It is safe to say that Alexey Toropchenko had a very eventful 2025-26 campaign. On the ice, it was a bit slower than usual as apart of the St. Louis Blues' fourth-line. Off the ice, a freak accident was one of the main talking points of the season.
Let's go over his entire season, and give him a proper grade for it.
Expectations for 2025-26
Toropchenko had a pretty solid 2024-25 season, being a main conduit for that immaculate 12-game winning streak that catapulted the Blues into the playoffs. Plus, when the Blues were pitted up against the Winnipeg Jets in that first-round matchup, he shined with two goals and two assists in the seven-game series loss.
Grade: B-
This past season was a bit of a downturn for the fourth-line mainstay, as his production both offensively and in the physicality department was down. With four goals and seven assists, for 11 points, he continues to free-fall from his career year in 2023-24.
He was also only able to muster 132 hits, which was 91 fewer than he had from the season before. But, Toropchenko did do enough to secure his place with the Blues for another two seasons, as he signed a two-year-deal for $2.5 million AAV in the middle of the season.
In December, a freak accident at home sidelined him for a bit. With burns to his legs, that was the last thing that the Blues needed to hear, but thankfully, he was able to make a full recovery and finished out the season healthy.
Where does he go from here?
From here, he will have a new sense of comfort with this contract. Toropchenko has a legitimate chance at being retained all the way to the end of this two-season deal, as his game mirrors exactly what head coach Jim Montgomery needs from the fourth line.
With prospects making their way up the pipeline, he can be a key protector of those future stars. $2.5 million a year for a security blanket that can drive to the nets as good as anyone on this team is a bargain.
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