We're only a few days away from the start of the 2026-27 NHL season, and it's shaping up to be an interesting one for the St. Louis Blues. Last year was, undoutably, a disappointment, given the thrilling end of the 2024-25 season. Plus, in 2025-26, the Blues weren't that exciting of a team, and the storylines surrounding them were either boring or negative: the potential of a Jordan Kyrou trade, selling off veterans, where does the franchise go from here--not fun!
Well, luckily, we've got some actually fun storylines to watch this season--here's a few of them.
The youth movement arrives
It feels like it's been a while since the Blues have had a crop of meaningful young players to add to their roster. While not all of the prospects will make the opening night roster, a strong preseason opens the door to an early call up when the need arises. Theo Lindstein showed well when he had a cup of coffee with the team last season, and Adam Jiricek should make an impact in the AHL during his first pro season. Maybe Justin Carbonneau makes a splash, and Otto Stenberg's got a shot to get back in the lineup too.
There are some young regulars to watch, too. Dalibor Dvorsky and Jimmy Snuggerud, with a full season of NHL play under their belts, figure to be impactful members of the Blues' roster from the get go. Snuggerud, in particular, has extra motivation to play his best: he's owed a new contract by the start of next season.
New faces in St. Louis
There are a couple of new players donning the Blues sweater this season, and two of them are young enough to still have some potential to dream on. Mason McTavish could be the long-needed answer at 2C, while Connor McMichael could be the goal-scoring winger the Blues will need with Kyrou's departure.
He's no spring chicken, but on the backend, there's Brandon Carlo, who can hopefully be a steadying shutdown presence in a defense group that could see a couple of young players trying to establish themselves.
Technically not a new face, but certainly new to the role, this is also Alex Steen's first season as general manager. After a fairly active summer, it'll be interesting to see what sort of course he charts for the Blues, depending on the results as the season progresses. Will he see the bones of a contender, and make the trades necessary to round out the star power neccessary to win? Or will he see a team that needs more time to rebuild?
The Blues probably don't have what it takes to push for a Stanley Cup this season. The good news is there are enough fun storylines that, even if the season doesn't end in a playoff berth again, there's still a good chance it feels like a success in the end. That's more than we can say for last year.
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