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Dylan Holloway, St. Louis Blues (Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers)

St. Louis Blues’ Goals for 2025 Offseason

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers
By Anthony Testaguzza | Last updated May 13, 2025 10:35 AM ET

The St. Louis Blues have a lot of work to do this offseason, and the 2025 NHL Draft would be a great start to figure out where they need to adjust their game and prepare for next season. This season was a step forward for them, and they should be impressed that they made the playoffs and pushed the Presidents’ Trophy winners to Game 7 in the first round; however, they can also use that to see where their gaps were and strive to improve them. There is also free agency, which happens on July 1, an excellent opportunity for the Blues to trade for or sign players. Here are the goals the Blues should strive for this offseason.

Draft Another Right-Handed Defenseman

Last offseason, the Blues selected 16th overall in the first round of the 2024 NHL Draft, in which they selected right-handed defenseman Adam Jiricek, brother of Minnesota Wild defenseman David Jiricek. This year, the Blues will draft 19th overall, which is still a good spot to find some quality players. Most importantly, the target in this draft should be a repeat of last year: to get another right-handed defenseman in the first round. The Blues need one more right-handed defenseman in their system to balance out their defensive core.

Of course, solid right-handed defensemen are tough to come by, and finding one in this draft with the 19th pick is going to be difficult, but there is one player who fits the category that the Blues could pick: Blake Fiddler. In a previous article about three players the Blues could draft, I mentioned Fiddler as one of three candidates, and that is because he is also a great shutdown defenseman who knows how to play physical.

Fiddler would be a great player in the future, considering the Blues look like they want to be consistent playoff contenders. This means they will need a lot more physicality defensively. Fiddler would also join Theo Lindstein and Jiricek as the only defensemen selected in the first round out of all their prospects right now.

Blues Must Keep the Top Two Forward Lines

The Blues’ offense improved tremendously in the 2024-25 season, and that is because of their first and second-line forwards. They have Jordan Kyrou, Robert Thomas, and Pavel Buchnevich on their first forward line. While on the second line, they have Jake Neighbours, Brayden Schenn, and Dylan Holloway. However, since Holloway was out with a lower-body injury near the end of the regular season in April, rookie forward Jimmy Snuggerud has supplemented that role very well in his debut season.

The Blues look like they have more than what they need on offense, which will force them to put one of those top-line players on the third line. This shows that they have a lot of depth in the forward group. In 2023-24, they finished the season with only three forwards recording over 50 points: Thomas, Kyrou, and Buchnevich. After 2024-25, they have two more players who recorded 50 or more points in Schenn and Holloway, giving the Blues five major point producers to work with. The acquisition of Holloway was a great move by general manager Doug Armstrong, and it caught everyone by surprise because Holloway couldn’t even get over 10 points a season with the Edmonton Oilers, let alone over 50.

Now that Snuggerud is also here, that could give the Blues a sixth forward option if he blows up next season. If that happens, this Blues team will be scary. They also have Zachary Bolduc, who quietly scored 19 goals this season, and he still has his whole career ahead of him to keep improving. The Blues must keep this core group of forwards because it will keep them as playoff contenders.

Blues Must Re-Sign Crucial Pieces to Their Roster

The Blues are about to lose two crucial players from their roster this offseason: goaltender Joel Hofer and forward Radek Faksa. Hofer will be an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent (RFA), meaning he will have to go through the arbitration process to see what he is valued at by the Blues based on his performance if they choose to extend him. Faksa, on the other hand, will be an unrestricted free agent and have a chance to test the market.

After their 2024-25 season result, the Blues should re-sign both these players as they are valuable in their roles. Hofer has proven he can be a great backup to starter Jordan Binnington, posting a record of 28-16-18, a .904 save percentage (SV%), a 2.64 goals-against average (GAA), and a shutout through 31 games played. This is also his third straight season of having an over .900 SV%.

Faksa is a valuable asset to the Blues because he brings physicality to their bottom forward lines and deep playoff experience overall. Before going to the Blues, Faksa played for the Dallas Stars, where he was able to win the Central Division with them twice (2015-16 and 2023-24) and make a Stanley Cup Final appearance once. Overall, Faksa’s veteran experience is something the Blues will need if they contend for the playoffs consistently and to help with the development process of their up-and-coming rookie forwards like Snuggerud, Bolduc, and Dalibor Dvorsky.

Success Will Reach the Blues if They Stick to Their Goals

Last offseason, the Blues seemed to have the goal of making the playoffs, so they took a chance on players like Holloway and Philip Broberg by giving an offer sheet to the Oilers to acquire them. It worked out well because now they have a team that made the playoffs and went deep into the first round. If the Blues follow the goals listed above, they will have success next season and will be a lot better. They are entering a new phase for the team, meaning they will now have to build like a contender by drafting quality players late in the first round, keeping their reliable top-line forwards, and bringing back major pieces due for a new contract.