It's the middle of July, the free agency frenzy is over, and NHL general managers have retreated to the cottages for the rest of the summer. Finally, we may have some peace--unless Jordan Kyrou gets traded, in which case the Blues will have another weakness to address. Now that most everything is said and done, though, we can take a look at how the Blues got stronger after free agency--and there is no denying that they do look better on paper.
The most glaring issue facing the forward group was the lack of a dependable second-line center. Sure, Captain Brayden Schenn held down the fort for most of the season, but he's best utilized on the third line or maybe even on the wing. GM Doug Armstrong went out and got Pius Suter on a very reasonable two-year deal, and he is a tremendous add that brings versatility as well as reliability. Rounding out the forward group, Armstrong also signed Nick Bjugstad, another versatile and dependable forward, to shore up the Blues' bottom six.
On the back end, it was more addition by subtraction with Nick Leddy being waived and claimed by the San Jose Sharks. Leddy was once a solid NHL defenseman but, in his later years, it's become clear he's not worth the cap hit or able to carry play like he once did. The only real addition to the blue line corps was Logan Mailloux, who is just 22 years old and has quite a bit of upside. Losing Zach Bolduc may hurt the forward group, but the Blues should have a stronger defense going into the season.
As it stands, the Blues are pretty close to the maximum cap hit--just over $625,000 is available to them, per PuckPedia. Barring a major trade or moving Torey Krug to LTIR to sign any lingering free agents, the roster you see now is likely the one we'll see on opening night. The good news is that, should that be the case, this is a stronger team than last season, and the Blues should be in the thick of the playoff race come April.