The St. Louis Blues have yet to make any moves this offseason, and they might have missed out on the missing piece to their Stanley Cup puzzle. With the news of former Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews signing with his hometown Winnipeg Jets, not only did they miss out on a great player, but their biggest competition in the division just got stronger.
Did the Blues miss out on a great opportunity?
Toews goes home
You cannot hate on a guy who wants to go home and play for his hometown team. Especially in what could be one of the biggest comebacks in this sport's history, Toews gives it a go with a new franchise. He joins the biggest rival to the Blues at the moment, which has been fueled by the first-round matchup in this year's playoffs that went the distance. It was brutal for both sides, with the Blues getting the full devastation by losing the game after leading with two minutes to go in regulation.
Toews joins a solid leadership group, and now the Jets are heavily going to be the favorites for winning the Presidents' Trophy again. This matchup was already a handful to begin with, and now that #19 is back in the mix, this could be catastrophic for the Blues.
In 67 career regular-season games against the Blues, Toews has 18 goals and 32 assists for 50 points, the third-most points against any franchise he has played against in his career. There is a sense that even though he has not played professional hockey since the Blackhawks' season finale in 2023, he will be an immediate difference-maker on one of the best teams in the league.
Missed chance to bring in a champion
That being said, the Blues missed out on a great piece to add to their roster. The team is trending in an upward direction, and another playoff appearance could be on the horizon. Having a player who now joins a select few active players with not one, two, but three Stanley Cups would have pushed this franchise over the top.
Currently, there are only a handful of Blues players who remain on the roster since the 2018-19 Stanley Cup victory. Colton Parayko, Robert Thomas, Brayden Schenn, and Jordan Binnington are the only four left. Adding one more leader would have made all the difference, and the Blues' hesitation might have cost them.
Rumors are that another Central Division rival was the second choice for Toews, but you have to imagine that the Blues must have been on his radar after the miraculous run last season. It really came down to him returning to Manitoba to finish out his storied career.