The St. Louis Blues, as well as the rest of the National Hockey League is getting a bump in salary cap this summer. The restriction is increasing from $95.5 Million to $104 million.
So what will the Blues’ salary cap look like come free agency? Who are the UFAs and RFAs up for new contracts? Can the Blues bid on a high-end talent?
Before signing anyone at all, the Blues are projected to have $23,600,834 to play with in 2026-27 with the salary bump.
Let’s dive into it.
Pending Free Agents
The Blues have a couple of pending free agents this summer that are up for a new deal. Or, they will be let go.
Starting with some of the higher-end talent, Dylan Holloway is a Restricted Free Agent, meaning the Blues will set the price for him, should they choose to re-sign him, and opposing teams can offer-sheet for him or match that price point should Holloway reject the Blues.
Holloway will get re-signed by the Blues, as his value to this team is crucial. His 34 points following the Olympic break, and placement on this team's top-line, secured his fate months ago.
Other free agents include Jonatan Berggren, who was picked up on waivers this season. He is another great option, and an RFA as well. He should also get an offer from the Blues, and like Holloway, should take it regardless as he will see top-six forward minutes for the current future.
32-year-old Oskar Sundqvist will also be needing a new contract. The fan-favorite has been with the Blues for eight of his 11 NHL seasons, in multiple stints. This is going to be a tough one, depending on how much the Blues brass are willing to offer him.
On defense, Justin Holl and Matthew Kessel will need new contracts. Holl was stellar in his short stint following the Justin Faulk trade to Detroit, and this might be his only option as teams might not be trying to reel him in this summer. Kessel should get a bridge deal to try and gauge his future standing.
Holloway and Berggren will get AAV's of more than $3.5 million each, in all likelyhood, so that leaves the Blues with around $12 million or so to play with in free-agency, should they let the rest walk. A possibility here is to try and accelerate the retool with a superstar, projected to be in the $8 to $10 million range per season.
Looking at the pending free agents around the NHL this summer, the names that jumps off the page are Montreal Canadiens forward Patrik Laine and Dallas Stars forward Jason Robertson. Of the two, Robertson is going to be the harder grab, but could be swayed with how the Blues are entering a youth-movement. Another frustrating playoff blunder with Dallas could cause a riff.
The Blues have a lot of options, discussions, and quite a bit of money this summer to play around with. Thankfully, there is not a ton of contracts up for extending, but after 2026-27 it gets a bit hairy. Superstar in the making Jimmy Snuggerud leaves his entry-level contract, as does Logan Mailloux. Jake Neighbours leaves his bridge deal, and could potentially be getting a captaincy boost.
Add us as a preferred source on Google