The St. Louis Blues haven’t made any major moves this summer, but they’ve improved the forward depth and overall group for the 2024-25 season with a couple of trades.
It’s unclear whether Blues general manager Doug Armstrong expects the club to contend for the playoffs in 2024-25, but he’s operated in a neutral fashion. He hasn’t made any splash moves this summer. He’s decided to add to the club’s depth while hoping that a few players can have breakout campaigns or career seasons. The hiring of Drew Bannister as head coach also signals that the club is still stuck in the middle and might not be ready to truly contend for a couple of seasons. Let’s get into the forward group and why it will have far more balance.
Blues Have Quality Top-Six Forwards
The Blues have the trio of Robert Thomas, Jordan Kyrou, and Pavel Buchnevich locked up for the next several seasons. If Buchnevich can return to form in 2024-25, that would go a long way. The team also has Jake Neighbours, who will certainly play in the top six after a 27-goal campaign in 2023-24.
The second-line center position will be a major factor in whether the Blues can be a solid team in 2024-25. I’d be surprised if there isn’t some open competition for it. Three options include Buchnevich, Alexandre Texier, and Brayden Schenn. Those aren’t great options, but it’s something for the club to consider. They’ll have plenty of scoring on the wings with Kyrou, Neighbours, and Brandon Saad.
It’ll be interesting to see how Bannister will mix and match the lineup. There are players who have already earned spots in the top six and those who can work their way up to it. Either way, the Blues should have a quality top-six throughout the 2024-25 season.
Blues’ Bottom-Six Will Be Tougher
A huge part of the club’s offseason acquisitions has been to toughen up their bottom-six. If you include Texier, the Blues made three trades for solid depth forwards and used ample salary cap space to their advantage. They also added Mathieu Joseph from the Ottawa Senators and Radek Faksa from the Dallas Stars. To make a bit more room, they moved Kevin Hayes to the Pittsburgh Penguins during the 2024 Draft. I think Joseph and Faksa bring much more grit to the club’s bottom six.
Related: Blues Add Solid Depth With Faksa & The Joseph Brothers
On top of their acquisitions, the Blues also have Alexey Toropchenko, Oskar Sundqvist, and Kasperi Kapanen in the bottom six. There’s no reason for the bottom of the lineup to not be productive in all three zones in 2024-25. It should improve their defensive play overall. I also wonder what will happen with young players such as Zachary Bolduc and Zach Dean, who played limited minutes down the stretch of the 2023-24 season. I wouldn’t be surprised if they both started the season in the American Hockey League (AHL).
Could Blues Make More Moves Now?
It wouldn’t surprise me at all if Armstrong made another move this offseason. There is a potential logjam in the forward group that could force his hand. However, one scenario where he doesn’t need to make a move is starting Bolduc and other young forwards in the AHL. It might not be the worst idea in the world to allow the young players to grow together in the minors. It’s a tough call though because Bolduc played well last season in the NHL. It’s the dead part of the offseason, but don’t be shocked if Armstrong makes another trade to finalize the potential roster for the Blues’ 2024-25 season.
