The St. Louis Blues are walking into the 2026-27 season with plenty of unknowns, and that uncertainty is exactly what makes the year so intriguing.
This could be the season where the youth movement starts to click, or it could be the one that shows those younger players still aren’t ready. Either way, the 84-game schedule is setting up to be a big one.
One of the clearest expectations is that the Blues will still be on the playoff bubble, even if the margin gets tighter. Last season, the Central Division was loaded, led by the Colorado Avalanche and their Presidents' Trophy run, while Dallas stayed a force and Minnesota added more talent.
In 2026-27, St. Louis is still projected to be on the outside looking in, but the gap should shrink.
The top of the division is expected to start shifting, and Utah and Chicago are also mentioned as teams that could make strides.
The offense could also take a major step forward. The Blues have not had a 100-point scorer since Brendan Shanahan put up 102 in 1993-94, but that drought has a real chance to end next season.
A refreshed top six gives them more firepower, and the first line of Robert Thomas, Dylan Holloway and Jimmy Snuggerud looks like a real weapon. Among that group, Thomas is the most obvious candidate to finally get over the line.
He has been knocking on the door for a while, and his best season came in 2023-24, when he finished with 86 points.
Then there’s Joel Hofer, who looks ready to take over the crease. Jordan Binnington is expected to slide into the backup role in 2026-27, making this effectively Hofer’s team.
He already showed what he can do last season, finishing with six shutouts and a 24-13-5 record. The defense in front of him still has questions, but if Hofer keeps rising, he could push himself into the NHL’s elite goaltending tier.
In Other News...
Blues Suddenly Have A Center Depth Question Fans Can't Ignore
The Blues center picture looked straightforward enough when the offseason began, with Robert Thomas penciled in as the top-line anchor and Mason McTavish fitting naturally into a second-line role. Then the addition of Connor McMichael added a little more flexibility to the roster, even if he is expected to spend most of his time on the wing. For a team trying to sort out its forward mix, that kind of versatility can be useful, but it also keeps the conversation alive about how the middle of the lineup will actually settle in.
Pius Suter sits in the middle of that discussion, because the third-line center spot is not quite as settled as the rest of the depth chart suggests. St. Louis has enough moving parts to imagine a few different looks as the season unfolds, especially if the bottom six gets reshuffled and the staff decides it wants more certainty down the middle. The Blues do not need to solve everything in July, but the way they handle those center minutes could end up shaping more than just one line. [Read more 🡒]
Adam Jiricek Suddenly Has A Real Chance To Force Blues Decisions
A year out from the 2026-27 opener, Adam Jiricek is suddenly a name worth tracking on the Blues blue line. St. Louis has already built out a defense group that includes Philip Broberg, Cam Fowler, Colton Parayko, Brandon Carlo, Logan Mailloux, Theo Lindstein and Tyler Tucker, but Jiriceks path is no longer just about long-term upside. He has a real chance to push his way into the conversation for an opening-night job.
The clearest route is on the third pair, where a strong camp and early-season play could force the Blues to keep him around and even consider a bigger role if he handles the jump. It is still a tough ask for a rookie defenseman, and the competition in front of him is the kind that can make even promising prospects wait their turn. Still, this is the sort of development that can change how a team approaches its roster decisions before the season ever starts. [Read more 🡒]
Why Blues Fans Are Pushing Back On This Offseason Verdict
The offseason review that landed with a thud around St. Louis did not exactly match the mood inside the organization. Bleacher Report handed the Blues a D, but the front office has spent the summer trying to reshape the roster around a younger core, with Alexander Steen stepping in as general manager and the club leaning into a group built largely around players under 25.
From the Blues perspective, the bigger story is not the grade itself but what comes next. The team has moved on from some poor contracts and added youth, and Jim Montgomery is already setting the tone for a training camp that should be fast, physical and full of real battles for jobs and line combinations as the club builds toward the 2026-27 season. [Read more 🡒]