Offseason review: St. Louis Blues get aggressive to try and return to form

The aforementioned Pavel Buchnevich scored 27 goals and 63 points, but more on him in a bit. Brayden Schenn scored 20 goals and 46 points, while Brandon Saad scored 26 goals and 42 points. Torey Krug was their highest-scoring defenceman potting four goals and 39 points in 77 games.

St. Louis’ breakout star of the season was Jake Neighbours, who scored 27 goals and 38 points in 77 games. The 22-year-old winger was selected 26th overall in the 2020 draft and became a regular for the Blues.

Defensively, it was a solid core that also featured Justin Faulk, Nick Leddy, and Colton Parayko, with all three defencemen hitting the 25+ point marker. Parayko also managed to score 10 goals. Kevin Hayes, who the Blues acquired before the start of the 2023-24 season, scored 13 goals and 29 points.

Off-Season Transactions

During the 2023 off-season, the Blues didn’t make a whole lot of moves. There were no notable signings, and their only trade was acquiring Kevin Hayes with the Philadelphia Flyers taking back some cash.

The 2024 off-season has been the complete opposite. Hayes was flipped to the Pittsburgh Penguins (along with a 2025 second-rounder) for future considerations, giving them $3.571 million in cap space, a common trend for the Blues. Days prior, they acquired 24-year-old Frenchman Alexandre Texier from the Blue Jackets in exchange for a 2025 fourth-round pick. Last season, Texier scored 12 goals and 30 points in 78 games.

Another notable move from the Blues saw them acquire Radek Faska from the Dallas Stars for future considerations, taking on the entirety of his $3.25 million deal. Last season, Faska scored seven goals and 19 points, but has hit the 30+ point plateau three different times and hits double-digit goals on occasion.

On the same day as the Faska trade, the Blues acquired Mathieu Joseph and a 2025 third-round pick from the Ottawa Senators in exchange for future considerations. In mid-August, they also traded a 2025 second-round and a 2026 fifth-round pick from the Pittsburgh Penguins for a 2026 second-round pick and a 2025 third-round. This was for another move we’ll get to later.

They made a notable re-signing, giving Pavel Buchnevich a six-year, $48 million deal worth $8 million a season that’ll kick in after the 2024-25 season is over. Kasperi Kapanen also re-signed to a one-year, $1 million deal.

Mathieu Joseph’s brother, Pierre-Olivier Joseph, agreed to a one-year deal worth $950,000, while veteran Ryan Suter signed a one-year, $775,000 deal. Both players are defencemen, which is needed as Torey Krug’s future is in question thanks to an ankle injury.

Remember the trade with Pittsburgh? Remember the interest in the Edmonton Oilers’ Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg? Well, it all came together as the Blues offer sheeted Holloway with a two-year, $2.29 million deal, while Broberg was offer sheeted to a two-year, $4.58 million deal. Both players accepted, and the Oilers have until Aug. 20 to match or let one or both players walk. If the Oilers don’t accept the offer sheets, the Oilers will get a 2025 second-round pick in compensation for Broberg, and/or a 2025 third-round pick for Holloway.

There were some depth departures as well. Adam Gaudette signed with the Ottawa Senators while Calle Rosen signed with the Colorado Avalanche. Overall, it was an incredibly busy off-season for the Blues, and who knows what will happen with those two offer sheets.