The Blues kept their offseason focus on size and bite on Wednesday, landing free agent forward Ross Johnston on a three-year deal worth $2 million per season.
Johnston, 32, brings the kind of edge St. Louis had been targeting. At 6-foot-5 and 232 pounds, he’s a heavy presence who has built a reputation around physical play and, more specifically, being willing to answer the bell against some of the league’s toughest names.
The veteran spent the 2025-26 season with the Anaheim Ducks, finishing with three goals and 14 points in 62 games. Over 307 NHL games, he has collected 579 penalty minutes, including a career-high 117 in 2023-24.
His fight card from last season tells the story. Johnston squared off with Luke Schenn, Dylan McIlrath, Liam O’Brien, A.J. Greer, Tanner Jeannot, Michael McCarron and Ryan Reaves, the kind of list that makes his role crystal clear.
Adding that sort of toughness was a priority for new general manager Alexander Steen, who came into the offseason with that mandate in mind. The Blues already added some physicality in the trade for Mason McTavish, but Johnston gives them a different level of it.
When he’s in the lineup, Johnston is expected to skate on the wing of the fourth line, with the role potentially coming at the expense of Alexey Toropchenko or Nathan Walker. He hasn’t been a full-time fixture in Anaheim either, averaging 57 games per season over his three years there, and that usage is likely to carry over in St. Louis.
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