2026 Season Preview: St. Louis Blues
The Blues had an eventful offseason, but is it enough for them to get back into the wild card conversation?
The St. Louis Blues were in the postseason as recently as the 2024-25 season, but they haven’t won a playoff round since 2022. Only seven years removed from their first Stanley Cup in franchise history, the Blues still have the pieces to be competitive, but have struggled to see it all come together.
2025-26 Outcome
Regular Season Results: 37-33-12
Finishing the 2025-26 season with 86 points, good for fifth in the Central Division, the Blues really weren’t too far out of the playoff conversation. Problem was, they had an abysmal start to the year, struggling to score goals and on special teams, all of which are pretty key pieces to not only a successful regular season, but to having any sort of success in the postseason. With a couple of key changes to their roster over the summer, the Blues could have their sights set on getting back into the playoff picture this year.
Who’s In and Who’s Out
The biggest change to the Blues personnel comes with the decision to finally move on from Jordan Kyrou. This is another player whose name has been in trade rumors for what feels like forever and who desperately needed a change of scenery. In return, the Blues got Connor McMichael (along with a first round pick and prospect), who is coming off a 46 point campaign and was pushing 60 points the season prior. Honestly, not a bad trade return, all things considered. The fact that Kyrou was the only real subtraction from this roster is definitely encouraging.
As for the other additions to the roster, McTavish adds to their center depth, and Ross Johnston is another fourth line candidate but nothing to write home about. The Brandon Carlo trade is interesting. It feels like they did the Toronto Maple Leafs a bit of a favor, but I suppose the reality of the situation is the Blues needed a little more help on their blue line. Problem is, their blue line is already quite old and Carlo doesn’t make them any younger. What this trade and the McTavish one shows me is that this team isn’t interested in fully rebuilding, but instead are looking for more of an on-the-fly retool.
