The St. Louis Blues have been busy over the past week before free agency begins throughout the league on July 1. General manager Doug Armstrong has been working the trade market with two deals made during the week of the 2024 Draft. On top of this, the club made nine picks from the Las Vegas sphere at the draft.
Let’s get into why the Blues have been busy and why potential costs in free agency won’t stop them from continuing to try and improve the 2024-25 roster.
Blues Add Texier From Blue Jackets
The first trade of the week for the Blues was adding center Alexandre Texier from the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for a 2025 fourth-round pick. With the deal comes with a two-year extension worth $2.1 million per season.
Texier is 24 years old and was a second-round pick (45th overall) of the Blue Jackets in the 2017 Draft. Things just didn’t work out as well as both sides had hoped for him in Columbus. However, the Blues hope he can bring consistent effort and intensity to the bottom six at the center position. He scored over 10 goals in the last two seasons he’s played in, but the production hasn’t improved much. He played in the top Swiss League for Zurich SC in 2022-23 and scored 35 points in 46 games before returning to the NHL this past season.
The Blues are hopeful that a change of scenery can help Texier find his game and become a better NHLer. Either way, it’s a solid, low-risk deal for Armstrong and the club.
Blues Make 9 Draft Selections in Vegas
The 2024 Draft saw the Blues make nine picks over two days in Vegas. They didn’t move any picks and made five picks in the top 100 and four between picks 113 and 211. There was an emphasis on defensemen with NHL size, which is smart given their needs. Let’s take a look at who they picked.
- Round 1, Pick 16: D Adam Jiříček (HC Plzen, Czech Extraliga) (Czechia)
- Round 2, Pick 48: D Colin Ralph (Shattuck St. Mary’s Prep) (United States)
- Round 2, Pick 56 (via Toronto): D Lukas Fischer (Sarnia Sting, OHL) (United States)
- Round 3, Pick 81: LW Ondrej Kos (KOOVE, Mestis) (Czechia)
- Round 3, Pick 95 (via NY Rangers): C Adam Jecho (Edmonton Oil Kings, WHL) (Czechia)
- Round 4, Pick 113: C Thomas Mrsic (Medicine Hat Tigers, WHL) (Canada)
- Round 5, Pick 145: D William McIsaac (Spokane Chiefs, WHL) (Canada)
- Round 7, Pick 209: C Antoine Dorion (Quebec Remparts, QMJHL) (Canada)
- Round 7, Pick 211: C Matvei Korotky (SKA-1946 St. Petersburg, MHL) (Russia)
Related: Blues’ 2024 Draft Deep Dive: Adam Jiříček
This is a solid class for the Blues. There is plenty of upside with picks like Jiříček in the first round, Jecho in the third round, Mrsic in the fourth round, and more. They loaded up on NHL-sized defensemen as mentioned above and that is a great thing for the prospect pool. Blueliners like Ralph, McIsaac, and Fischer are fantastic gambles. The front office and scouting staff did an excellent job of not overthinking their selections and keeping it simple. I am a bit surprised that they didn’t go to Sweden at all for any of their selections after last year’s draft, but there’s always next year.
Blues Trade Hayes to the Penguins
The Blues traded Kevin Hayes to the Pittsburgh Penguins during the second day of the draft. The club sent Hayes and a 2025 second-round pick in exchange for future considerations. There was no retained salary in the deal, so the Blues will save $3.5 million for the next two seasons. This is a smart move considering how rough the 2023-24 season was for the 32-year-old. It clears salary cap space and affords them the opportunity to add to their forward group.
It didn’t work out in one season for him in St. Louis. He struggled with consistency and scored just 13 goals and 29 points in 79 games. Hayes is a quality locker-room guy and a veteran, but it was best for both sides to move on and I’m sure the club wishes him well in Pittsburgh.
Blues Will Likely Be Active in Free Agency
The Blues have over $16 million in cap space after the Texier extension and Hayes trade. That leaves them with ample room to be active in free agency, which I believe they will be. It wouldn’t be a surprise if the club looked outside of the top free agents to add talent. Targets could be players such as center Sean Monahan, defenseman Sean Walker, defenseman Brady Skjei, and more. I also wouldn’t rule out another trade being swung by Armstrong with a big name possibly coming to St. Louis. Overall, it’ll be a very interesting week for the Blues as they look to improve the 2024-25 roster.
