The NHL is going to be getting crazy over the next three seasons. Starting with this offseason and leading up to the 2027-28 season, every team will receive a salary cap increase.
Here is the model of increase over time.
What does this mean for the St Louis Blues? Free agents will cost more, but there is a greater opportunity to allocate the funds to secure bigger targets. It might not be right now, as they have considerable funds to play with, but eventually, they can pull the trigger on an elite player.
Maybe not this offseason, but next?
The July 1 free agent frenzy's free agent list is solid. But for the Blues' sake, their focus should not be on the big fish but on filling the gaps in their lineup with value, not luxury.
Several players make sense for the Blues, some dream signings and some more sensical ones.
This season demonstrated that no additional pieces were needed to secure a playoff appearance. General Manager Doug Armstrong took a bet on this team at the trade deadline, stayed silent, and won in the end with a playoff berth. This offseason should be viewed similarly, but with one or two signings that will address any holes caused by retirements or players moving on in free agency themselves.
Going for it all in 2026-27?
The plan should be to save their pennies for the end of next season when the most sought-after player since Wayne Gretzky enters the free agency pool. That grand prize is Connor McDavid.
Then, every team will have $104 million in cap space, which is $8.5 million more than their current cap space of $95.5 million this offseason. To acquire a talent like McDavid, any team is going to have to prepare themselves to drop between $18 million to $20 million AAV for him.
That is a staggering amount of money to consider giving to just one player, but it is undeniably worth it. Luckily, the Blues' core of Brayden Schenn, Robert Thomas, Jordan Kyrou, and Colton Parayko are all under contract past the 2026-27 season. There are a few others that will be up for new deals by then, but with the salary bump, it could all even out.
The Blues can make their best offer, but if McDavid is going to leave Edmonton, he will likely join a team projected to win. He isn't gonna start over, once again, especially after making it to back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals.
A winning season in 2025-26 could be enough to sway McDavid to the ‘Lou. It's going to be a tough sell, but you never know, right?