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The St Louis Blues lost to the Winnipeg Jets in Game 7 of their Stanley Cup Playoffs series. After they fired Drew Bannister and hired Jim Montgomery, they took off. A 12-game winning streak down the stretch got them into the playoffs, and they almost upset the Presidents' Trophy winners. The Blues should make some trades this offseason to improve their defense, and this summer is the time to do it. Who should they ship out to make room for improvements?
The Blues have already allocated more money to the 2025-26 forward core than they did in 2024-25. That is mostly because Pavel Buchnevich signed a six-year extension paying him $8 million per year, a $2.2 million pay raise. Their aging defensive core does not have enough expiring contracts to just solve that problem through free agency. They need to ship players out of town, and Doug Armstrong can cement his legacy by doing it this year.
Who should the Blues trade? And how can they replace those players through other trades or free agency?
Nick Leddy could be a solid trade piece
The Blues traded for Nick Leddy at the 2022 NHL trade deadline and signed him to a four-year extension that offseason. That deal is ending after the 2025-26 season, and the trade protection is lessening this offseason. He has been solid but is slowing down as he enters his 30s. In his prime with the Islanders, he relied on his speed, which Father Time is taking away slowly.
That does not mean that a team trying to take a leap cannot benefit from having Leddy on their team. He can be a veteran presence on a young contender like the Senators or Canadiens. But the Blues already have Colton Parayko and Cam Fowler, who can fill that role. Too many of these older defensemen can prevent prospects from taking a step up or a big offseason acquisitions. Leddy is not the only defenseman that the Blues should trade.
The Blues must move on from Justin Faulk
The Blues traded for defenseman Justin Faulk from the Carolina Hurricanes before the 2019 season. They immediately gave him a seven-year contract laced with trade protection. Now, at 32 years old, his returns are diminishing, and his trade protection is too. Armstrong must find a team that can take on Faulk's entire $6.5 million salary, even if they don't get much back.
Faulk could be a solid defenseman on another team who has a bona fide top pair locked in. A team like Colorado, trying to replace Ryan Lindgren, or the Rangers, also trying to replace Ryan Lindgren, could be a nice fit. But the Blues do not have that elite top pair, putting Faulk out of position and allowing him to be exposed by top lines.
Trading Faulk should be one of the moves, along with trading Leddy, to make their defensive core younger. They would then have to go out in free agency and add players like Noah Dobson, Bowen Byram, or K'Andre Miller, who are all restricted free agents. But considering the Blues signed two offer sheets last offseason, that can't be ruled out.
The captain gets moved
Before the Blues went on their historic winning streak, many assumed they would be sellers at the trade deadline. They did not trade away anybody, but there were a lot of rumors surrounding captain Brayden Schenn. This offseason, they will do that to clear cap space and open up a spot in their top six.
If hockey fans can take anything from their 2024 offseason, it is that the Blues are going to put out an offer sheet. They snagged Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway from the Oilers and would not have made the playoffs without them. To rack up the salary cap space and roster space to make another move like that, they should trade Schenn.
Armstrong will be retiring after the 2025-26 season and passing the general manager role to Alexander Steen. He should set up the former player with the best possible roster, stocked full of solid players and draft picks. Trading Faulk, Leddy, and Schenn gives them a fresh slate with an elite coach to build a sustainable contender in the Western Conference.
