With the free agency rush behind us, and GM Doug Armstrong's recent signing of Pius Suter, the St. Louis Blues are likely done for the season. Per PuckPedia, they have just over $600,000 in cap space to work with. Sure, they could move Torey Krug to long-term injured reserve and use that space to make another acquisition via trade or signing, but they would give up flexibility if they wanted to add a player during the season, like at the trade deadline.
And they may need to add at the deadline, because this roster still has a few weaknesses.
For all the strong additions (Suter, in particular, should be a great add), the Blues still have some areas to improve. The most glaring area of need is the blue line: the Blues don't have a reliable, do-it-all No. 1 defenseman. The good news is that the solution could be internal; Philip Broberg had a monster first season in St. Louis, and Cam Fowler held that role in his younger days with the Anaheim Ducks. If either of those two can continue playing at a high level, then the Blues' backend is quite solid--though trying to add Bo Byram would make this quite a formidable defense corps.
Up front, the Blues could do with another top-six winger. Jordan Kyrou continues to hover around point-per-game status, Robert Thomas looks like a star top-line center, and Pavel Buchnevich--for all his shortcomings--can still be a gamebreaker. The second line behind them is a bit more of a question mark, though. Suter should bring some much-needed stability, but his ceiling is only so high, and losing Zach Bolduc hurts, too. The good news, again, is that the upgrades could be internal: Dylan Holloway was dynamite last year, and a healthy season to capitalize on his leap would be quite the boon for the Blues. Perhaps Jimmy Snuggerud or Jake Neighbours can take a step and be a solution, or maybe captain Brayden Schenn could move to the wing if necessary. That's a lot of "ifs" for a team trying to solidify their status as a true contender, though.
Finally, in net: Jordan Binnington is the unquestioned starter, and retaining Joel Hofer on a two-year bridge deal gives the Blues a solid tandem. However, Binnington can be streaky, and Hofer is still developing; if Binnington lays an egg or either goalie winds up injured, it could derail all the good work Armstrong did to upgrade the skating group.
None of this means the Blues are doomed, of course: if young players take a step and veterans maintain last year's level of play, then the roster's weaknesses are solved. Plus, the Blues don't have to make any additional moves right now; they can see how the group performs and take a run at a player at the trade deadline next spring. That sort of flexibility will be paramount as the team chases another Stanley Cup.