The St. Louis Blues spent part of the summer making a move that already looks like a short-term fix: bringing in Brandon Carlo.
They sent two third-round picks to Toronto for the defenseman, a deal that effectively bailed out the Maple Leafs after an awkward 2024-25 deadline swing from then-general manager Brad Treliving. That earlier move had sent Carlo from Boston to Toronto in exchange for a first-round pick and Fraser Minten, who has since signed a major extension with the Bruins.
Carlo arrives with one year left on his contract, a $3.485-million cap hit and a three-team no-trade list. And with a wave of young defensemen coming through the system, the expectation is that this will be his only season in St. Louis.
That’s because the Blues’ blue line looks shaky on paper heading into 2026-27. Philip Broberg stands out as a legitimate top-pair defender, but the rest of the group is far less settled.
Cam Fowler’s sharp drop-off last season only adds to the uncertainty. Colton Parayko likely lines up beside Broberg, though at 33, his best hockey may already be behind him.
If last season is what Parayko has become, then even the modest offense he’s provided could disappear for the rest of his contract. Logan Mailloux, meanwhile, made a strong late push last season, but he’s still young enough that his game has to prove itself night after night.
That’s where Carlo fits in. His place in the lineup will depend heavily on how many young defensemen earn spots out of training camp.
If Broberg and Parayko are the top pair, then Fowler and Carlo make the most sense as the second duo. But that setup would leave the third pair exposed.
A third unit of Mailloux and Theo Lindstein would be extremely young, and swapping Lindstein for Tyler Tucker doesn’t really solve the problem, since Tucker looks more like an AHL option.
The more likely approach for Jim Montgomery is to spread the veterans around the lineup rather than stack them all at the top. That keeps the top four as strong as possible, but it also avoids leaving an inexperienced third pair to fend for itself against better competition.
Broberg and Parayko probably remain together, but the second pair could be where Montgomery makes his biggest call. The ideal fit there looks like Fowler and Mailloux, even if it means Fowler has to make the most of a smaller role.
That would push Carlo onto the third pair, where he’d serve as a steady veteran next to one of the younger defensemen. His defensive game should give someone like Lindstein or Adam Jiricek a little more freedom to jump into the play, with Carlo there to clean up when things break down.
By the time the season ends, the Blues would like at least one of those young defensemen to be ready for third-pair work without needing Carlo beside him. If that happens, Carlo could become expendable, which would leave little reason to bring him back. And if he doesn’t get dealt before then, a trade deadline move remains in play.
In Other News...
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Bostons Mason Lohrei has surfaced as a more affordable possibility, and he comes with the kind of NHL experience that can make a trade case more practical for a team trying to improve without overreaching. For the Blues, the appeal is straightforward: keep exploring the higher-end swing, but stay ready with a realistic alternative if the market does not break their way. [Read more 🡒]
Blues Rebuild Could Hit A Turning Point With Another Snuggerud Scenario
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Jimmy Snuggeruds late-2024-25 promotion offered a useful preview of how St. Louis can handle that kind of transition, bringing a young player up when his work in the minors starts to make the decision harder to delay. Justin Carbonneau and Adam Jiricek are among the names in that mix now, and the Blues will be watching both performance and roster need closely as the season develops. [Read more 🡒]
Blues May Already Have Berggrens Long Term Roster Threat Waiting
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The more interesting part is what could be waiting down the road. A Russian winger under contract with CSKA Moscow is a candidate to join St. Louis later on a one-year entry-level deal, but that path cannot open until his current situation in Moscow is over, making 2027 the earliest realistic window for a move. If that timeline holds, the Blues could be looking at a future roster battle that reaches straight into Berggren's lane, and it may already be shaping how they think about his rights. [Read more 🡒]