The St. Louis Blues sent shockwaves last offseason with their dual offer sheet strategy. The bold move paid off as Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg became key cogs in the Blues’ machinery.
However, the Blues entered this offseason on a wing and a prayer. Instead of the club making bold strides to improve upon last season’s talented squad, the Blues have stood pat.
Yes, there’s value in inaction. Any savvy business leader will tell you that making moves for the sake of making moves is bad for an organization. Sometimes, the best move is not to make any move at all.
But that’s not what the Blues’ offseason strategy looked like. It looked more like the Blues were trying to see what unfolded and took the lead from there.
Aside from landing Logan Mailloux from the Montreal Canadiens, the Blues didn’t seem compelled to make significant upgrades.
I will point out that the addition of Pius Suter was a smart move. However, Suter is far from a sure thing. He had a breakout season in 2024-25, one he parlayed into the biggest contract of his career. But Suter does not have the sort of track record you could hang your hat on.
Similarly, Nick Bjugstad was a solid depth addition. But he’s not the sort of player that will put a dent in the world.
What all of these moves point to is that the Blues were reactive this offseason. The club didn’t head into the summer with a blueprint in mind. The club was mostly looking around hoping that the right move would somehow land on its lap.
The St. Louis Blues deserve credit for this major decision
One of the major offseason storylines this summer was the future of stars Brayden Schenn and Jordan Kyrou. Schenn’s name was plastered all over trade rumors leading up to last season’s deadline. Ultimately, the Blues held onto their captain. It was a wise move.
The Schenn trade rumors picked up again over the summer. But as the prevailing chatter has posited, the Blues have assured Schenn he’s staying put. The club took the same stance with Jordan Kyrou. The top-line winger was reportedly part of a major move with the Canadiens. In the end, the Kyrou talk fell through, with the two clubs settling on a relatively minor trade.
As such, the Blues deserve credit for not moving Kyrou or Schenn. We could suppose that if the price had been right, the Blues should have pulled the trigger on moving one or both Schenn and Kyrou. But the fact that the club held onto both players makes them stronger in the long run.
Blues fans, however, shouldn’t expect the Blues to stand pat. The team surprised many NHL observers by making the playoffs. But if the wheels quickly fall off the Blues’ season, they could shop their biggest names in hopes of clearing cap space and landing younger, high-end talent.