Hockey fans around the world think the St. Louis Blues are a real Stanley Cup threat over the next 10 seasons, and that belief showed up loudly in The Athletic’s annual survey.
Nearly 20,000 die-hard hockey fans took part, and the Blues landed in the group of teams that should not be dismissed as a future Cup winner. The consensus points toward St. Louis being in position to chase its second Stanley Cup by 2036.
That kind of faith carries weight because the Blues have won only one Stanley Cup in 59 years of business. Their 2018-19 run was the unforgettable one, a magical season that still stands as one of the biggest moments in St. Louis sports history.
What has fans buying in now is the pipeline. The Blues’ future is being built from the prospect level up, and the organization’s under-25 core stands out. When comparing rosters across the league, only San Jose and possibly Chicago are mentioned as teams that may have a stronger young foundation.
The idea is that by the end of this decade, the Blues will be soaring high in the Central Division, with the pieces already in place to keep climbing. The work started under former general manager Doug Armstrong and continues under new GM Alexander Steen, giving the club time and opportunity to repair what needs fixing now and cash in later.
A group led by Jimmy Snuggerud, Dalibor Dvorsky, Philip Broberg, and Joel Hofer is expected to drive the next wave of Blues hockey, with Justin Carbonneau, Adam Jiricek, and Love Harenstam waiting behind them.
In Other News...
Blues Fans Have Every Reason To Watch Quinn Hughes Closely
The Blues have spent the past year reshaping their roster, making several trades last season and continuing to get younger this offseason without losing sight of the need to stay competitive. That kind of roster churn has kept St. Louis focused on every major move around the Central Division, especially when a rival is dealing with a high-end talent situation that could ripple through the standings.
Quinn Hughes is one of those situations. Wild general manager Bill Guerin acknowledged that talks are still ongoing with Hughes camp, but he did not offer any fresh update on where things stand, which only keeps the speculation alive. If the sides never find common ground, Minnesota could eventually have to consider a different path during the season, and that is the kind of development the Blues will be watching closely because it could reshape the division race in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]