The St. Louis Blues have the kind of setup that can make the rest of the league nervous if it all clicks at the right time.
The idea here is simple: a young core is already in place, more help is coming, and the coaching bench is manned by Jim Montgomery, who hasn’t won a Stanley Cup as a coach but does bring the kind of résumé that matters in a run like this. Montgomery guided the Boston Bruins to 65 wins in 2022-23, the most any NHL team has ever posted in a single season. That’s the sort of edge a team wants if it’s trying to turn promise into something much bigger.
The Blues’ most important pieces are stacked with players under 25. Jimmy Snuggerud, Dylan Holloway, Jake Neighbours and Dalibor Dvorsky stand out as the offensive backbone, with Mason McTavish and Connor McMichael also included in that group as newcomers. On the blue line, Philip Broberg and Logan Mailloux are projected to form the next top defensive pairing.
There’s also a changing of the guard in goal. It hasn’t been officially announced, but Joel Hofer is expected to start over Jordan Binnington for the 2026-27 season and beyond. Hofer earned that move, and the hope inside this picture is that he can keep developing into a high-level NHL starter while helping the Blues chase more Stanley Cups in the near future.
The pipeline underneath all of that is loaded as well. Justin Carbonneau, Tynan Lawrence, Maddox Dagenais, Colin Ralph, Love Harenstam and Adam Jiricek are all part of a prospect group that could keep the organization stocked for years.
That’s why 2026-27 looms so large. The season will be the clearest sign of whether this youth movement is ready to take off or still needs time to grow. If the Blues start gaining real traction then, they could be a team the league has to deal with for a long time.
In Other News...
Blues Keep Building Girls Hockey With A Weekend St. Louis Fans Should Notice
The Blues are putting another major push behind girls hockey this weekend, with the second annual Girls Tier 1 Ice Breaker Invitational set for Aug. 14-16 at the Centene Community Ice Center. The event brings together top 12U and 14U programs from around the country for a round-robin tournament, but it is built to be more than a showcase of young talent. The Blues have folded in mentorship sessions with professional women hockey players and off-ice activities aimed at helping players grow as athletes and people.
It is all part of a broader Girls Hockey Development Program that has become a real point of emphasis for the organization, especially as it looks to expand participation and create a stronger pipeline in the sport. For St. Louis fans, the weekend is another reminder that the clubs reach goes beyond the NHL roster, with the Blues trying to make the rink a more welcoming and productive place for the next generation of players. [Read more 🡒]
Blues Face A Costly Buchnevich Question They Cant Ignore
Pavel Buchnevich was supposed to be part of the Blues long-term core when he put pen to paper on his six-year extension in July 2024, a deal that locked in a major commitment from St. Louis and gave him the kind of security teams usually reserve for their most trusted scorers. Instead, the contract has become one of the organizations more pressing roster puzzles, because the Blues now have to manage his salary slot while also planning for other upcoming extensions and trying to keep their cap picture flexible.
The concern is not just the size of the deal, but the direction of the production. Buchnevichs numbers have trended down since the extension, and that leaves St. Louis weighing uncomfortable options that no contender likes to think about this early in a contract. A trade would be complicated, a buyout would bring its own baggage, and the simplest path may be the one the Blues are hoping for most: a rebound that makes the whole conversation less urgent. [Read more 🡒]
Robert Thomas Is Closing In On Rare Blues History
Robert Thomas has spent the last several seasons turning consistency into something close to franchise standing. The Blues center already sits fifth in team history in assists, and with 132 goals and 328 assists in 530 NHL games, he has put himself on the edge of climbing past some familiar names in the organizations record book. He is also moving into striking distance of the top six in career points, a sign that his production has not just held steady, but continued to stack up in a meaningful way for St. Louis.
What makes the climb feel especially notable is the timing. Based on his recent pace, Thomas could be knocking down those next milestones early in the 2026-27 season, which would push him even deeper into rare Blues territory. For a player who has become one of the franchises most reliable offensive drivers, the numbers now point toward a place in team history that keeps getting harder to ignore. [Read more 🡒]