Blues' top offseason priority? Center options? Match a Joel Hofer offer sheet? Mailbag, part 1

New York Times

21-05-2025

ST. LOUIS — Considering how aggressive the St. Louis Blues were in making moves in 2024-25, you can picture general manager Doug Armstrong champing at the bit to get his follow-up offseason officially underway.
Not that Armstrong would've sat on his hands if the Blues had missed the playoffs, but as he noted at his end-of-season news conference, the team's performance down the stretch has raised expectations and, he said, 'Now it's how quickly do we move up and continue to expand?'
Advertisement
That certainly gives this offseason more intrigue.
There's always something unexpected when Armstrong is working behind the scenes, and we'll find out what that could be in the coming months.
Of course, fans already have their own ideas for how it should go. In The Athletic's latest call for Blues mailbag questions, subscribers seemed to have bigger ambitions for the possibilities than if St. Louis had missed the postseason for the third straight year.
Let's see just how ambitious — and how realistic — the landscape is, in Part 1.
(Note: Some questions have been lightly edited for length and clarity.)
What do you think Armstrong's two biggest offseason moves will be? And if they happen, do you think they'll make the Blues a legitimate Stanley Cup contender? — Michael B.
For me, the two areas that need to be addressed are center and right-side defense.
Let's start with center, where most of the talk is about the Blues needing a No. 2. I can understand that. It was a pretty good season for Brayden Schenn, who had a lot of chemistry with Dylan Holloway and Jordan Kyrou, but he'll turn 34 in August, and there's no guarantee he won't regress.
But to me, this is more about the overall situation at center. The Blues got 50 points from Schenn and 20 from Oskar Sundqvist, so a combined 70 points from their Nos. 2 and 3 centers. For comparison, the Dallas Stars got 153 points from Matt Duchene (82) and Wyatt Johnston (71). Granted, the Stars are the favorite to win the Stanley Cup this season, but that's a big discrepancy.
So yes, the Blues could serve themselves well by picking up a No. 2 center with more scoring potential. If they did, Schenn could be No. 3, the depth up the middle would be vastly improved, and prospect Dalibor Dvorsky would have more time to develop.
This is where the heightened expectations can change things because, in a perfect world, Schenn could hold down the fort until Dvorsky can be No. 2, assuming he's capable. But with the Blues believing they can be more competitive sooner, they might feel the need to upgrade now and not wait for Dvorsky to be that guy. Either way, they need to find some help at the position this offseason.
Advertisement
Now let's look at the right-side defense.
Can the Blues find a taker for Justin Faulk and a replacement? Faulk is 33 and has two more seasons left on his contract, which has a $6.5 million average annual value. He has a full no-trade clause, but that changes to a modified NTC on July 1, when he'll have a 15-team NTC. The trade protection won't matter, though, if there aren't any takers for a defenseman whose offense has nosedived over the past two seasons.
If there's no trade partner, the Blues might have to keep rolling with Faulk, barring a buyout, which doesn't seem likely.
As for the last part of your question — could they be a Stanley Cup contender if they make these moves? — it depends on who they get. If it's the Florida Panthers' Sam Bennett and Aaron Ekblad, then yeah. But we'll have to see what Armstrong comes up with to know how high it raises the ceiling.
So what's the bigger priority: second-line center for Holloway and Kyrou or a top-four defenseman for Philip Broberg? — Patrick H.
I'd say center depth. That move would have a more dramatic impact on the team's success.
Armstrong mentioned his desire for a 200-foot forward. Any thoughts on who that might be and how that fits into our salary cap? — Chuck B.
Let's operate under two assumptions:
1. The Toronto Maple Leafs' Mitch Marner would be too rich for the Blues' blood at a projected $13 million to $14 million AAV.
2. Center, not wing, is the focus.
If those are the assumptions, then Bennett, a pending UFA, would be attractive. He doesn't bring more offense than Schenn, and his defensive numbers aren't overly impressive, but he plays a hard style and contributes at both ends.
He'll be 29 in June, and the projection for his next contract (if with another team) is seven years at a $7.55 million AAV, according to Evolving-Hockey. That might be too much term for the Blues, but they'd be getting a player who has won recently with the Panthers and would make them more competitive now.
Advertisement
Who could the Blues target as a second-line center, aside from Bennett? — Shawn F.
The Leafs' John Tavares turns 35 in September, so he doesn't fit the Blues' preferred age bracket, but he did have 38 goals and 74 points this season, and going back to what I noted earlier, you're adding depth and giving Dvorsky time to develop.
That said, The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun was at the Maple Leafs' end-of-season news availabilities Tuesday and reported that Tavares, a pending UFA, is 'optimistic' about returning to Toronto. His projected next contract (if with another team) would be a four-year deal with a $7.89 million AAV.
John Tavares says he spoke with Leafs GM Brad Treliving today and he's optimistic that maybe he will be back perhaps. But obviously none of that is for sure at this point.
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) May 20, 2025
What about the Colorado Avalanche's Brock Nelson? — Gerald J.
