The St. Louis Blues nearly pulled off a perfect season in 2024-25, surprising many. That miraculous run has a good chance of bleeding over into next season, but the Blues front office may need to make some tweaks this summer.
If the Blues want to be taken seriously, again, these three players need to be moved to another team.
Ryan Suter
There is an ever-growing chance that Ryan Suter, the final draft pick still playing from the 2003 NHL draft, will retire at the end of the season. He is now a free agent, at 40, after playing all 82 games last season with the Blues. He has not given the final say on the matter yet, but a decision will be made, one way or another on July 1.
He brings excellent experience to the locker room, but time is against him. The Blues blue line is amongst the oldest group in the NHL, with 40-year-old Suter, 33-year-olds Cam Fowler and Nick Leddy, 32-year-old Justin Faulk,Blues' and 31-year-old Colton Parayko. Tyler Tucker, Matthew Kessel, and Philip Broberg are the future stars of the defenseman group, all under the age of 24.
Even if Suter does not retire, it is time to move on from him and look toward another young up-and-comer to keep this momentum going.
Nick Leddy
Another older addition on the Blue line is Nick Ledd. For nearly the same reasons as Suter, Leddy’s place on this roster has expired for almost the same reasons as Suter's. With a new contract needed, the Blues should test the waters of free agency to bring in an external player to replace Leddy.
Even though Leddy is not at the end of his career, his performance returning from injury and into the playoffs should warrant his separation from the Blues. Plus, Leddy is in the hook for $4 million next season with a modified NTC.
He could be a great asset to move in order to garner better draft position in this upcoming draft, as most of the top-picks are in need of veteran defenseman.
Radek Faksa
This player might have a chance of coming back, but it is a slight one. Radek Faksa, the Blues 'F in the “WTF” line, is heading to free agency this summer. The Blues can try and pursue him, not only to keep that incredibly creative line-name alive, but also to retain a highly skilled center at the faceoff dot.
Faksa had the highest faceoff win percentage at 57% this season, which helped make his line so successful. The only hindrance here is that if Faksa wants to re-sign with the Blues, it has to be for a similar deal or a pay cut. He has not done anything more impactful during his recent deal he signed with Dallas. An AAV of $3.25 million sounds about right for a bridge deal for Faksa.
If he wants more, the Blues have to let him walk.