The St. Louis Blues are heading into the 2026-27 NHL season with something they didn’t have much of a year ago: a handful of storylines that actually feel worth watching.
Last season left plenty to be desired. Coming off the thrilling finish to the 2024-25 campaign, the Blues followed with a 2025-26 stretch that was, by any measure, a letdown.
The conversation around the team leaned hard toward the dull or the grim - Jordan Kyrou trade chatter, the possibility of selling off veterans, and the bigger question of where the franchise was headed. Not exactly the stuff that keeps fans leaning forward.
This year, though, the mood looks different.
A big part of that comes from the youth movement that’s starting to show itself. The Blues haven’t had this kind of wave of meaningful young talent to track in a while, and even if not every prospect cracks the opening night roster, a strong preseason could quickly change that.
Theo Lindstein impressed in his brief look with the team last season, and Adam Jiricek is expected to make his mark in the AHL in his first pro season. There’s also the possibility that Justin Carbonneau makes noise, while Otto Stenberg has a chance to work his way back into the lineup.
Then there are the younger players already in the mix. Dalibor Dvorsky and Jimmy Snuggerud are both entering the season with a full year of NHL experience behind them, and both look like they’ll matter right away. Snuggerud brings an extra layer of intrigue, too, because he’s due a new contract by the start of next season.
The Blues also added a few new faces, and some of them come with real upside. Mason McTavish could be the answer at 2C, while Connor McMichael might be the scoring winger St.
Louis needs after Kyrou’s departure. On the blue line, Brandon Carlo isn’t a newcomer in the youthful sense, but he does bring the kind of steady shutdown presence the defense could use, especially with some younger players trying to carve out roles.
There’s also a new voice at the top. Alex Steen is in his first season as general manager, and after an active summer, the way he handles the year will be one of the more interesting things to monitor. He’ll have to decide whether he sees a team with the makings of a contender and should add the pieces needed to boost the star power, or a roster that still needs more time before it’s ready.
The Blues probably aren’t built for a Stanley Cup run right now. But this season has a chance to feel a whole lot more engaging than the last one did.
Even if the playoffs don’t happen again, there are enough moving parts here to make the year feel like progress. That alone is a better place to be than they were a season ago.
In Other News...
Why The Blues Suddenly Look Like A Real Playoff Threat
The Blues spent much of the recent conversation around the league being treated like a team on the fringe, but their young group is starting to look a lot more interesting than the outside perception suggests. Dylan Holloway, Jimmy Snuggerud, Mason McTavish and Connor McMichael are all 25 or younger, and the idea is simple enough: if even a few of them keep moving forward, St. Louis suddenly has a much deeper and more dangerous core than most expected.
Joel Hofers rise in goal adds another layer to that optimism, especially with Jordan Binnington sliding into the backup role. For a team that has been underestimated in plenty of preseason chatter, the combination of emerging skill up front and stability in net gives the Blues a real chance to play beyond the label attached to them in the summer. [Read more 🡒]