3 pending free agents in the Western Conference the St. Louis Blues must stay away from

Jason Zucker, W/Nashville Predators

Jason Zucker could be a good fit on the surface for the Blues as he would be a viable replacement for someone like Sammy Blais. Zucker played in 69 contests this past season with the Arizona Coyotes and, more recently, the Nashville Predators, but right now, if the Blues want to be a better hockey team, they need two types of players: Better scorers and players who consistently aren’t afraid to land body checks. 

Zucker can be a physical player, something we saw in 2022-23 when he was with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He landed 197 hits that year and stole the puck 35 times, so it’s not like he’s not a physical, defensive-oriented forward. 

The major issue here is the fact Zucker isn’t consistent enough. He’s a player the Blues can bring in and insert onto their lower lines, and he might give him a physical outing. Or he might just be one of those guys who lands about four body checks every few games but also disappears for stretches. 

The upside is that Zucker would be a player to sign a short, one-to-two-year deal with the Blues, but even that carries risk. Instead, they would be better off bringing in a player known for their constant physicality year after year, even if it’s for the same timeframe of one-to-two seasons. 

(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)