One thing the St. Louis Blues have not struggled with is depth: they have a lot of solid third- and fourth-line players on the roster, and fan favorite Nathan Walker is one of the better ones. The undersized forward, who always returns home to Australia during the offseason, plays his heart out every time he's in the lineup, leaving it all on the ice. He'll be in the NHL for at least two more seasons, as his two-year contract extension with an $887,500 AAV kicks in this summer.
Expectations for 2025-26
One of the perks of being a role player like Walker is that expectations are usually pretty low: bring the energy, don't get caved in by the opposition while you're on the ice, and maybe chip in a few points here and there. For the 46 games Walker played, he did all of the above, finishing the year with four goals, seven assists, and 11 total points while averaging 11:59 of ice time each night.
Grade: B-
Walker gets a solid grade, given the types of expectations he has from year to year. He's not a flashy player, and you don't want to elevate him too far up your lineup, but you can feel good knowing he'll play his heart out and--hopefully--drag his teammates into the fight with him.
Where does he go from here?
While the Blues never lack depth, the problem is that their depth chart is becoming quite crowded. There will be several fourth-line players fighting for a roster spot at camp next year, plus a few prospects like Justin Carbonneau, Otto Stenberg, and perhaps whoever the Blues select with their first pick at the draft in June.
That youth is where Walker comes in. He can be the kind of on- and off-ice leader that shows the prospects what it takes, every day, to play in the NHL. At 32 years old, he's in the twilight of his career--but he can help guide young players into the next phase of the Blues organization.
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