The long summer is here, and now is the time to start looking forward to next season. The 2026-27 version of the St. Louis Blues is going to be an imperfect mess, and that is exactly what you want to see.
Earlier today, the Blues announced their four-game slate for the preseason. The schedule for those games was also announced, and this signals the start of the next era.
Is it September yet??
— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) July 6, 2026
Our 2026 preseason schedule is here 🎶 #stlblues pic.twitter.com/6emsSONTt8
Easy and simple
With the new Collective Bargaining Agreement between the NHL and the NHL Players' Association, there will now be fewer games in the preseason for 2026-27. This is an effort to continue to have the same number of games when counting the preseason and regular season, but adding two more games when it counts.
Two games against Chicago and two games against Dallas to get this team whipped into shape. Easy and simple when you really think about it. Give the up-and-comers a chance to show their potential in game one, and then start to trickle in the rest of the opening night roster by the time the last game is played.
Smaller preseason means more emphasis on training camp
A smaller preseason schedule means that the training camp sessions are going to be much more important. Head coach Jim Montgomery had already stated in the exit interviews following this past season that it would be much more rigorous and competitive.
That was also backed up by the joint decisions by General Managers Doug Armstrong and Alexander Steen. Some interesting position groups to watch with the two fewer preseason games are going to be the centers and the defensive lines.
Looking at this with the prospects in the picture, guys like Adam Jiricek and Justin Carbonneau are going to be in the spotlight in these four games. Those two have the best chance to be on the opening- night roster for the blueline and the winger spots, respectively. Can they break through quickly?
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