The General Manager of the St. Louis Blues, Doug Armstrong, spoke with the media for around 40 minutes today. He had some very interesting things to say about the upcoming draft at the end of this week, and the vibe about the pending free agents that may or not be apart of the 2025-26 campaign.
Here are some of the best tidbits.
Torrey Krug is not going to play
Doug Armstrong said he spoke with Torey Krug today: "He's not going to play." #stlblues
— Lou Korac (@lkorac10) June 23, 2025
This has been expected since the end of last season. Torey Krug, who did not play at all last season, will not be playing for the Blues next season.
The defensive core has been under the microscope, with the hope that it could potentially improve next season. Krug was signed back in 2020 to be an integral part of this team, and things just did not go that way. Injuries have sidelined him, and it seems that will be the determining factor on the finale of his career.
His tenure as a Blue is now over.
Joel Hofer contract situation
Doug Armstrong on potential Joel Hofer offer sheet: "I guess this is my shot across the bell that you can go after him, you're not going to get him." #stlblues
— Lou Korac (@lkorac10) June 23, 2025
Outside of Radek Faksa, the second most important pending free agent this summer is backup goaltender Joel Hofer. Armstrong shined some light on that with a very clear message to the rest of the hockey world that he will be back next season.
Hofer was fantastic when needed last season, and he could very well be the future starting goaltender of this franchise once Jordan Binnington moves on. Having the back of your GM and the fanbase will do wonders for Hofer.
The plan with the 19th pick
Army on potential of trading No. 19 pick for NHL player to help now: "It's definitely in consideration yes. But it's always in consideration. What I don't think we're going to do is deviate from our course of trying to build within a group of players that are 20-21 and 25. (MORE)
— Jeremy Rutherford (@jprutherford) June 23, 2025
The Blues have the 19th pick in the first round of the 2025 NHL draft. There have been many speculations and rumors on what they should do with that pick, whether to trade up or down with it.
But Armstrong painted a bit of a different picture in regard to the pick. The Blues are not going to trade that pick away unless it is for a long-term investment. There are a number of players that are entering their final year with their respective teams in 2025-26, so the option of trading away the pick might be more reality than fiction.