The St. Louis Blues have taken another big step in shaping their next wave, locking up Connor McMichael on a six-year deal that keeps him in the fold through the 2026-27 season and beyond.
McMichael, who arrived as the key return for Jordan Kyrou to Washington, was headed toward arbitration after his most recent two-year contract expired. Instead, the Blues and the 25-and-under forward got a long-term agreement done at $6.75 million AAV.
Connor McMichael avoids arbitration and signs a six-year contract with the Blues.
DETAILS ➡️ https://t.co/Z8OFCkZ9CE https://t.co/Z8OFCkZ9CE
- St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) July 16, 2026
The move adds another piece to what the Blues are clearly building as a young core. McMichael now joins Mason McTavish as one of the newest faces in that group, and he fits right into the age bracket the organization seems intent on leaning on.
Training camp should bring a real battle for McMichael, with McTavish, Dalibor Dvorksy and Pius Suter all in the mix for the second-line center job. General Manager Alexander Steen has a roster that looks solid around that group, and McMichael’s arrival only sharpens the picture.
He also comes off a strong season, putting up 46 points in 78 games. That production should earn him a larger role in St. Louis, and even if he doesn’t win the center competition, there’s still a path to top-six minutes on the wing with the talent around him.
One piece of the contract still hasn’t been revealed: the no-trade clause. Former General Manager Doug Armstrong was boxed in by that kind of player-friendly protection, and Broberg’s deal showed the NMC can be pushed toward the end of a contract. Whether McMichael gets the same setup remains to be seen.
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 🡒]