The St. Louis Blues have plenty of bodies in place, but there’s still one question hanging over camp: do they need to dip into the professional tryout market, or is this group basically locked in?
So far, the Blues have kept their summer business relatively quiet in free agency. Their only notable signing was fourth-line enforcer Ross Johnston, who landed a three-year deal with a $2 million AAV. The bigger roster changes came through trades, with the club adding Mason MacTavish and Connor McMichael up front and veteran defenseman Brandon Carlo on the back end.
That collection of moves makes the roster look close to complete.
Down the middle, the Blues are expected to roll with Robert Thomas, McTavish, Dalibor Dvorsky and Pius Suter. On the wings, Dylan Holloway and Jimmy Snuggerud appear headed for the top line, while the middle six could feature some mix of Pavel Buchnevich, Jake Neighbours, McMichael and Jonatan Berggren/Otto Stenberg.
Johnston and Alexey Toropchenko look like the likely pieces on the fourth line. At the moment, Dillon Dube and Nathan Walker are the extras.
The defense group also looks largely mapped out. Possible pairings include Philip Broberg with Logan Mailloux, Theo Lindstein/Tyler Tucker with Colton Parayko, and Cam Fowler with Brandon Carlo.
Still, with a little over a month to go before the first pre-season game, the UFA market hasn’t exactly dried up. There are still some recognizable names out there, including former Blues standouts Vladimir Tarasenko and David Perron.
The forward group also includes Eeli Tolvanen, Michael Bunting, Patrik Laine, James Van Riemsdyk and Evander Kane. On defense, the headliners are John Klingberg, Logan Stanley, Matt Grzelyck, Carson Soucy and Nick Blakenburg.
That leaves the Blues with a real decision to make. Some of those players could clearly help in certain spots, but bringing them in would also mean taking ice time away from younger players the organization wants to keep developing.
The most likely answer is no, but there’s a catch: if one of those available players ends up becoming a meaningful piece for another playoff team, St. Louis could look back and wonder if it passed on a chance to upgrade. A PTO wouldn’t force the Blues into anything, either - a player can be brought in on a tryout without being signed to an NHL contract, and even if another team gives that player a PTO, the Blues would still be allowed to offer an NHL deal.
For now, the club still has time to weigh its options, and whatever it decides will say a lot about how it views the roster it already has.
In Other News...
Blues Keep Building Girls Hockey With A Weekend St. Louis Fans Should Notice
The Blues are putting another major push behind girls hockey this weekend, with the second annual Girls Tier 1 Ice Breaker Invitational set for Aug. 14-16 at the Centene Community Ice Center. The event brings together top 12U and 14U programs from around the country for a round-robin tournament, but it is built to be more than a showcase of young talent. The Blues have folded in mentorship sessions with professional women hockey players and off-ice activities aimed at helping players grow as athletes and people.
It is all part of a broader Girls Hockey Development Program that has become a real point of emphasis for the organization, especially as it looks to expand participation and create a stronger pipeline in the sport. For St. Louis fans, the weekend is another reminder that the clubs reach goes beyond the NHL roster, with the Blues trying to make the rink a more welcoming and productive place for the next generation of players. [Read more 🡒]
Blues Face A Costly Buchnevich Question They Cant Ignore
Pavel Buchnevich was supposed to be part of the Blues long-term core when he put pen to paper on his six-year extension in July 2024, a deal that locked in a major commitment from St. Louis and gave him the kind of security teams usually reserve for their most trusted scorers. Instead, the contract has become one of the organizations more pressing roster puzzles, because the Blues now have to manage his salary slot while also planning for other upcoming extensions and trying to keep their cap picture flexible.
The concern is not just the size of the deal, but the direction of the production. Buchnevichs numbers have trended down since the extension, and that leaves St. Louis weighing uncomfortable options that no contender likes to think about this early in a contract. A trade would be complicated, a buyout would bring its own baggage, and the simplest path may be the one the Blues are hoping for most: a rebound that makes the whole conversation less urgent. [Read more 🡒]
Robert Thomas Is Closing In On Rare Blues History
Robert Thomas has spent the last several seasons turning consistency into something close to franchise standing. The Blues center already sits fifth in team history in assists, and with 132 goals and 328 assists in 530 NHL games, he has put himself on the edge of climbing past some familiar names in the organizations record book. He is also moving into striking distance of the top six in career points, a sign that his production has not just held steady, but continued to stack up in a meaningful way for St. Louis.
What makes the climb feel especially notable is the timing. Based on his recent pace, Thomas could be knocking down those next milestones early in the 2026-27 season, which would push him even deeper into rare Blues territory. For a player who has become one of the franchises most reliable offensive drivers, the numbers now point toward a place in team history that keeps getting harder to ignore. [Read more 🡒]