The St. Louis Blues have turned over their center group in a major way this offseason, and the additions of Mason McTavish and Connor McMichael have changed the math for everybody down the middle.
That shuffle leaves one obvious complication: Pius Suter may not have a clean fit anymore.
At center, the Blues already appear set for the first, second, and fourth lines. The second-line job is expected to come down to McTavish and McMichael, while the third line points to Dalibor Dvorsky as the player who should get that spot and keep him in the organization’s long-term plans.
That pushes Suter out of the middle, even though he could still be used on the wing. There are still options there, including Jake Neighbours, Pavel Buchnevich, and Jonathan Berggren, all of whom would seem to be ahead of Suter for playing time in 2026-27.
That is what makes the situation so awkward. The cleanest answer may be to move on from No. 22 and open a path for younger players.
A trade before the 2026-27 season begins makes the most sense for the Blues. Suter is still a useful player, and his value should not be dismissed.
He impressed at the Olympics last season, and his year with St. Louis was solid enough at 13 goals and 16 assists for 29 points.
Still, the bigger picture matters here. When the Blues look beyond this season and toward the next phase of the franchise, there simply does not seem to be room for him.
Suter has one year left on his two-year deal, carrying an AAV of $4.125 million, and he could interest a team looking for help at 3C or 4C. He has the skill set.
The Blues just do not have the space. For both sides, moving on is the most logical outcome.
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Blues Prospects Collapse Has Raised Troubling Questions About What Happened
Matthew Mayichs collapse during an offseason workout has turned a routine summer training story into something far more serious for the St. Louis Blues organization. The Blues prospect and Arizona State University hockey player went down during a session in Tempe and fell into a coma, and the case has only grown more troubling as questions surface about what kind of workout it was and who was responsible for overseeing it.
Robert Carey, Mayichs lawyer, is accusing ASU of not properly investigating what happened, while disputing the schools description of the workouts intensity. The session was reportedly led by Tim Zeisel in the Tempe heat, and the conflicting accounts from Zeisels attorney and ASU officials have left an unsettling gap at the center of the story, one that matters not just for Mayichs recovery but for how the incident is understood going forward. [Read more 🡒]
Blues May Have A Defense Prospect Closer Than Fans Think
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Blues Pipeline Is Starting To Look Like The Core Fans Wanted
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The encouraging part for St. Louis is how varied the group looks, with some prospects already pressing for roster consideration and others still adding polish before they arrive. The hard part, as always, is turning promise into a long-term core, and the next stretch will tell the Blues a lot about which of these first-round bets can become everyday pieces rather than just good draft-night stories. [Read more 🡒]