For the St. Louis Blues, the New Year is an opportunity to make adjustments and reset after some failures in 2025. Here’s a look at what went wrong in 2025 and the resolutions the Blues will need to stick with to make a difference in 2026.
Blues Must Aim For a Wild-Card Berth
This season, the Central Division has been an all-out war, with the Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, and Minnesota Wild taking the top three spots. The Blues will have to get through the Utah Mammoth, Nashville Predators, Calgary Flames, and Seattle Kraken to climb within reach of a wild-card spot.
Related: Blues’ Stars of the First Half: Hofer, Faulk, and Thomas
This is no different from what the Blues faced in 2025. In January last year, the team was just two spots out of the wild card. They were in and out of the playoffs until March, when they finally clinched the second wild-card spot. This season, the Blues again started on the wrong foot and struggled, but if they can somehow go on a win streak, they could clinch a playoff berth.
The Blues may not be the most offensive team in the Western Conference, but they always find a way to sneak through. Given the success of their top line of Jake Neighbours, Robert Thomas, and Pavel Buchnevich, they could easily carry the team into the postseason.
Trade Justin Faulk Close to the Deadline
Trade talks surrounding defenseman Justin Faulk have been floating around for over a month, especially after Sportsnet analyst Nick Kypreos’ trade possibilities this season. Faulk ranks in the top three on the Blues in points (20) and is tied for the lead in goals with Neighbours (10). His value is high right now, and he could offer the biggest return in a trade.
The 2026 Trade Deadline could give the Blues a last chance to get rid of Faulk’s $6.5 million average annual value (AAV), which ends after next season when he becomes an unrestricted free agent (UFA). Given his value at the moment, management could try to bring in either a young replacement for Faulk or a first-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. The Blues don’t have a second-round pick this year after trading it to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Perform For New General Manager, Alexander Steen
The soon-to-be Blues general manager, Alexander Steen, won’t take over the role from Doug Armstrong until next season, but it’s still an important resolution for 2026. Armstrong has been paving the way for Steen in his roster construction, but once he’s passed the baton, the reality of how much change is needed on a Blues team that continues to struggle will kick in.
The Blues have put a lot of effort and focus on their Swedish and European prospects, which is fitting given that Steen is a former Blue and Swedish national team player. Dalibor Dvorsky (Slovakia) and Otto Steneberg (Sweden) have already made a significant impact on the team, while defenseman Theo Lindstein (Sweden) is right behind them, playing for the American Hockey League (AHL) Springfield Thunderbirds.
Steen has the foundation to turn the team into a contender. The expectation is that he can usher in a new future and get the Blues to take the next step.
Blues Must Reboot Special Teams
There has been minimal change to both the team’s power play and penalty kill despite their struggles. The Blues rank 20th in the league with an 18.4 percent success rate on the power play, compared to last season when they were one spot out of being a top 15 team with the man advantage. As for the penalty kill, it has barely improved over last season. This season, they rank 25th in the league with a 77.5 percent success rate. Last season, they ranked 28th with a 74.2 success rate.
Adding a good special teams player might be needed if nothing changes before the trade deadline. Improving these areas of their game could be the difference-maker this season.
Patience will be key in 2026. There shouldn’t be an expectation of changes to start the year, and it will take time to see the effects of any changes to the roster. The New Year is a good time to reset, and the Blues should keep these three resolutions in mind if they want to climb the standings this season and become more competitive in the future.
