The St. Louis Blues escaped the sharpest edge of the Anaheim Ducks’ schedule reveal, but only just.
As the NHL continues leaning into bigger, flashier release videos and graphics for its 2026-27 schedule, the Blues kept things plain and simple. Their reveal was little more than a two-column sheet of paper marked up with highlighter, a no-frills approach that stood in contrast to the more polished efforts from teams like the New York Rangers and the Florida Panthers, who posted each game individually on X.
Anaheim, though, took the whole thing in a much different direction.
The Ducks put together one of the most creative schedule drops around, using a Pokémon-style trading card theme to unveil opponents in a way that was designed to sting. And while St.
Louis was spared from the harshest jab, several other Central Division teams were not so lucky. The Nashville Predators, for example, were labeled as "Rock Bottom", and one of the attack descriptions read, "The attack sounds tougher than it is".
That was the kind of playful shot the Blues managed to avoid.
The timing is notable given how much business the Blues and Ducks have done together over the last two seasons. The relationship started with the Cam Fowler trade in the 2024-25 season and continued when Mason McTavish moved to St. Louis.
The two clubs will see plenty of each other next season anyway. They’re scheduled to meet three times, with games set for November 17, January 14 and March 13.
In Other News...
Blues Just Made A Franchise Defining Robert Thomas Decision
After moving on from Brayden Schenn, the Blues are left without a captain, and the timing makes Robert Thomass place in the organization even more significant. The 25-year-old center is already viewed as a central part of the clubs future, the kind of player around whom a retool can be built as St. Louis leans younger and tries to chart a path back toward another Stanley Cup.
Thomas is also one of the clearest internal candidates to eventually wear the C, even if the team has not made any official decision yet. For a franchise that has spent the past few years trying to balance competitiveness with a reset, settling on Thomas as a long-term cornerstone says as much about the direction of the roster as any move on the ice. [Read more 🡒]
Blues Home Opener Reveal Sets The Tone For The Steen Era
The NHLs home-opener schedule brought a little clarity to the start of the season, and for St. Louis it points to an October 8 date at Enterprise Center against San Jose. It also gives the Blues an early measuring stick in a matchup they handled well last season, taking two of three from the Sharks and twice needing overtime to settle it.
For a team entering the Alexander Steen era, the opener carries a little extra weight beyond the usual pageantry. The Blues will be part of the leagues new 84-game grind, and the first night in St. Louis offers an immediate chance to set the tone against a Sharks team built around Macklin Celebrini and the kind of young talent that can make an early-season game feel more like a statement than a formality. [Read more 🡒]
Blues Just Made A Six-Year Connor McMichael Bet
Connor McMichael is now locked in with the Blues for the long haul after signing a six-year contract that keeps the arbitration process off the table. St. Louis is clearly betting on the 24-year-old forward as part of its next core, and the deal gives the club a cost-controlled piece to build around as it tries to sharpen its forward depth.
The immediate question is where McMichael fits once camp opens. He is expected to push for the second-line center role, and that puts him in the middle of a crowded competition with Mason McTavish, Dalibor Dvorksy and Pius Suter all in the mix for the same job. For a team trying to sort out its lineup before the season starts, that kind of internal battle could end up shaping a lot more than one line. [Read more 🡒]