The St. Louis Blues' triumphant return to the Stanley Cup playoffs was sadly ended by a dramatic double overtime loss to the top Western seed, the Winnipeg Jets, in the first round in Game 7. Now, as the Cup Finals continue, St Louis has made plans for what it needs to do this summer offseason if they want to nab another playoff spot in 2025/26.
First off- what to do with veteran defenseman Torey Krug? The 34-year-old played in 77 regular-season games in the 2023-24 season, but that was last year. Krug suffered a season-ending injury in September and didn't play a single game in the 2024-25 season, a devastating blow to his remarkable career. The total amount of injuries he's also incurred over a 13-year career with the Blues and Bruins is finally taking its toll, with Blues GM Doug Armstrong saying that after Krug's season-ending injury this year, Krug's career may be at its end. At the very least, Krug hanging up the skates would open up some additional cap space, something the Blues already have plenty of to splurge on other players. Even with a $6.5 million cap hit on Krug's current contract, having him retire instead would let the Blues avoid the massive payout, which would otherwise eliminate tons of vital cap space.
Next are trade rumors, particularly surrounding two of the Blues' star players: Jordan Kyrou and captain Brayden Schenn. Both have long been on potential mock trade lists since the beginning of the 2024/25 season. If the Blues want to retain Kyrou at the very least, arguably the bigger keeper given the fact he's only missed a total of 3 games over the last 3 seasons, they must keep other teams' hands off him until July 1, when Kyrou's no-trade clause kicks in, essentially keeping him in St. Louis for the time being. Other key resigning goals for the Blues involve the likes of Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg. Both Holloway and Broberg had career years for the Blues this season, having come to the team via a deal with Edmonton during the 2024 offseason. Defense is another key aspect the Blues need to address, as just two of their top six two-way defenders are under contract, one of those being Broberg, the other being Tyler Tucker.
Continuing on the Blues' defensive needs will involve outside free agency splashes, and one big name would be a monster steal for the St Louis D. Blue Jackets D Dante Fabbro is that big name, since he had his career year in Columbus like Holloway and Broberg did with St Louis, posting nine goals and 17 assists in 68 games for 26 points. The 26-year-old British Columbian split time between Columbus and Nashville earlier in the season and is the best and also cheapest option for the Blues to pursue a D-man, as some other big defenseman names carry astronomical price tags, such as Florida's Aaron Ekblad. Fabbro will cost only about $4.5 million to sign, which is undoubtedly a bargain deal in a large player pool.
The last name the Blues can make a deal for is veteran John Tavares from Toronto. Yes, that John Tavares. Sure, he's a little old at 34, but then again, so is Schenn, and the Blues can basically snag an upgraded version of their captain in Tavares. This 16-year grizzled veteran has achieved 12 consecutive seasons with 50+ points and brings loads of playoff experience as well, with 53 points in 75 career postseason games. Compared to Schenn, that's 10 more in 7 fewer games, quite a difference between someone who's of a similar age.
This July 1st will be one of the St. Louis Blues' most important dates in franchise history even, if they want to make another run at the Stanley Cup playoffs in 2025/26. Hopefully with the right moves being made, they can go further and maybe not lose in such a dramatic fashion. Let's hope the "Winnipeg Wipeout" was just a fluke end to an otherwise incredible season.