The Central Division keeps forcing teams to prove they belong, and the Blues are still trying to work their way back into the top tier. For 2026-27, the most likely landing spot for St. Louis is fifth in the division, behind the group that has controlled this race for years.
Colorado is projected to stay at the top of the Central, with Minnesota and Utah filling out the next two spots. Dallas, according to this forecast, ends up as the wildcard team, which leaves the Blues at No. 5 among the eight clubs in the division.
That would keep St. Louis outside the division’s “big three,” a club that has long included Colorado, Dallas, and Minnesota, with Winnipeg also having been part of that conversation at times. The Blues haven’t finished in the top three of the division since 2021-22, when they reached the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and that drought is expected to continue through 2026-27 and 2027-28.
There is, though, a longer runway coming. By 2028-29, the Blues could have a different look thanks to a wave of younger players who should be more established by then. Adam Jiricek, Justin Carbonneau, Otto Stenberg, Tynan Lawrence, Maddox Deganais, and Colin Ralph are all expected to become regular pieces, while Jimmy Snuggerud and Dalibor Dvorsky are viewed as the more seasoned part of that next core.
That’s also the point where the division itself may start to shift. Colorado could be sliding off the summit by then, which would open a path for St. Louis to push back toward the upper group.
For now, though, the Blues still appear to be behind some teams that are climbing. Utah is one of them, with its rebranding helping turn it into one of the faster and more entertaining teams in the league while its future talent starts to arrive. Chicago is another, and Connor Bedard is the reason that trajectory looks so promising.
Nashville is part of the conversation too, although its direction remains less clear because the roster’s path is still hard to read.
The Blues’ best path forward in 2026-27 may come from their top line, where Snuggerud, Robert Thomas and Dylan Holloway are expected to provide plenty of punch. If that group delivers and the development track keeps moving, St. Louis can at least stay close to the playoff line.
That matters. If the Blues can finish within a handful of points of a postseason spot, as they did in 2025-26, then the base is there.
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 🡒]