5 free agent forwards the St. Louis Blues can take from the Pacific Division
Ordinarily, it’s best to concoct lists of pending free agents who play a variety of positions, but if the St. Louis Blues want to return to the NHL Playoffs, they need to focus primarily on finding a forward or two. This doesn’t mean they shouldn’t go after blueliners, but the sense of urgency to find the right centers and wingers must take center stage, and the Pacific Division has quite a few of them.
None of the names you’ll find below are big-time scorers or players who would turn the Blues into a team that would be guaranteed to make the 2025 NHL Playoffs. But they are all solid forwards who were either in high demand in the time approaching or at the 2024 trade deadline or they put together good seasons to where they would play a significant top-six role if any of them signed in St. Louis.
Warren Foegele, W/Edmonton Oilers
Warren Foegele is one of a few mid-tier players who could be in high demand this summer, and he would make an excellent upgrade to forwards like Kasperi Kapanen and Samuel Blais. He would be a particularly good successor for Kapanen since the two logged similar ice time throughout the regular season, but Foegele proved to be a much more productive player.
This past season, we saw Kapanen put up just 22 points and six goals as the entire St. Louis Blues team struggled through a rough scoring odyssey that contributed to them missing the playoffs for the second straight season. Meanwhile, Foegele helped turn around the Edmonton Oilers as part of their depth scorers, and he ended up with 41 points and 20 goals.
Better yet, Foegele figures to be more physical than Kapanen, and he also has a penchant for stealing pucks, so the Blues would be getting similar players who are even identical in size. The only difference is that Foegele comes with more upside in the offensive zone.
If there is one issue, it’s that the Oilers will try and do all they can to keep Foegele in Edmonton. But if general manager Ken Holland can’t keep him with the organization, Doug Armstrong must come calling.