Outside of the draft, swinging a trade or two, and maybe signing a free agent, this summer should be relatively light work for GM Doug Armstrong: there are just three players currently on the roster in need of new contracts, and only one of them should be viewed as an essential piece of business to handle before July 1.
We'll start with that most critical player: goaltender Joel Hofer. As a pending restricted free agent, there are already rumors he'll be an offer sheet target, so locking him up before free agency should be a priority for the month of June.
Hofer has shown he has the potential to be the heir to Jordan Binnington's crease and the Blues' starting goaltender of the future; in 31 games this past season, Hofer posted at 16-8-3 record, a\ .904 SV%, and 2.64 GAA. Not necessarily sparkling numbers, but remember that Hofer is only 25--most goaltenders don't start peaking until age 27 or 28, outside of truly elite starters like Connor Hellebuyck or Andrei Vasilevskiy. The Blues are thin on goaltenders in the prospect pipeline, too (though that could change at the draft), so it's imperative to get Hofer signed.
The remaining two players without a contract for next season are 40-year-old Ryan Suter and 31-year-old Radek Faksa--both pending unrestricted free agents.
As far as Suter is concerned, at this point in his career, he shouldn't be much more than organizational depth, and not a night-in, night out option on the blue line. Faksa, too, is not much more than a solid fourth-line center and wouldn't move the needle much next season. While he's a pro in the faceoff dots (57%!), he brings little else to the table.
The Blues were more competitive than expected in 2024-25, but, at their ages, Suter and Faksa may wish to lend their services to a more bona fide Stanley Cup contender.
With only three pending free agents to worry about--and only one truly worth signing--the Blues can put their focus on more important matters this summer.
Stats via Hockey Reference