The St. Louis Blues have a restricted free agenct class that will not only shape their 2027 offseason, but potentially their next decade to come, and CapWages has already put out their projections.
Previewing the 2027 offseason
According to CapWages, the Blues have just over $47.6 million in cap space for the 2027-28 season, with only eight forwards and four defensemen under contract. That amount of cap space looks like the Blues have an open checkbook, but with several key players looking to earn their next contract, that cap space could quickly disappear. Goaltender Jordan Binnington, along with forwards Pius Suter and Dillon Dube, and defensemen Torey Krug, Brandon Carlo, and Tyler Tucker are all set to hit unrestricted free agency in 2027. However, the restricted free agents for general manager Alexander Steen will be the bigger test.
Forwards
Jimmy Snuggerud
Of of the two biggest contract negotiations that the Blues will have ahead of the 2027-28 season. CapWages projects Snuggerud for a six year contract at $9.5 million per season. He currently leads the Blues with 10 goals and 14 points in 19 games, after a 21-goal, 51-point rookie season. Coming from a $950k entry-level contract, the Blues will likely want to lock him up to a max-term, seven-year contract that could push even higher than this projection if he shows he can push 30 or more goals.
Jake Neighbours
Neighbours is at an interesting projection coming at five years and $7.2 million. That is top-six money and unless his production takes a leap forward, it is highly unlikely he sniffs above $5.5 million annually. He is a fan-favorite player but that only goes so far in contract negotiations for a third-line forward.
Aleksanteri Kaskimäki
The winger is already making $945k and his one-year, $900k projection seems unlikely. Kaskimäki has impressed so far and should continue to get chances in the bottom-six for the Blues and could likely earn himself a pay raise similar to Jonatan Berggren with one-year at $1-$2 million.
Defense and goaltending
Logan Mailloux
Mailloux missed the first few games of the season with a broken hand and will look to prove his first year in St. Louis wasn’t a fluke. CapWages has him projected at just over $6 million annually with a five-year contract. The Blues have already given him a one-year contract as a good sign of faith, and the young defenseman will likely want to be rewarded with a longer term contract. If he proves his worth, $6 million annually for a two-way defenseman on the right side could be a steal.
Justin Barron
No projection at this time for Barron, but a strong season could warrant a sizeable pay raise from his current $1.5 million price tag. The Blues front office has had a history of paying heavy price tags for their defenseman after a strong start to their time with the club. With Steen at the helm, he could want to be a bit more cautious with how much he and the Blues commit to Barron in an extension.
Joel Hofer
Four years at $6.3 million annually is the current projection for Hofer. While he may not be a household name yet, His performance this season is proving that he could very soon break into being a top-10 goaltender in the league and that will come with a substantial pay raise. Should Hofer show that he can be a top ranked goaltender in the NHL, he could be seeing a price tag of at least $7 million annually.
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