The Blues have said all along not to expect anything flashy this summer.
They were going to stick to the plan of rebuilding on the fly — developing prospects while trying to make the playoffs. General manager Doug Armstrong has repeated that talking point, usually followed by a “but anything could happen†caveat. Owner Tom Stillman said not to expect a big splash signing in free agency.
But when NHL free agency opens at 11 a.m. Monday, the Blues have work to do, and they’ll have the means to do it.
With 10 forwards, seven defensemen and two goaltenders signed and projected on the NHL roster, the Blues need some more forwards and have about $15.5 million available in salary-cap space to get them.
A middle-six center was a need before the Blues traded Kevin Hayes on Saturday, and now it’s a must regardless of the team’s insistence that Pavel Buchnevich can play in the middle. In acquiring Alexandre Texier from Columbus, the Blues traded for a bottom-six winger who can provide depth. They likely could use another depth forward, in case Oskar Sundqvist needs more time to recover from knee surgery or as insurance for the potential growing pains of prospects Zack Bolduc, Zach Dean or Dalibor Dvorsky.
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Would another reunion with David Perron make sense on a short-term deal? The three-time ex-Blue is a free agent again at 36 years old, fresh off a 47-point season with the Red Wings. He could help on the power play, restore some culture and provide leadership on a team that should be integrating more young players.
Would a player such as Jordan Martinook or Sam Steel fit in the bottom six as a forward with a physical edge and a little bit of offense and be willing to accept a short-term deal? The Blues struggled to generate much of a forecheck last season, and Martinook (Carolina) and Steel (Dallas) did so on two of the league’s best teams in 2023-24. Even Connor Brown (Edmonton) was a presence in the playoffs after a lackluster regular season.
A pricier piece such as Sean Monahan or Chandler Stephenson doesn’t line up with the Blues’ timeline because each likely will command a greater term than ºüÀêÊÓƵ should be giving out.
On defense, the Blues could use a shakeup of a defense that has remained the same the past two years, but the team lacks the flexibility to create roster space with Torey Krug, Justin Faulk, Nick Leddy and Colton Parayko signed beyond this season.
Even if the Blues’ free agency moves are on the tamer side, they still should outpace last year’s transactions. In 2023, the Blues signed Mackenzie MacEachern to a two-year, league-minimum contract. They brought in Malcolm Subban to serve as the third goaltender. A few weeks later, they signed Sundqvist to a one-year deal.
Armstrong said before the draft last week that the Blues would allow their pending unrestricted free agents to reach the market, meaning Kasperi Kapanen, Jakub Vrana, Sammy Blais and Marco Scandella are not expected to return.
Monday also is the first day that the Blues are allowed to sign Buchnevich to a contract extension. He is entering the last year of his contract, with a $5.8 million cap hit.
RFA dealings
The Blues extended a qualifying offer to restricted free agents Nikita Alexandrov and Mikhail Abramov before Sunday afternoon’s deadline. They did not qualify minor league forward Keean Washkurak, making him an unrestricted free agent on Monday.
Alexandrov was due a qualifying offer of $874,125 in order to retain his rights. Last season, Alexandrov had two assists in 23 NHL games while he was consistently a healthy scratch as the 13th forward.
Abramov and Washkurak spent all of last season with AHL affiliate Springfield (Massachusetts). Abramov was acquired from Toronto in the Ryan O’Reilly trade, while Washkurak was drafted by the Blues in the fifth round in 2019.
They also re-signed minor league defenseman Hunter Skinner to a one-year, two-way contract. It is worth $775,000 in the NHL and $85,000 in the AHL.
The Blues previously re-signed pending RFAs Matthew Kessel, Hugh McGing, Mathias Laferriere, Colten Ellis and Scott Perunovich. Texier would have become an RFA, but the Blues signed him to an extension immediately after picking him up from Columbus.
Hitting the ice
The Blues’ development camp will begin Monday, featuring two groups of prospects taking the ice at Centene Community Ice Center in Maryland Heights.
The first group is at 10:45 a.m. and the second at 11:45 a.m., with a scrimmage set for 2:30 p.m.