomes a real NHL starter, it could be him.
Seqestration (@Black_JesusFTW): What are some of your expectations going into this season?
A division title is out of the question, but a wild-card push shouldn't be. While the roster is on the younger side, they seem deeper and it solves the depth-scoring issue that plagued them last season.
On top of that: Hofer starts 50-plus games, McTavish and McMichael combine for over 40 goals, and the Blues finish between 88 and 94 points on the season.
Daniel Cravens (@danielcravens): What 3 players do you expect to score the most goals this season?
Dylan Holloway, Jimmy Snuggerud, and Mason McTavish, with Robert Thomas close in contention. As long as Holloway stays healthy, he could push for the team lead in goals scored. McTavish is the player I'm betting on this season and have belief in to reclaim and push his goal-scoring output.
EconaNonGrata (@EconaNonGrata): 1. What does Nathan Waler need to do this offseason and in training camp to find himself at least somewhat consistently and take some games away from Johnston? 2. If there is a Binnington move, how closse is a Romanov or Cranley? Like the Proskurin draft.
Johnston was signed for three years and $2 million AAV and was signed specifically for the heavy style he plays. Walker cannot compete simply based on size, but will need to show up in camp ready to play, win his forecheck battles, and be the veteran player Montgomery trusts in a 2-1 game in the third period. The Blues brought Johnston in for a reason, and there will simply be the games the team wants to use his size and grit for a reason.
Regarding Binnington. If (and I mean IF) the Blues find a trade partner and decide the deal makes sense, Romanov is the closer goalie in the pipeline. However, Romanov is the starting goaltender for the Springfield Thunderbirds with Cranley backing him up. So, the Blues would need a goalie to come back to not disrupt the depth chart and allow Hofer the time to grow as a full-time NHL starter, and Cranley as a full-time AHL goaltender.
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