5 low-cost free agents who can transform the St. Louis Blues in 2024-25

The St. Louis Blues won’t have much cap space for the upcoming offseason, but that shouldn’t lead us to assume they will make minimal moves once the free agent frenzy begins in July. We can assume that general manager Doug Armstrong won’t bring in any “prize free agent” unless he’s willing to make some serious roster transactions, but you can’t mortgage the present or even the near future for a short-term window of success. 

That said, don’t expect Armstrong to trade any top prospect for anyone who would also require the 59-year-old to make subsequent movements just to create cap space. It would be a reckless endeavor if Armstrong decides to take such a route, but luckily, that won’t, or at least it shouldn’t be the case.  

Instead, Armstrong should look to transform the Blues chances in 2024-25 from the borderline wild card contender we saw this season to a team that can compete for a top-three spot for a year or two without running the risk of going over the cap. Fortunately for Armstrong, there are quite a few pending free agents who will bring solid play at either a modest or near-minimum deal. 

The St. Louis Blues need another serviceable free agent or two

None of the free agents you will see in the following slides will be long-term fixtures, but that’s why you hang onto young players easing their way into the system. What we should see here is something reminiscent of the “Yzerplan” in Detroit: Sign solid yet affordable players who can at least make a team competitive while the younger players develop their way into full-time roles. 

So, which pending unrestricted free agents fit the mold of helping the Blues stay competitive while simultaneously helping them retool their lineup and transform back into a top-three contender? Here are five names Armstrong must seriously consider adding and ultimately signing one or two of them to a short-term deal.