Barring any upending, roster-shaking trades, the St. Louis Blues' lineup on opening night of the 2026-27 season will likely look pretty similar to the one that played in Game 82. Sure, a couple of role players may walk in free agency, and some prospects could nab a spot or two out of camp, but by and large there shouldn't be too many new faces.
That's a good thing, too, because free agency this summer is bleak. The price to acquire some of the top players on the board will be astronomical, and none of them fit with what the Blues are trying to do.
Last summer, the Blues made some solid signings in free agency. Pius Suter was a savvy addition to the lineup, and he performed admirably in his role; things didn't work out quite as well with Nick Bjugstad, who wound up traded to the New Jersey Devils ahead of the March trade deadline. The big prize of last off season's free agency class was Mitch Marner, and there was no way the Blues were going to be able to entice him in the way that the Vegas Golden Knights were.
This off season's big fish is...Darren Raddysh, who came out of nowhere and scored 70 points on the Tampa Bay Lightning, stepping up in the absence of captain Victor Hedman. Raddysh is going to get paid, if only because there is nobody else on the market of considerable value--but there's little reason to believe Raddysh will even come close to replicating the success he saw in 2025-26. The Blues can't afford another overpriced defenseman; besides, Philip Broberg seems capable of stepping into the role a player like Raddysh would fill anyway.
After Raddysh, you've got players like Alex Tuch and Sergei Bobrovsky--the Blues don't need another winger, nor do they need a 37-year old goaltender when there are already questions about Jordan Binnington's future with the team. Free agency this summer would be a dangerous game for the Blues, and it's not one they can afford to play.
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