3 players the St. Louis Blues can steal from the Red Wings in NHL free agency
One way for the St. Louis Blues to return to the playoffs is to look for players who have been there in NHL free agency.
The St. Louis Blues have a few former players spending time in the Motor City these days, with names like David Perron, Robby Fabbri, and Ville Husso having been part of the Detroit Red Wings last season. As it stands, their former Central Division rival sure has a Blues flair going on, and it’s served them well for the most part, with Perron and Fabbri playing important roles.
Detroit also has quite a few players ready to be unrestricted free agents this summer, so maybe the Blues will return the favor and sign a player (or three) away from the Red Wings this summer. Okay, three is perhaps a little much, but there are two forwards and a blueliner who would help St. Louis become a better hockey team than they were last season.
No, there are no game-changers listed below, but instead, players whose roles would supplement areas that were weak in the Blues lineup last season.
Christian Fischer, W
Christian Fischer won’t do much to help the Blues solve their scoring issues, but he’ll make them a more physical, disruptive hockey team. One of the least physical teams in the NHL last season, one reason St. Louis allowed so many shot on net attempts came from their inability to knock around opponents or to enforce much of an intimidation factor.
Fischer would change that, and his aggressive approach could force opponents into making mistakes with the puck, either by making rash decisions or second-guessing themselves. This would lead to more turnovers and opportunities for the Blues scorers to create more chances for goals.
Players like Fischer won’t put up many minutes, and his average time on ice clocked in at just 11:24, and his impact isn’t something you will see in the box score. He would also give the Blues help on the penalty kill, even if he’s not someone who spent a lot of time at 4-on-5 this past season.
But the Blues, after posting a below-average success rate on the PK, could even use a part-timer like Fischer to help the unit improve. If they signed someone like the winger to a deal, the Blues would still need to find a couple of scorers, and luckily for them, the Red Wings have two who will also be unrestricted free agents.
Daniel Sprong, W
Depth scoring is sometimes an underrated aspect in the NHL, and a team like the Blues could use a winger who could be sneaky good on the lower lines. Daniel Sprong has been that player for two seasons, logging 89 points and 39 goals between 2022-23 and 2023-24 with the Seattle Kraken and Detroit Red Wings.
Like Fischer, Sprong won’t spend much time on the ice, and even less of that time would come at even strength. One fun fact is that he has been a fantastic asset on the power play, with nine of his 39 goals coming at 5-on-4, along with 17 assists, giving him 26 points.
While Fischer would make an impact on the penalty kill, Sprong would more than help the Blues meager man advantage improve from what was a lackluster 2023-24 campaign when they converted just 18.00 percent of their opportunities.
Since Sprong started regularly appearing on the power play in 2022-23, he’s been on the ice for 37 man-advantage goals, so he’s even making an impact when not scoring or pitching in with a helper. Best yet, now that he’s played a major role in scoring and helping his team score, there is little doubt he will continue that trend regardless of whether he winds up back in Detroit or if he plays somewhere like Gateway City.
Shayne Gostisbehere, D
I’m not the biggest fan of bringing in another over-30 defenseman or journeyman. But Shayne Gostisbehere is an outlier, as he’s someone who would also help the Blues power play by playing quarterback on the top unit and also helping the team score at even strength.
Gostisbehere helped the Wings score 42 times at 5-on-4 this past season, and the 15.6 on-ice shooting percentage is a career-high. Further, 29 of Gostisbehere’s 56 points occurred on the power play, and if nothing else, that should entice Doug Armstrong to at least put the blueliner on his shortlist if he’s interested in bringing in a player who has proven he can regularly help put his team in scoring position.
This also isn’t the first time Gostisbehere has erupted on a points frenzy, as he’s put up at least 41 over the past three seasons. So, like Sprong, the Blues would get someone proven to help them offensively should they be lucky enough to bring in a player like Gostisbehere.
Unlike the other two names listed, it would make sense to sign Gostisbehere to something at a longer contract length, as they can always look to move one of their current blueliners like Torey Krug, whose name circulated trade rumors during deadline season. He would also factor in as more than just a role player earning minimal ice time, so he would make a sound investment.
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(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)