Some changes to key issues in the new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) could help the St. Louis Blues ahead of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The biggest change is the removal of the “cap loophole,” where teams could place their best players on long-term injured reserve (LTIR) to stay cap compliant while they added players for a playoff run, but then reinstated the injured players in time for the playoffs. It accrued cap space and helped teams stack themselves up for the postseason.
The CBA has now added a playoff salary cap. This cap will require teams to submit their final 20-man roster for each game by 3 p.m. EST (removing the previous game-time decision rule), and will count against the cap. This could be good for the Blues for several reasons.
Blues Forced to Make Trades Earlier in the Season
Over the last two seasons, the Blues have been wise with their trade decisions. In 2023-24, they only made two minor trades, sending Robert Bortuzzo to the New York Islanders for a 2024 seventh-round pick (Matvei Korotky) and Malcolm Subban to the Columbus Blue Jackets for future considerations.
Then, in 2024-25, management made 10 trades, including three major ones: acquiring restricted free agents Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg from the Edmonton Oilers through an offer sheet (for a 2025 third-round pick and a 2025 second-round pick) and trading Jeremie Biakabutuka, along with a 2027 second-round pick to the Anaheim Ducks for Cam Fowler and a 2027 fourth-round pick.
Related: 3 Young Blues Players Who Can Take Big Steps This Season
With the new playoff cap, the Blues should be motivated to make more trades well ahead of the deadline to ensure much-needed roster adjustments in time for the postseason. We could also see trades as early as the first two months of the season. As a playoff team, they must be more proactive about their trades and be ready to move pieces to open space during the postseason.
Blues Have to Use More of Their Rookies
If the Blues make the playoffs this season, they will need to do a lot of roster shifting to stay under the playoff cap, especially if they want to add players. An easy solution is to call up a prospect, and they have a lot in the system playing for their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds.
Some talented prospects still on entry-level contracts (ELC) include Dalibor Dvorsky, Otto Stenberg, and Theo Lindstein. All of them could secure a late-season NHL roster spot with potential to grow.
However, the Blues have only two players on two-way deals and ELCs: Jimmy Snuggerud and newly acquired defenseman Logan Mailloux. By keeping these two players in the NHL or only calling up ELC players before the playoffs begin, the Blues should be able to remain under the playoff cap.
New Playoff Cap Is the Golden Ticket to Blues’ Playoff Success
With the changes to the CBA, the Blues can be more productive in making trades and could be forced to evaluate their younger stars earlier to prepare them for the postseason. In the competitive Central Division, this playoff cap could help them avoid being overwhelmed by teams with more talented rosters and restrict those already successful teams from using the cap loophole to bolster their lineups.
As the Blues’ roster is not yet at the level of a Stanley Cup contender, with the playoff cap, it should at least push them more to build a stronger roster through trades and use the promising prospects they have in their system, so that they can make a move towards being an overall contender.
