The floodgates for the 2025 NHL Free Agency Frenzy have now opened. The St. Louis Blues have already made one deal thus far, sending Zack Bolduc to Montreal. When looking at the pending free agents for the Blues, there is one player that jumps off the page and cannot be easily replaced.
Radek Faksa is that player, and the Blues have to do whatever they can to try and bring him back. His line, the "WTF" line, was one of the best fourth-line units in the NHL last season. Large in part to his ability to be a beast at the face-off dot and his embrace of the Blues culture which is a rough-and-tough style of play.
A necessary part of this team's identity
Faksa's contract ended at the end of last season, and he was a force to be reckoned with in the playoffs. During the regular season, he appeared in 70 games, scoring five goals and adding 10 assists. Then during the playoffs, he had a goal and four assists for five points in the seven-game series with Winnipeg, which also put him down as a +7 on the scoresheet. He was the key part of that line that was so successful in the playoffs.
His face-off win percentage is the real highlight here, with a 57% win rate throughout the season. That is an unbelievably great number, and it gave the Blues a ton of chances by having initial control of the puck.
The consensus is that he will likely have a similar contract he had before, which was at $3.25 million AAV. If he wants to be a part of this winning hockey club, and deservingly so, there could be a potential of a hometown deal here in which he takes a bit less to spare some money for a bigger fish in free agency.
No matter the cost, the Blues would be doing themselves an injustice by not bringing back #12. Faksa was an integral part of this team in his first campaign with the Blues and earned his way back.