The St. Louis Blues forwards didn’t always look consistent in 2023-24, but general manager Doug Armstrong added some help this summer, even if they weren’t what you would call “prize” acquisitions. Still, you don’t need to continually add elite talent to dramatically improve the team, not with solid scorers already in the lineup and more to come shortly.
So, where do the current forwards rank in the Blues lineup, and how will they best serve the team in 2024-25? Note that this list will not include those who are still considered prospects, so Zach Dean and Zack Bolduc, for example, won’t be ranked even if there is a good chance they end up in the Blues lineup come the season-opener in October.
15 - Hugh McGing
Let’s give the former fifth-round pick credit for at least working his way into becoming rather high-end organizational depth. But that’s about all you’re going to get from Hugh McGing in 2024-25, as Zach Dean and Zachary Bolduc will, without a doubt, rank higher once they’re both on the big club for good.
14 - Nikita Alexandrov
Like Hugh McGing, Nikita Alexandrov will likely end up as organizational depth while Dean, Bolduc, and perhaps even Dalibor Dvorsky lap him in these rankings when we conduct them again. But for now, we’ll put him at No. 14 on our list.
13 - Nathan Walker
If neither Dean, Bolduc, nor Dvorsky wind up with the big club, look for Nathan Walker to be that first extra forward on the team while McGing and Alexandrov battle it out to become the 14th forward should the Blues keep that number in the lineup. That said, Walker won’t serve in anything more than a part-time role while playing fourth-line minutes.
12 - Alexandre Texier
Alexandre Texier may have logged middle-six minutes during his time with the Columbus Blue Jackets, but he figures to be more of a lower-liner with the Blues. He put up 23 goals over the past two seasons (114 games), including 11 in 36 contests in 2022-23, hinting that he could end up as a depth scorer in St. Louis.
11 - Kasperi Kapanen
Like Sundqvist, Kasperi Kapanen’s numbers are nowhere near the most impressive of the lot, but if he logs quality shifts, that’s all the Blues need from who should be a lower-liner this season. That said, we shouldn’t be surprised if Kapanen works his way into a higher-quality role in Gateway City; he put up a promising 14 points and eight goals during the final 23 games of the 2022-23 season, so he’s shown some potential in this lineup.