The St. Louis Blues head into 2026-27 with plenty of change around them, and that means the margin for error is shrinking for a few familiar names.
Some of these players have already been central pieces for this team. Others still carry the weight of expectation without fully delivering on it.
Either way, the message is clear: if they don’t turn things around, this could be the year their run in St. Louis ends.
Jordan Binnington is the most obvious name on that list. The franchise’s all-time leading goaltender is in the final year of his contract, and there’s a real chance he doesn’t make it to the finish line with the Blues.
He could end up as a trade-deadline selling piece no matter where the team stands. For No. 50, every start from here on out feels like it matters a little more.
Pavel Buchnevich is another player under the spotlight. Since arriving from the New York Rangers, he has not lived up to the level many Blues fans expected, and that has left a bad taste for a lot of people.
Now he’s got Mason McTavish and Connor McMichael alongside him on the second line, so the excuses are running out fast. Another down year, and the end could be near for Buchnevich in St.
Louis.
Joel Hofer sits in a different spot, but the pressure is still real. With Binnington’s departure looming, Hofer has been handed the unofficial keys to the crease.
That puts this season under a microscope, because the Blues’ future in goal is tied to how he handles the moment. There are other goaltenders in the pipeline waiting for a shot, but last season suggested Hofer can be just fine.
On the blue line, Colton Parayko is in a precarious spot. The Blues’ defense was a mess last season, and he was one of the main reasons why. With prospects like Adam Jiricek and Colin Ralph possibly pushing toward the NHL level, Parayko’s hold on a roster spot is no longer secure unless he proves last year was just a bad stretch.
Logan Mailloux rounds out the group. He had a rough season overall, but finished with a strong run that helped steady things.
Even so, the defense is changing quickly, and No. 23 has to hold his ground. If he can’t put together a consistent 84-game season, the floor could drop out from under him.
In Other News...
Blues Fans Forgot How Wild This Team Once Got With Offer Sheets
The latest round of NHL offer-sheet drama has put an old bit of league mischief back in the spotlight. Philadelphia tried to pry center Leo Carlsson from Anaheim with a five-year, $18 million-per-year deal, only for the Ducks to match, while New Jerseys one-year offer to Utahs Barrett Hayton also got matched. For most teams, that kind of maneuver is a rare headline. For St. Louis, it used to be part of the organizational identity.
Long before the salary cap made these plays so uncommon, the Blues were among the leagues early aggressors after the 1984 CBA opened the door to offer sheets, and they were involved in 11 of them over the years. That history matters now because St. Louis has not exactly been shy about using the tactic when the moment felt right, which is why the current flurry around the league can feel a little like a reminder of how wild this franchise once got when it came to chasing talent. [Read more 🡒]
Blues Just Made A Franchise Defining Bet On Mason McTavish
The Blues have made a clear bet on upside with Mason McTavish, a 23-year-old center whose blend of size, skill and long-term potential has made him one of the more intriguing young names in the league. Former Ducks coaches Greg Cronin and Craig Johnson both see a player who can grow into a key piece in St. Louis, which helps explain why the organization was willing to move aggressively to get him.
There is still a reason this deal comes with some risk, though, and it starts with the same trait that has followed McTavish since his days in Anaheim. His skating speed remains the question scouts keep circling back to, even as the Blues clearly believe the rest of his game can outweigh it. With other teams, including the Rangers, also in the mix, St. Louis did not just add a promising center, it chose to make him a centerpiece of what comes next. [Read more 🡒]