A lot happened in 2025-26 for the St. Louis Blues. It was an eye-opening experience, to say the least.
That surprise playoff appearance really put a damper on this team, as it instilled a fake sense of confidence. It was felt on opening night, when this team was pounded by a team that they were expected to be neck-and-neck with in the Minnesota Wild, 5-0.
So, what did this team show us after the 82-game gauntlet? What kind of position are they in for the summer, and consequently, next season?
Let's talk about it.
Band-aids didn't last
Prior to the 2025-26 season, the Blues had to patch up a lot of holes in the lineup. Radek Faksa went back to Dallas, completely shuffling the center group. Ryan Suter and Nick Leddy, unofficially, but basically, retired and were both let go, leaving two holes on the blue line.
Zack Bolduc was moved to Montreal in exchange for Logan Mailloux, which was one band-aid on the back-end. Tyler Tucker was given a lot more responsibility in 2025-26, and it worked out well as he lived up to the expectation.
Nick Bjugstad and Pius Suter were both brought in to fill out the depth of the center group, whilst Dalibor Dvorksy started the season down in Springfield.
What came next was subpar hockey, and those minor patches became a big problem. Mailloux was the biggest regret of them all, as he really struggled for much of the 2025-26 season, although the final month and change showed some promise.
Bjugstad was traded at the deadline, and Suter was good, but not great, in his first season with the Blues.
Core failed expectations
The core group of Brayden Schenn, Justin Faulk, Pavel Buchnevich, Robert Thomas, Colton Parayko, and Jordan Binnington failed expectations. Outside of Thomas, who was plagued by injuries for a good bit of the season, all of the others did not have great years.
The lowlight here is on Binnington. At this point in time, it seems like his tenure as the starter is over and will be handed over to backup Joel Hofer. Furthermore, his standing on this team in general is in question, as he could be moved this summer.
A new core is moving its way into the Blues' plans, and they are much younger. Philip Broberg, Hofer, Jimmy Snuggerud, Dylan Holloway, Dvorsky, and the even younger crowd of Justin Carbonneau and Adam Jirieck.
Now it is on them to prove to the Blues faithful that this could be a competitive team.
Add us as a preferred source on Google