The St. Louis Blues weren’t all that active on the free-agent market this off-season, with their lone notable move being the three-year, $2 million AAV contract handed to fourth-line enforcer Ross Johnston.
They did make important trades, acquiring Mason MacTavish and Connor McMichael up front as well as veteran defenseman Brandon Carlo.
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With these moves, the Blues roster feels fairly set.
In the center ice position, the Blues will likely toss out Robert Thomas, McTavish, Dalibor Dvorsky and Pius Suter. In the top six, the wingers will likely be Dylan Holloway and Jimmy Snuggerud on the top line with some combination of Pavel Buchnevich, Jake Neighbours, McMichael and Jonatan Berggren/Otto Stenberg in the middle six. The fourth line will likely feature Johnston and Alexey Toropchenko.
As it stands, Dillon Dube and Nathan Walker are the extras.
On the blueline, the combinations will possibly be Philip Broberg and Logan Mailloux; Theo Lindstein/Tyler Tucker and Colton Parayko; Cam Fowler and Brandon Carlo.
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Additionally, the Blues have fringe roster players such as Jack Finley and Oskar Sundqvist who will compete for a roster spot and hope to avoid being claimed on waivers.
With all those players competing for limited spots, should we expect GM Alexander Steen to explore moves on the PTO market?
With a little over a month until the first pre-season game, several intriguing free agents remain available on the UFA market.
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Highlighted by players like former Blues greats Vladimir Tarasenko and David Perron, the market also features forwards Eeli Tolvanen, Michael Bunting, Patrik Laine, James Van Riemsdyk, and Evander Kane. At the same time, the blue liners are headlined by John Klingberg, Logan Stanley, Matt Grzelyck, Carson Soucy, and Nick Blakenburg.
While several of these players could help the Blues in some capacity, are they worth signing and taking away possible ice time from younger players the Blues are hoping to develop?
The answer is probably no, but if any of those players turn out to be key additions to a playoff team, the Blues could feel like they missed a golden opportunity. Just because the Blues sign a player to a PTO doesn’t mean they have to sign them to an NHL contract. And just because another team signs a player to a PTO, the Blues are still eligible to offer that player an NHL contract.
The Blues still have time to ponder their options, and what they do will be very telling of where they think their current roster is at.
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