The Blues’ biggest offseason question sits on the back end, and Logan Mailloux is right in the middle of it.
St. Louis has plenty to sort through on defense heading into 2026-27.
Philip Broberg has already pushed himself to the front of the group, while Colton Parayko and Cam Fowler both took such a step back in 2025-26 that their places on the team look very different now. Brandon Carlo was added on draft night to help tighten things up in front of the net and in goal.
But Mailloux is the one who could swing the whole picture. After a rocky season and an early stretch that had him looking like a bust, the only reason he’s even in the conversation for an opening night job is the way he finished. The Blues need that version of him from the start, not just at the end.
He was scratched for a handful of games early in the year, and at that point the trade with Montreal involving Zack Bolduc looked like it had tilted heavily toward the Canadiens. Then the season changed.
After the Olympics break, St. Louis found another gear, and Mailloux was part of that surge.
No. 23 started looking like the player the Blues thought they were getting.
Over the final 24 games, from February 28 through the end of the season, Mailloux posted four goals and six assists for 10 points, along with a +12 rating. He also earned Jim Montgomery’s trust, holding up well defensively and logging well over 20 minutes a night for most of that stretch.
That’s the standard now. He can’t show up to 2026-27 raw or uneven and expect the same runway.
The Blues need him to carry over that late-season form, and the expectation is that a Broberg-Mailloux pairing opens the year as the top duo. From there, new defensive assistant coach Greg Cronin can judge what Mailloux really is.
If those last two dozen games were the real thing, then St. Louis has a defenseman it can lean on for major minutes and important assignments. Mailloux, 23, fits this core, and with a new contract waiting after 2026-27, he has plenty riding on proving last season was just a bump in the road.
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Now the agreement looks a lot cleaner than it might have a week or two ago, especially with the market for top defensemen no longer standing still. Brobergs contract is being viewed in a more favorable light after Cale Makars record-setting deal reset expectations, which is exactly the kind of ripple effect teams try to avoid. For the Blues, the question is whether this was merely a smart deal or the kind of well-timed move that ends up saving real money down the line. [Read more 🡒]
Blues Camp Invite Could Matter More Than Fans Usually Think
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That is why a PTO can matter more than a casual fan might expect. The Blues are not just looking for another body in camp, they are looking for a player whose skill set answers a need the roster still has. Mike Hoffman is the kind of example that keeps those invitations relevant, because sometimes the path from tryout to contract starts with showing there is something distinct enough to be worth keeping around. [Read more 🡒]