When the St. Louis Blues added defenseman Brandon Carlo to their blue line, the strategy was fairly straight-forrward: bring a 6'5" defensive anchor who can immediately transform thes bottom-pairing and stabilize the penalty kill. Reunited with head coach Jim Montgomery from their shared time in Boston, Carlo will step into a familiar tactical environment where his defensive strengths are already well understood. With Justin Faulk traded, the top-four defensemen could feature a combination of Philip Broberg and Cam Fowler on the left side, along with Logan Mailloux and Colton Parayko on the right. In this set up, Carlo's arrival should naturally recalibrate his role into a specialized third-pairing safety net behind that top-four.
So what does he project to be in the 2026-27 season? At even-strength, Carlo is a player who gives Montgomery the type of low-event, highly reliable stabilizating force that has been searched for over the past few seasons. Over the past few seasons, he's been a modest offensive producing defenseman, expecting to get a goal or two along with eight to 10 assists each season. However, his real impact comes from supressing quality chances against. Carlo is a player who has a massive reach and an efficient gap control. He routinely paces well each season for 130 blocked shots and is the type of player who will rack up around 100 hits over a full season. Slotting him on the third pair will allow the Blues to absorb heavy defensive-zone starts and help insulate puck-moving partners, whether that means giving a veteran room to push the play forard or providing a buffer for a young blue-liner as they adjust to the pace of the NHL.
Where Carlo should truly earn his keep is on the penalty kill. The Blues have needed a consistently physical, right-handed shutdown presence to share the short-handed workload with Parayko and Carlo could fit very well with Montgomery's scheme. Carlo has averaged around two and a half minutes of short-handed time on ice per night, and has a knack for clearing the net front, while disrupting seam passes with his long stick, and absorbing pucks. This is the receipe that will immediately upgrade St. Louis' numbers when playing down a man.
Entering into the final year of his contract before hitting unrestricted free agency in 2027, Carlo is the type of high-utility, low-risk veteran bridge for the Blues organization. He provides immediate defensive structure, a strong physical presence, and high-end short-handed utility without forcing the young players into high-leverage matchups before they are ready, giving the Blues a complete and reliable defensive group heading into the season.
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