Nelson wouldn't be the worst option. He'll turn 34 in October, so again, he's a bit older. The issue with Nelson is his consistency. The Avs gave up Calum Ritchie, one of their top prospects, to get Nelson in a trade from the New York Islanders, and he had no goals and four assists in their first-round playoff loss to the Stars.
Are any centers available via trade? — Matt S.
This is always a hard type of question to answer because you don't know who's available, but names such as Ryan O'Reilly (Nashville Predators), Shane Pinto (Ottawa Senators), Marco Rossi (Minnesota Wild) and Elias Pettersson (Vancouver Canucks) have been mentioned. With one or two of those players, I doubt their current club would actually trade them, and with others — Pettersson, cough, cough — run!
Any chance the Blues bring in Brad Marchand in the offseason? — Evan R.
I'll leave this one for subscribers in the comment section.
What trade package would you accept for Kyrou? — Jackierosemunro
If I'm trading Kyrou, I want proven offense in return. In the past three seasons, he's tied for 21st in the NHL in goals (104) and tied for 47th in points (210).
Martin Necas is the type of player the Blues would have taken in return for Kyrou before Necas was traded from the Carolina Hurricanes to Colorado in the Mikko Rantanen deal. Necas hasn't come close to matching Kyrou's goal totals, so they would probably want more than someone like him, and I wouldn't blame them.
Say what you want about Kyrou, but if I'm the Blues, I want an equally productive offensive player or someone close and a draft pick(s).
Unpopular opinion: The Blues should be looking to trade Dvorsky, not Kyrou. A trade for a second-line center fits their window better, and it would unlock Kyrou and Holloway. Agree? — Jack M.
Just because you don't trade Kyrou doesn't mean you have to trade Dvorsky. Just like when the Blues drafted Robert Thomas in 2017, they brought in Ryan O'Reilly in 2018 and allowed Thomas to put in the work before he got his time to shine at center.
The Blues have a lot of valuable pieces at forward with Dvorsky, Jake Neighbours, Zack Bolduc, Jimmy Snuggerud, Otto Stenberg, Juraj Pekarcik, Adam Jecho, Aleksanteri Kaskimaki, Jakub Stancl, Ondrej Kos and others. Do you envision Armstrong dealing a few of those pieces for an impact player? — Alexander M.
Perhaps, but outside of Neighbours and Bolduc, I don't know who in that group would yield an impact player at this point. With Snuggerud and Dvorsky still unproven, how good is the player coming back?
Advertisement
Yes, you have to consider moving one or more of them because they can't all play in St. Louis, and at some point, the shine may wear off. But unless a trade for Neighbours or Bolduc is a no-brainer, I'm holding on to this group of players for now because their potential, with the prospects specifically, is worth more to the Blues than what they can get in a deal.
Would you entertain trading for the New Jersey Devils' Simon Nemec or the Los Angeles Kings' Brandt Clarke, even if you had to trade Neighbours or Bolduc? — Todd H.
So now you have to put me on the spot! I really like Neighbours and think he could be a captain one day. I envision him being part of the Blues' success in the future. I really like Bolduc, too. I think he has arguably the best shot on the team (haven't watched enough of Snuggerud yet to see if his will be even better), and likewise, he can be a big part.
But if you can get one of these two young right-shot defensemen — Nemec, 21, the No. 2 pick in 2022, and Clarke, 22, the No. 8 pick in 2021 — you have to do it. I don't know if New Jersey or L.A. would make these deals, but if they would, it would be hard for the Blues to pass up on one of those two defensemen.
Could you provide a prospect depth chart for the Blues defense? Who's next in line for a call-up, and did anyone rise or fall last season? — Tom K.
Blues returners: Broberg, Faulk, Colton Parayko, Cam Fowler, Nick Leddy, Tyler Tucker and Matthew Kessel.
AHL Springfield: Corey Schueneman, Leo Lööf, Michael Buchinger, Lukas Fischer and Marc-Andre Gaudet.
In the system: Adam Jiricek, Theo Lindstein, Colin Ralph, Quinton Burns, Arseni Koromyslov, Matthew Mayich and William McIsaac.
As far as call-ups, Schueneman would likely be No. 1. Regarding any rising stock, probably Fischer, who had a great season with OHL Sarnia. And any fallen stock, Jiricek, just because of the number of games he missed with OHL Brantford due to injury.
Advertisement
Should the team explore trading the rights to Torey Krug to a team that needs to reach the lower threshold of the salary cap? — Ron H.
It's a fair question because if a team is willing to pay Krug's salary, why wouldn't you do it? However, if he's unable to play again, he'll remain on long-term injured reserve (LTIR) and his $6.5 million AAV won't count against the salary cap. Additionally, insurance will help offset his actual cash salary in '25-26 ($6 million), so the situation is not much skin off the Blues' back.
What's your limit on Joel Hofer if someone offer-sheets him? Around $2.2 million? — G.R.
If Hofer is unsigned by July 1 and becomes an RFA, an offer sheet is a possibility, but let's keep the compensation figures in mind when deciding whether to match. Let's use your number of $2.2 million. According to this year's recently released compensation, if Hofer were signed to that salary by another team, the Blues would receive a third-round draft pick. If it's $2.34 million or higher, it's a second-rounder.
I don't believe a second-rounder is worth losing a potential future starter in Hofer, 24, who in 63 starts has a record of 35-22-5 and a .908 save percentage. His progression chart lines up with the final two years of Jordan Binnington's contract, so I'd hang on to Hofer up to any reasonable amount, and I don't think that'll be an issue because, although he has played well, it's not enough of a resume to break the bank.
(Top photo of Torey Krug, Justin Faulk, Sam Bennett and Joel Hofer: Jasen Vinlove / Imagn Images)