The St. Louis Blues are not slated to be a team fighting for a playoff spot in March and April. This is the first season of their new look and identity, and that should come with growing pains and a lot of figuring things out.
But if the 2026-27 season rolls along and success is apparent, there is a very good chance that the roster that opens the season could also end it. That would be a giant step forward. An even further step would be if the opposite were to happen and a prospect or two were called up, much like Jimmy Snuggerud was at the end of the 2024-25 season in the playoff hunt, and developed by being thrown into the fire.
Who would be called up?
This season is going to be very busy. Every day, evaluations will be made up and down the roster with the intention of seeing how it all fits when this club is ready for annual playoff runs. The young core that has been established will be there, but there are still a few names that can be added to make it complete.
Two prospects that will surely be getting the nod this season for a call-up, whether it is by replacing an injured player or doing well enough in Springfield to earn it, will be Justin Carbonneau and Adam Jiricek. A few months down in the minors is necessary for both, but this upcoming training camp will really paint the picture of exactly how long.
Jiricek has a bit of an easier road due to the incompleteness of the defensive unit. It is primed to better on paper, but it is a big "if" that is all works out according to plan. He is also the top defenseman in the prospect pool, as Carbonneau is a few spaces behind for the forward group.
Another Snuggerud situation?
It will come down to a couple of different circumstances for another Snuggerud situation to happen. If you all remember, which I'm sure you do, Snuggerud was called up when Dylan Holloway had a season-ending injury down the stretch of the 2024-25 season, and the University of Minnesota had just wrapped up their season. Then GM Doug Armstrong made the call and promoted him immediately to the NHL, where he stayed throughout the 12-game franchise-winning streak and the first round of the playoffs against the Winnipeg Jets.
The end result was a solid performance for No. 21 in 2024-25, and then a nomination to the All-Rookie team in 2025-26.
Carbonneau and Jiricek can have this happen to them as well, but their call-ups will very likely happen much sooner than that. For Carbonneau, a Christmas present for him and his family is very likely, while Jiricek should get the nod much sooner than that.
No matter the timing, it is important for those two young players get their reps in with Springfield and are on their way to St. Louis. Both are important pieces to the next step in this franchise's plan to get back to prominence.
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