5-147 \u2013 F\u00a0Mikhail Fyodorov<\/a>, Magnitogorsk (MHL)
6-179 \u2013 G\u00a0Love Harenstam<\/a>, Skelleftea (Sweden U20)<\/p>\n
If this section feels a little light, there\u2019s a good reason for that.\u00a0 The silver lining for St. Louis is that most of the missing draft picks turned into established players.\u00a0 The second rounder went in the offer sheet for Philip Broberg<\/a> after being reacquired from Pittsburgh.\u00a0 Broberg showed lots of promise in his first full NHL season.\u00a0 The third rounder went in the offer sheet for Dylan Holloway<\/a>.\u00a0 He finished third on the team in scoring.\u00a0 Even the fourth rounder yielded a roster regular as it went for Alexandre Texier<\/a>.\u00a0 His first year wasn\u2019t great, but he still has one more year left on his contract to turn things around.\u00a0 With the thought that a draft class should ideally yield two NHL players, they already got there before even drafting anyone.\u00a0 Not too shabby.<\/p>\n Carbonneau was one of the better offensive wingers in this year\u2019s class and isn\u2019t just a one-trick pony as he\u2019s a deft playmaker with an above-average shot.\u00a0 There was some talk that he might make the jump to college hockey this season, but he decided to return to QMJHL Blainville-Boisbriand, although he notably hasn\u2019t signed his entry-level deal yet, keeping his NCAA options on the table.\u00a0 Carbonneau is a few years away from being NHL-ready, but he has legitimate top-six upside.\u00a0 Fyodorov is a late-round project as he finds himself still in the Russian junior ranks, while Harenstam did okay in Sweden\u2019s junior level last season and will now look to make the jump to the second-tier Allsvenskan.\u00a0 Both players are longer-term development pieces.<\/p>\n Trade Acquisitions<\/p>\n D Logan Mailloux<\/a> (trade<\/a> with Montreal)<\/p>\n While there was a lot of trade speculation surrounding the Blues, including one of their top-paid players in Jordan Kyrou<\/a>, there was only one trade made.\u00a0 And while the Canadiens were one of the teams believed to be interested in Kyrou, the two sides made a much different deal, one that we don\u2019t see occur too often with the teams swapping fairly recent first-round picks, with St. Louis dealing from their winger surplus to bring in an intriguing blueliner.<\/p>\n Mailloux has played the bulk of his two-year professional career in the minors, where he has been quite productive for a blueliner, recording 80 points in 135 regular-season games.\u00a0 With five points in eight NHL contests, he has done well in the offensive zone at the top level as well.\u00a0 There remain questions about his overall defensive game and how he\u2019ll adapt to playing against tougher competition, but Mailloux should be able to be a capable secondary producer from the back end while likely starting in a depth role as he gets his first taste of extended NHL action this season.\u00a0 The ceiling is enticing, though if he can put everything together.<\/p>\n UFA Signings<\/p>\n F Nick Bjugstad<\/a> (two years<\/a>, $3.5MM) *-denotes two-way contract<\/p>\n Bjugstad is only a year removed from a 45-point effort in Arizona, but he wasn\u2019t able to sustain that production following the move to Utah.\u00a0 His playing time fell by more than five minutes per game as he was deployed pretty much exclusively in their bottom six.\u00a0 That\u2019s about the same role he\u2019ll have with St. Louis, but having him as a fourth center is a nice luxury to have, while he could also move up and play alongside Suter on the third line, where the two could only focus on strong-side draws, with their overall faceoff success rate being limited.<\/p>\n Lucic is one of the more intriguing PTO candidates this fall.\u00a0 Between injuries, charges that were later dropped, and a stint in the Player Assistance Program, he hasn\u2019t played in the better part of two years.\u00a0 While he\u2019s far from the top-six power forward he was in his prime, he could come in and give St. Louis some extra grit on the fourth line if all goes well, giving them a bit more depth to work with.<\/p>\n RFA Re-Signings<\/p>\n F Nikita Alexandrov<\/a> (one year<\/a>, $775K)* *-denotes two-way contract<\/p>\n Despite the lack of prospect pedigree, Hofer is quickly becoming the heir apparent to netminder Jordan Binnington<\/a>, making him the most important RFA for the Blues this summer. The new two-year pact will run through the 2026-27 season, the same time that Binnington\u2019s six-year, $36MM extension expires.<\/p>\n As Binnington ages the next two years, Hofer should have access to additional playing time. In the past two years, Hofer has achieved a record of 31 wins, 20 losses, and 4 overtime losses in 61 games, with a .909 SV%, a 2.65 GAA, and 11.0 goals saved above average while serving in a backup role.