The St. Louis Blues are headed for a different look in 2026-27, and the biggest change may come in the middle of the lineup. With Jordan Kyrou out of the picture, Mason McTavish and Connor McMichael are set to step in and reshape the top six, with the second line emerging as the spot to watch.
The center job behind Robert Thomas is still up for grabs. Training camp, which starts in a few weeks, will decide who wins that 2C battle. But regardless of who ends up in the middle, one wing spot seems to point in a clear direction: Jake Neighbours.
A line built around McMichael, McTavish, and Neighbours could give St. Louis something it has not had in a long time.
McMichael adds the speed element, McTavish brings a stronger presence after spending time in the gym, and Neighbours supplies the physical edge along with real offensive skill. Put that together, and the Blues could have a second unit that hits hard and skates even harder.
That combination would give head coach Jim Montgomery another line he can lean on heavily, and it could make life miserable for opposing defenses. If the first line does its job, this group could be the kind of secondary punch that tilts games.
Among the three, Neighbours stands out as the key piece. He had a fantastic season in 2025-26, and his path toward becoming the next captain is already taking shape. Another year of career highs and pushing toward the 200-hit club would only strengthen his case and help the Blues along the way.
There is still a case for Pavel Buchnevich to take that wing spot instead of Neighbours, but the early call is Neighbours. Buchnevich will have to earn his place, and the clock is ticking on a major comeback with the organization.
St. Louis looks set to be a tougher, more physical team in 2026-27, and this second line could be the group that sets the tone. If it comes together the way it looks on paper, it could be one of the most dangerous Blues second lines in quite some time.
In Other News...
Blues Could Be Headed For A Brutal Goalie Decision
A hypothetical 2027 expansion draft would force the Blues to start thinking well ahead about how they would handle their goaltending, and the conversation gets complicated fast under a 7-3-1 protection setup. St. Louis would already be juggling difficult decisions at several spots on the roster, but the net is where the tension really sharpens because both Joel Hofer and Jordan Binnington would be part of the calculation.
Jordan Binningtons age and contract timeline make this more than a simple depth-chart debate, and the Blues could find themselves facing a choice between protecting short-term stability and preserving long-term value. If an expansion draft ever does land on that schedule, the front office may have to decide whether to move on from Binnington earlier rather than risk a scenario where he is left exposed and the Blues get nothing back. [Read more 🡒]
Blues May Have A Center Debate That Changes Their Future
The Blues have spent the offseason reshaping their forward group, and the additions of Mason McTavish and Connor McMichael give them a different kind of center depth than they had before. With Robert Thomas already anchoring the middle, the possibility of keeping Dalibor Dvorsky at center instead of sliding him to the wing suddenly looks less like a developmental footnote and more like a roster decision with real long-term value.
St. Louis wants a lineup that can flex through the middle with Thomas, McTavish and Dvorsky, rather than forcing one of its young pieces out of position just to make the puzzle fit. That approach would also let the Blues keep prospect Tynan Lawrence on a slower developmental track, while the bigger question remains whether Dvorsky is best served by staying where he is or taking on a new role for the sake of balance elsewhere on the roster. [Read more 🡒]
Blues Entering A New Era With One Huge Leadership Decision Ahead
The Blues are heading into a rare stretch of uncertainty at the top of the organizational ladder, and it is one of the bigger signs that a new era is taking shape. For the first time since 1996-97, St. Louis will begin a season without a captain, forcing the club to decide how it wants to define its next leadership core as the roster continues to evolve.
Several names are in the mix, including Robert Thomas, Jake Neighbours, Philip Broberg, Jimmy Snuggerud and Colton Parayko, with a few others still lingering as long shots. The bigger question now is not just who gets the job, but when the Blues decide to make it official, since there is a growing sense around the team that a pre-season announcement would make sense if the choice is clear enough. [Read more 🡒]