The St. Louis Blues' 2024-25 NHL season was a step in the right direction. After missing the playoffs the last two seasons, the Blues returned to post-season hockey, sneaking in on the final day. The Blues' playoffs ended in arguably the worst way possible, but taking the Presidents' Trophy-winning Winnipeg Jets to seven games was something most did not see coming.
Doug Armstrong said in his end-of-season press conference that the mini-rebuild is over and that it is time for this team to be competitive again with reasonable expectations for success. To do that, there are moves this team needs to make if they want to be a team with Stanley Cup aspirations. That is not to say the team needs to add a star player, but instead, fine-tune the roster while continuing to give the young guys opportunities to develop.
Shed Salary
It is no secret that the Blues need more help on defence, but the team has the third-least amount of cap space available. The Blues will gain $6.5 million in cap space once next season starts, with Torey Krug going on Long-Term Injured Reserve (LTIR). Armstrong announced in his press conference that Krug's playing career is likely over. If the team wants to add a player on defence that will help the team, Armstrong will likely need to find a way to shed some salary cap space.
The likely candidates would be Nick Leddy, Justin Faulk, and Brayden Schenn. All these players are seemingly on the back end of their careers, with their production declining over the last couple of seasons. Schenn and Leddy will be 34 years old by the time next season rolls around, and Faulk is right behind them at age 33. While Schenn's production has dropped, he is still a valuable piece of this team, leading the way as the team's captain, and when Jim Montgomery put him on a line with Jordan Kyrou and Dylan Holloway, he showed that he still had a little gas left in the tank.
To free up cap space, the Blues should look to move a defenseman before adding one. Faulk is the better player of the two, and the team would probably prefer trading Leddy, who is coming off a down year. It will likely take a salary dump type of trade to get off the remaining year of Leddy's contract, who will make $4 million next season. If they were to move Faulk, he would have more value as a trade piece. They could use him to acquire a defenceman rather than adding one through free agency. Either way, the Blues will need to find a way to shed some salary cap if they want to improve their blueline.
Add a Top-4 Defenceman
To go with what is said above, the Blues need to add a top-4 defenceman if they want to be more competitive next season. The Blues do not get many points from their defenceman, with Colton Parayko and Cam Fowler leading the way last season with 36 points each. The Blues should be in the market for a puck-moving defenceman who can help chip in offensively and run their power-play.
Out of the players about to hit free agency, Aaron Ekblad would be the dream signing. He is a player who, when healthy, is a very productive player on both ends of the ice, but probably would not be the player you are thinking of as a power-play specialist. Matt Grzelcyk would fit better if you are looking for a defenceman who is more of a power-play guy, but would have to play lower in your lineup with his defensive limitations. Tony DeAngelo presents an intriguing option with his offensive capabilities, but his past actions make him someone you do not want to add to a locker room.
On the trade market, the name floating around would be Bowen Byram. Byram has the potential to be a good puck-moving offensive defenceman, but injuries have derailed his career so far. He is coming off his first season, where he played all 82 games, which is a positive step in the right direction for his career. His numbers last season were not eye-popping, registering seven goals and 38 points. Those numbers would still make him the highest-scoring defenceman on the Blues if he were on the team. Byram could benefit from a change in scenery and presents an interesting option for the Blues.
Let the Young Guys Play
The Blues have a good mix of veterans, players entering their prime, and young guns trying to make a name for themselves. While the "re-whatever" is over, some of the players on the team are still trying to prove that they belong in the NHL. We saw two newcomers, who the organization and fans have high hopes for, Jimmy Snuggerud and Dalibor Dvorský. There are also Zach Bolduc and Jake Neighbours, who have shown promise so far in their young career.
Bolduc and Neighbours will be entering their second and third season in the NHL and will need to continue to show progression if the Blues want to compete. For Snuggerud and Dvorský, it is a little different. Both saw a small glimpse of what the NHL is like, but there will be a learning curve going from college/AHL to the big league. Dvorský has the slight advantage of getting off to a hotter start, as he got a season under his belt playing in a men's league with the Springfield Thunderbirds last season.
The Blues need to be patient with the two rookies. Let them play through the struggles because it will not do them any good to jump in and out of the lineup. Snuggerud and Dvorský are an integral part of the Blues' future, and it will not do them any good watching the game from the press box or jumping up and down from the AHL. The team needs to give them every opportunity to succeed, which might mean giving them a little bit of a longer leash to find their footing in the league. If all goes well, maybe the two of them will be battling each other to see who will take home the Calder Trophy next season.