Justin Carbonneau more than made his presence known in the preseason, and he would be on the St. Louis Blues right now if they headed into the season as one of the NHL's bottom-feeder teams. That's not the case, and with the Blues figuring to contend in 2025-26, they had no choice but to send Carbonneau back to juniors.
He's been making the most of the opportunity to go in there and prove he's an NHL-caliber player. Through his first eight games with Blainville-Boisbriand, Carbonneau has 11 goals and 15 points, looking every bit like a pure scorer in the early going of the season.
That has been the case starting in his first full season with the Armada, since Carbonneau has scored more goals than he has logged assists in that timeframe. And if he keeps up that pace this season, Carbonneau will end up with 83 goals and 30 assists for 113 points.
Justin Carbonneau is on a legendary goal-scoring pace
Let's be real: Things even out as the season wears on. Players who start poorly get hot, and those off to starts like what Carbonneau has enjoyed see their production steadily decline into something between above average and solid.
He probably won't end up with 83 goals, but it shouldn't surprise anyone if he ends the season having found the net between 65 and 70 times. That's more than a substantial margin, and one that will make him arguably the best scorer at the junior level this season.
This production should further excite Blues fans over Carbonneau's future with the big club. In 2026-27, players like Alexey Toropchenko, Alexandre Texier, and Mathieu Joseph will be free agents, and that should pave the way for someone like Carbonneau to debut with the Blues next October.
Justin Carbonneau will make the St. Louis Blues a much deeper team
We already know Justin Carbonneau can score against NHL-caliber talent. He proved it in the preseason, along with showing off playmaking ability. So, if the Blues let players like Toropchenko, Texier, and Joseph walk, Carbonneau can skate in and start his NHL career on the lower lines, providing size, powerful skating, and an ability to give the Blues depth scoring.
And then, as veterans age out and take secondary roles, like Brayden Schenn and possibly Pavel Buchnevich, you will see Carbonneau's ice time increase should he start his play in Arch City in 2026-27 and beyond. That presence, along with players like Dalibor Dvorsky, will transform the Blues into one of the league's deeper teams.
While the Blues snuck into the playoffs in April 2024 and are off to a so-so start in 2025-26, Carbonneau's presence will erase that. Therefore, the Blues' best days could be around the corner.