The NHL's Four Nations Tournament is in its final stretch, and soon, the league's regular-season competition will return. Players will remove their country's sweaters and exchange them once more for their respective teams in hopes of pushing their team to postseason action. When the tournament ends, St. Louis Blues fans will be forced once more to endure the mediocre, subpar squad currently in the midst of a re-tool stage.
With a 25-26-5 record, 55 points, and a minus-17 goal differential, the club faces tough questions about its team. These questions may lead to difficult answers that can help the club return to the postseason.
Given the Blues’ current standings and numbers this season, the club could become sellers at the March 7th trade deadline. General Manager Doug Armstrong has limited options to improve the team and less time to do so without making a significant move.
With 26 games remaining, the Blues would need at least 93 to 95 points for a realistic playoff chance. To get there, they need a stretch of play that would result in approximately an 18-6-2 or better record through the rest of the regular season. The underlying stats for this team do not suggest they are ready for a deep playoff run and indicate further that a roster shake-up could be in order.
With one draft pick in the first four rounds of the 2025 NHL Entry Draft currently in the cupboard, the Blues are limited on options and strategies for the draft to help bring in reinforcements over the coming seasons. The Blues also lack high-ticket upcoming free agents who could net them intriguing prospects or draft picks.
The Blues find themselves in a good spot financially should they feel it would be a good decision to, could opt to use their projected $7.1 million in deadline cap space, according to Puckpedia, to serve as a broker and take on salary in a three-team trade to help recoup prospects and draft capital.
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NHL St. Louis Blues defense Ryan Suter
Veteran defenseman Ryan Suter, 40, and forward Radek Faksa, 31, remain two of the coming unrestricted free agents on the NHL roster who could be of interest to Stanley Cup contending lineups and very likely play their last stretch of games with the Blues ahead of the trade deadline. These bottom-pairing players provide valuable depth options for other teams but do not move the needle much regarding assets for which any contending teams could be sent back in exchange.
If the Blues' front office deems a deeper surgery is needed to this NHL roster, recent rumors suggest the club could be open to sending their power-forward team captain, Brayden Schenn. The price tag for Schenn is said to be "a mammoth return," but certainly one the Blue seems open to doing. The captain is in year five of his eight-year, $52 million contract and is in the final season of his full no-trade clause before opening to a 15-team modified no-trade clause after this season.
Should Armstrong feel they need to make a different move to help bolster their lineup and give their team a different presence, forwards Pavel Buchnevich, 29, and Jordan Kyrou, 26, remain trade options as well.
Buchnevich is in the final year of his four-year contract with a $5.8 million cap hit and a 12-team modified no-trade clause before his six-year, $48 million contract kicks in. The veteran has seen a steady decline in his offensive point production since his first season with the Blues in 2021-22, when he scored 30 goals and 76 points in 73 games. With 11 goals and 34 points this season, he is on pace for 16 goals and 50 points in 80 games.
Kyrou has shown a steady improvement in his all-around game, becoming more defensively reliable and willing to play a 200' game. The young forward is also on pace to surpass 60 points for the fourth consecutive season and is projected to score 34 goals and 65 points in 82 games.
The Blues will need to focus on the future throughout the remainder of the 2024-25 season. With postseason play becoming a dreamline scenario, the Blues could find themselves looking to make multiple moves to shake-up their roster. nears its and resumes.