When the 2025-2026 NHL season came to a close, it was hard to not feel disppointed with how the St. Louis Blues finished the campaign. After making the playoffs and pushing the Presidents' Trophy winners to game 7 in the first round, expectations were high for the team last season. A poor start doomed the year quickly, and despite being one of the best teams in the league after the Olympic break the team couldn't overcome the hole they dug themselves into in late 2025.
The best line in hockey?
Once Jim Montgomery constructed the line of Snuggerud-Thomas-Holloway, everyone quickly realized they had something great on their hands. In fact, this line was the 15th best in the entire NHL based on Goals% (minimum 250 minutes ice time). This line was so dominant, they almost managed to push the Blues into a playoff spot in the final two months of the season. Given the expectation of increased chemistry between the players and the continued development of Snuggerud and Holloway, it's reasonable to expect the Blues' first line to be in contention for best in the NHL next year.
A top heavy offense
The inevitable downside of putting your three best offensive weapons together is the resulting lack of production from your other three lines. The Blues really struggled with this roster imbalance last season in the final months. Their top line accounted for 77 of the team's 162 total forward points in the final 20 games of the year. That means those three players generated 48% of the entire team's forward offense in that time frame. This kind of offensive monopolization is unsustainable and doesn't align with a team that is looking to make the postseason. This was something Steen and Armstrong clearly wanted to address this offseason.
The busy offseason
As any hockey fan knows, every team's offensive production flows through their centers. An elite center makes everyone else on the ice better and creates consistent scoring chances with their vision and passing ability. The Blues have been dealing with a shortage of center depth for years, but that seems to have changed for the coming season. With the acquisitions made in the last month, the Blues have Robert Thomas, Mason McTavish, Connor McMichael, Dalibor Dvorsky, and Pius Suter at the top of their list of centers. This is a well-balanced core of playmakers down the middle that will allow the Blues to be legitimate offensive threats no matter what line is out on the ice.
Whether or not these moves will pan out the way the organization expects has yet to be seen, but it's undeniable that those in charge of the roster have done their best to address the issues that doomed the team last season. Blues fans are right to be excited for September, as this year's team could certainly be competitive with some of the best in the league.
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