The Blues spent the offseason putting a different kind of stamp on their roster, and the message was hard to miss: this team wants more size, more edge and a lot more bite.
That shift starts with the new faces. Mason McTavish and Ross Johnston bring a different personality to St.
Louis, while Connor McMichael adds another player who has thrown some knucks around at the NHL level. For a franchise that has long leaned into being bullies on the ice, the identity is familiar - but the way it’s being rebuilt feels fresh.
The front office direction is clear, too. Former General Manager Doug Armstrong and now new head man in charge, Alexander Steen, are steering the Blues toward a heavier, more physical look. Johnston stands out immediately at 6-foot-5, and McTavish fits the mold as a scrappy young player who isn’t afraid of a challenge.
The draft followed the same script. St.
Louis used first-round picks on Tynan Lawrence and Maddox Dagenais, two relatively big centers, with Degenais listed at 6-foot-4. Lawrence brings a complete 200-foot game, which makes him a strong fit for a pressure-focused team like the Blues.
There’s also a real physical void to fill after losing Brayden Schenn and Justin Faulk, both of whom took some tenacity and aggressiveness out of the lineup. The hope is that Johnston and McTavish help restore that edge, with Brandon Carlo adding to it on the back end.
That kind of roster build should show up in the numbers, too. The Blues finished 8th last season with 1,796 hits, and they could be right back near the top of that category next season.
Head coach Jim Montgomery has already said training camp will be tougher, which lines up neatly with the identity this group is trying to build. Once the 84-game regular season gets going, the Blues should look like a team built to make life miserable for the other side.
In Other News...
Blues Suddenly Face A Goalie Question Fans Cant Ignore
Joel Hofers rise has become one of the more interesting long-view questions around the Blues, especially after the way he handled last seasons workload. Even behind a defense that did not always make life easy and with offense that could be inconsistent in front of him, he gave St. Louis a steady enough presence to keep the conversation going about what comes next in net.
The contract side only adds to the intrigue. Hofer is in the final year of his bridge deal and will be a restricted free agent after the 2026-27 season, which means the Blues are approaching a stretch where they will have to sort out not just his future, but the shape of the crease itself. If the next step goes the way some around the team are already imagining, it could leave Jordan Binnington in a different role than the one fans have grown used to. [Read more 🡒]
Blues Prospect Colin Ralph Took An Encouraging Step Toward The NHL
Colin Ralphs path has already taken a notable turn for a Blues prospect who only entered the system as a 2024 second-round pick. After starting at St. Cloud State, the 6-foot-4 defenseman transferred to Michigan State for his sophomore season and logged 37 games there, then got a first taste of pro hockey with Springfield in the AHL, where he began seeing the speed and workload that come with the next level.
For St. Louis, the encouraging part is not just that Ralph got into games, but that the organization could start measuring how his game translates against professionals. He is expected to keep developing in the AHL during the 2026-27 season, and that runway should give the Blues a better sense of how close he is to becoming more than a long-term project. [Read more 🡒]