<\/p>\n Outside of Hofer, Alexandrov is the only recent RFA that should feature on the Blues\u2019 roster next season. Throughout the past two years, although he has typically played in the AHL, Alexandrov has scored three goals and nine points in 51 games in a bottom-six role.<\/p>\n Departures<\/p>\n F Corey Andonovski<\/a> (unsigned) *-denotes two-way contract<\/p>\n St. Louis didn\u2019t lose too much on the offensive side of the puck this offseason, but the jury is still out on whether they\u2019ll be kicking their butts about trading Bolduc. In their defense, the Blues have sufficient depth in their top six, and prospects like Jimmy Snuggerud<\/a> and Dalibor Dvorsky<\/a> are ready to make an impact.<\/p>\n Still, Bolduc is one year removed from a solid sophomore campaign, scoring 19 goals and 36 points in 72 contests, typically situated in a middle-six role. In contrast, Mailloux is the same age as Bolduc, and although it usually takes defensemen longer to develop, he only has eight games of NHL experience.<\/p>\n Outside of Bolduc, the Blues lost solid, albeit replaceable, veterans in Leddy and Faksa. It didn\u2019t take long for the team to replace either, as Leddy\u2019s minutes will be replaced by one of the multiple young defensemen on the roster, while the Blues signed Suter and Bjugstad to balance out their center depth.<\/p>\n Salary Cap Outlook<\/p>\n As things stand, St. Louis projects to have around $625K in cap space to start next season, per PuckPedia<\/a>.\u00a0 That doesn\u2019t make for much wiggle room when the minimum salary is $775K.\u00a0 However, that number does not include potential LTIR flexibility.\u00a0 After missing all of last season due to an ankle injury, Armstrong noted this offseason that he doesn\u2019t expect Krug to play again, meaning his $6.5MM is eligible to land on LTIR.\u00a0 The exact amount of cap space that would provide depends on their roster at the time they place him on there, but it\u2019s safe to say they\u2019d be able to use around $6MM of that if they have to go that route.\u00a0 There\u2019s more wiggle room here than it might appear at first glance.<\/p>\n Key Questions<\/p>\n
F Milan Lucic<\/a> (signed<\/a> to PTO)
F Matt Luff<\/a> (one year<\/a>, $775K)*
F Pius Suter<\/a> (two years<\/a>, $8.2MM)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/USATSI_25810251-200x300.jpg\")
<\/a>Shoring up their center depth was the theme of Armstrong\u2019s summer signings.\u00a0 Suter picked the perfect time for a breakout year last season, really boosting his stock heading into a free agent period that was lacking in terms of impactful middlemen.\u00a0 After being more of a middle-six player for the first few seasons of his career, Suter was able to produce at a much better rate, earning himself a near-permanent spot in Vancouver\u2019s top six on the heels of a 25-goal, 46-point effort.\u00a0 While there are some reasonable questions as to whether he can repeat that performance, the Blues aren\u2019t necessarily paying him to be that player.\u00a0 If he settles in behind Robert Thomas<\/a> and Brayden Schenn<\/a> and helps anchor the third line while helping out on the penalty kill, he\u2019ll fit in pretty well even if the production reverts closer to the usual high 20-point mark.<\/p>\n
G Joel Hofer<\/a> (two years<\/a>, $6.8MM)
D Hunter Skinner<\/a> (one year<\/a>, $775K)*
G Vadim Zherenko<\/a> (one year<\/a>, $775K)*<\/p>\n
F Zachary Bolduc<\/a> (trade<\/a> with Montreal)
F Tanner Dickinson<\/a> (signed in Slovakia)
F Radek Faksa<\/a> (signed<\/a> with Dallas, three years, $6MM)
D Nick Leddy<\/a> (waivers, claimed<\/a> by San Jose)
F Mackenzie MacEachern<\/a> (signed<\/a> with Vancouver, two years, $1.55MM)*
D Anton Malmstrom<\/a> (signed in Sweden)
D Ryan Suter<\/a> (unsigned)<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/USATSI_25934011-237x300.jpg\")
<\/a>How Will Snuggerud Fare In His Rookie Season?\u00a0As one of the more exciting prospects coming up through the Blues\u2019 system, Snuggerud will have every opportunity to make a positive impact on St. Louis this season. Finishing off the 2024-25 campaign, Snuggerud scored one goal and four points in seven contests before matching that total (two goals, two assists) in seven games in the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs. There were a few instances, especially during the postseason, where Snuggerud\u2019s lack of experience showed. Still, if Snuggerud can match his brief scoring pace from last season, he may compete for the Calder Memorial Trophy by the end of the campaign.<\/p>\n