Now that a few weeks have passed since the madness that was the NHL Draft and free agency period, the St. Louis Blues have basically made up their roster for 2026-27. A few tweaks to come as a result of a fiery training camp are all that can happen now.Â
The move that really got this offseason in full swing was the Jordan Kyrou trade to Washington. That set off a chain of events that led to this roster being a lot stronger down the middle, establishing a solid top-4 defensive group, and making this roster look a little bit more competitive next season.Â
Aside from that, moving on from Kyrou was a necessary step this offseason. The Blues are going to really benefit from it, and here is why.Â
More positive than negative
The thing with Kyrou was that the ceiling was already reached, and the result was good but also inconsistent. He is a goal-scorer, and a mighty fine one at that, but he was not scoring goals.Â
The NHL is a scoring league, and the abundance of players eclipsing 40+ goals annually is growing. In 2025-26, there were 15 skaters in the league to exceed that mark, which was nearly double from the year before (8).Â
All in all, Kyrou has yet to reach that 40-goal plateau, and he has been the Blues best and most capable scorer for years. A change was needed from both sides in this case, and the return is going to help move this franchise into its next era.Â
The right choice?Â
For now, it is too soon to tell if this was the right call. On paper, it is a perfect trade for both sides, with the Blues having a slight advantage as the pick gained was used to grab Mason McTavish as well.Â
The trade kind of already paid for itself, as it resulted in an everyday NHLer that fits into the new core’s age group. Moving on from No. 25 has already made the Blues a better team, without even playing a single game.Â
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