The St. Louis Blues made a number of moves and, subsequently, acquired a few new faces during the 2025-26 season. One of them is the waiver-wire pickup of former Detroit Red Wings forward Jonatan Berggren.
He was an instant star with the Blues, and now, with a new contract needed to continue playing in the NHL, the 25-year-old has a great chance of coming back next season. Let's give him a proper grade for his short tenure during this past season.
Expectations for 2025-26 season
As a part of the Detroit Red Wings organization, he was not anywhere in the Blues' plans for the 2025-26 season. But, for him, it was a contract year with his former club, meaning he had to put up or shut up to get his next paycheck.
Grade: B
In 36 games, Berggren was fantastic with the Blues. He registered six goals and added 10 assists for 16 points. He filled in wherever he was needed in the lineup and quickly adapted to this new group of players.
In only his third game with his new team, Berggren exploded against the reigning back-to-back Stanley Cup Champions, the Florida Panthers, with a goal and two assists en route to a 6-2 win. It is safe to say that Blues General Manager and President of Hockey Operations Doug Armstrong sniped a diamond in the rough with No. 29 going on waivers.
Where does he go from here?
Now, Berggren is without a contract as his one-year, $1.825 million deal comes to a close. As this Blues team is fostering more and more younger talent, and the need to save money is still a focal point, expect a smaller, bridge-type deal to come to the new player.
Berggren is an RFA, and it does not make sense for the Blues not to try to retain him for next season. There are a good amount of young forwards that are making their way up the ladder to the NHL, but Berggren is not exactly in the way. There were enough promising performances in 2025-26 to institute a contract extension for him and the Blues going forward.
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