The St. Louis Blues have already done plenty of their heavy lifting this offseason, and that’s why the conversation about adding another big-name top-six forward can probably wait.
Conner McMichael and Mason McTavish give the Blues two more solid options for the second line, no matter where they end up lining up. That kind of addition is enough to make the roster look deeper right now. It also takes some of the pressure off General Manager Alexander Steen to go shopping for another expensive piece.
That doesn’t mean the idea is off the table forever. Looking beyond the 2026-27 season, there could be a path to bringing in more established firepower. For now, though, the better move may simply be to ride with what’s already in place and see how it develops.
A lot hinges on how the 2026-27 season plays out. If McTavish and McMichael arrive and change the feel of the offense, that changes the whole picture.
If they settle in at the same level the Blues have seen in recent years, then the questions start again. The same goes for the younger players trying to break through.
Jimmy Snuggerud and Dalibor Dvorsky are central to that conversation. The Blues have invested heavily in both, and the expectation is that they can grow into top-six talent on their own. They’ve already been built into the power play as two key one-timer threats, and Dylan Holloway could be the winger who completes that trio.
Robert Thomas is another name to keep front and center. He’s lined up for a big season, one that could end with a career-high and even some votes for major NHL awards by the time 2026-27 wraps up.
Then there are more prospects waiting for their turn, including Justin Carbonneau. And the picture only gets more crowded when the Blues’ two 2026 first-round picks, Tynan Lawrence and Maddox Deganais, eventually arrive.
That’s why a major free-agent swing next offseason may not be the answer, even with the salary cap going up. The market could be loaded with names like Nikita Kucherov, Alex DeBrincat, and Jason Robertson, but the Blues may be better served keeping their own group intact.
They’re going to have important contract decisions of their own after this season. Snuggerud will need a new deal, Joel Hofer could be coming off his first run as the starting goaltender, and Jake Neighbours is also set to become a Restricted Free Agent.
For Steen, the priority should be clear: keep the core together and resist the urge to chase an outside splash. If the retool has been handled properly, the Blues already have much of what they need in-house.
In Other News...
Robert Thomas Just Gave Blues Fans Another Reason To Feel Overlooked
The latest NHL Network center rankings gave Blues fans a familiar kind of annoyance, because Robert Thomas was left off the top 20 entirely despite still carrying the kind of reputation that should keep him in the conversation. Thomas turned in a strong 2024-25 season, and even with injuries interrupting his 2025-26 campaign, his game has remained good enough that his absence from the list stood out as more than a small oversight.
For St. Louis, the omission lands as another reminder that Thomas often seems to get more value inside the division than he does on the national stage. The debate only sharpened because several centers placed ahead of him have comparable or lesser production, which makes the snub feel less like a matter of form and more like a player from a quieter market getting overlooked again. [Read more 🡒]
Blues Fans Should Start Tracking This Rising Two Way Forward
Milton Gastrin is one of the more intriguing names in the Blues prospect pool heading into the new season, and not just because hes already climbed to No. 7 in the organizations rankings. The versatile two-way forward has put himself on the radar as a player worth following closely, with a game built to help in all three zones and a role that is starting to grow as his profile rises.
Gastrin is spending the early part of the season with Brynas IF in the SHL, giving him another stretch of meaningful pro experience before an expected move to Springfield later on. He also figures to have a bigger job with Team Sweden at the upcoming World Junior Championship, which should give Blues fans another chance to see how his game holds up on a bigger stage. [Read more 🡒]
Joel Hofer May Be The Blues' Only Answer In Net
Joel Hofers late-season surge gave the Blues at least one encouraging storyline to carry out of a missed playoff year. After the 2026 Winter Olympic break, he looked far more settled in net, turning in a strong finish that helped stabilize a team that spent too much of the 2025-26 season searching for answers behind him. For a club that never got back into the postseason, that kind of improvement mattered, because it showed Hofer could handle a larger share of the crease when the games started to mean more.
Now the bigger question is what comes next for both sides. Hofer is expected to be a key figure in the 2026-27 season, and his status will only get more important as the Blues try to build around a clearer plan in goal. Contract talks should be part of that conversation, and the organization has little interest in letting this situation drift too long after seeing how much steadier things looked once Hofer found his game. [Read more 🡒]