The St. Louis Blues have a big test this coming season. After making the playoffs and pushing their first round to game 7, there is a belief around the team that they can make it back to compete for the Stanley Cup.
To get there, they will need several key areas of this roster to turn in successful seasons. Let's break down three areas where the Blues could overachieve and once again make the playoffs if these prove to be strengths.
The offer sheet boys
Two of the prized acquisitions of the Blues, Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway, are very critical pieces for this roster moving forward.
Their performance will greatly impact two key areas on the roster, and successful seasons from the former Oilers could be the necessary oil to supercharge the Blues machine.
First, let's start with Dylan Holloway. Holloway had a terrific season last year, turning in with 63 points (26G 37A) in 77 games played. Holloway was one of the most fun and dynamic players on the entire team last year, culminating in his 26-goal breakout campaign.
Can Holloway take another step and become a 30-goal scorer, or is some regression due? There is a chance, with just how good and how surprising his season was, that he could be due for a step backwards as the league adjusts to him. Holloway's play was excellent, but that doesn't mean he is going to have everything figured out as a 24-year-old.
There is always the chance that he will take a step forward and progress, as he is still a young player. Holloway is still growing and still maturing as a skater and a person, and some natural progression could very easily come for the incredibly young forward. If he can take that next step forward and become one of the best and established players on this team, that could set the Blues up for a big year.
Meanwhile, his defensive counterpart in Philip Broberg is also set up for a big year that could greatly bolster the Blues.
Broberg finished the season with 29 points (8G, 21A) in 68 games played. This is a fine mark, but nothing to write home about. His defensive contributions, on the other hand, were a standout part of his game.
Broberg proved himself to be one of the better young defenders in the league and should be able to make a solid contribution for years to come. Given the floor of his defense plus the potential he has to grow offensively, I am projecting a very successful season from #6.
His defense should already help Broberg turn in a winning year, but his offense could very easily take another step. Broberg didn't exactly impress on the stat sheet; however, he appeared to be doing all the right things on the ice offensively, so I see some positive regression to the mean coming for Broberg. If he can get luckier on the points crediting and continue doing what he is doing, he should be set up to help the Blues in a big way.
Logan Mailloux
A young piece with a lot to prove is Logan Mailloux. Mailloux is set to take over on the bottom pair for the Blues as a 22-year-old skater, but a successful season from Mailloux could take the Blues to the next level.
Mailloux is a very talented offensive defenseman, scoring 33 points (12G, 21A) in 63 AHL games last season. He showed off an impressive ability to score goals on top of tallying points, meaning his toolkit is more diverse than the average defenseman, and he can contribute right away on the offensive side of the puck.
Given what Mailloux has shown up to this point and how aggressive Doug Armstrong was to acquire the kid, there is reason to think he could make an immediate impact even this coming season.
There is always the outcome where it takes Mailloux time to adjust to the league and develop, making his play a wild card to count on. But if Mailloux can hit his upside and figure it out by season's end, the Blues could end up with one of the more talented and exciting defensive cores in the NHL.
Cam Fowler
A key component of how the defense will play this season will depend on the production of Cam Fowler.
Fowler is entering his age-34 season and finished last year with 36 points (9G 27A) in 51 games in St. Louis. He turned in a very impressive year, given his age and career trajectory in Anaheim, and stood out as one of the best players in the first round of the playoffs.
Fowler looked revitalized and all the way back playing in St. Louis under Jim Montgomery's system, but he is getting up there in age. At this point, it would be ridiculous to expect any steps forward for Fowler, but can he maintain and sustain the excellent pace he was on last season?
Staying at around the same level would be a wild card that helps push this team over the finish line towards another successful season. If Fowler can do what he did last year, the Blues defense and top pair are in a terrific spot.
The Blues have some big questions to face ahead of the 2025-26 season. Can they impress and improve upon last year's success? These X-factors could be key determining agents as to whether or not the Blues will surprise again.
For a more in-depth discussion on these topics as well as more X-factors to discuss, check out the latest episode of my podcast, the Note News podcast, here:
The Blues have a big test to face this coming season, and these areas of the roster could make or break the season for the team.