Three members of the Blues will continue playing this month as part of Team Canada in the upcoming World Championship.
Defenseman Colton Parayko, and goaltenders Jordan Binnington and Joel Hofer will all represent their country in Czechia in the tournament that runs from May 10-26. Blues general manager Doug Armstrong oversees Hockey Canada’s management group for the tournament, and Rick Nash serves as the general manager for the team at the Worlds.
Binnington could potentially be auditioning for the starting goaltending role for his country with the 4 Nations Face-Off coming up in the spring of 2025 and the Olympics the year after that. Binnington was second among Canadian-born goalies this season with 28 wins and put together an outstanding season with a .913 save percentage and 2.84 goals against average.
Playing in the World Championship is Binnington’s first chance since the 2013 World Juniors to represent his country.
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Binnington would likely be battling with Edmonton’s Stuart Skinner and Vegas’ Adin Hill for the Canadian crease in the future, and both players are still in the NHL playoffs currently. Cam Talbot (Los Angeles), Logan Thompson (Vegas), Connor Ingram (Arizona) and Sam Montembeault (Montreal) could also be on the radar.
Hofer also could enter the conversation down the line. He just finished his first full season in the NHL with a .913 save percentage and 2.65 GAA. He led all rookie goalies in save percentage (minimum 20 games), was second in GAA and second in goals saved above expected, according to MoneyPuck’s model.
Parayko completed a bounceback season with the Blues after a down 2022-23 season, reverting to his top-pair form capable of transitioning pucks out of his own zone and absorbing tough matchups from opposing teams. The 6-foot-6, right-handed defenseman could fill a shutdown and penalty killing role at future tournaments for Canada.
Parayko previously competed for Canada at the World Championship in 2017 and 2018.
Last year, three Blues also played for Canada, as Hofer, Jake Neighbours and Sammy Blais were all selected and eventually won gold. Armstrong and Blues director of player personnel Tim Taylor were also involved with the team.
Blues forwards Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou likely would have been options for Hockey Canada, but they are not eligible to play in IIHF tournaments because they played on the 2018 Canadian World Junior team. Five members of that team have been charged with sexual assault stemming from an investigation in London, Ontario.
Thomas and Kyrou are expected to be eligible to play in the 4 Nations Face-Off, though, since it is an NHL-run event.
The Blues selected Stenberg with the 25th pick (acquired from Toronto in the Ryan O’Reilly trade) last year, and the team has signed all three of their first-rounders from 2023.
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Pavel Buchnevich said he would welcome talks with the Blues, particularly after trade rumors around the deadline when he was perhaps one of the top wingers on the market.