The St. Louis Blues made an impressive run to the playoffs in 2024-25, going on a 12-game winning streak late in the season and securing a playoff spot in their last regular-season game. They had limited cap space heading into the 2025 NHL offseason, but what the team chose not to do may be more important than what they did.
On February 11th, 2025, the Blues were 24-26-5. That placed them 11th in the Western Conference, just one point in front of the Anaheim Ducks. They were also sixth in the Central Division and eight points outside of a playoff spot. On March 13th, they would lose to the Pittsburgh Penguins, falling to 31-28-7, and tied for 10th in the West. They would be just two points outside of the playoffs at that point.
They would then win 12 straight games, starting on March 15th and running through April 5th. St. Louis would then lose three straight on the road, but win at home over the Utah Hockey Club, now known as the Utah Mammoth, clinching the playoffs. The team would then fall in seven games to the Winnipeg Jets.
They needed to improve their defense, while also adding to their forward depth, but were limited in cap space. This led to the speculation that the front office would make some trades.
St. Louis adds depth in free agency
The Blues were 13th in the NHL in goals per game last season, scoring 3.05 goals per contest. Over half of their goals came from their top six forwards, showing a need for depth overall. The team made those moves. First, the front office signed Pius Suter. The Swiss forward is coming off his best season as a professional with the Vancouver Canucks. He lit the lamp 25 times while adding 21 helpers. That gave him a career high of 46 points. It is a total that would have placed him tied for sixth on the Blues in points in 2024-25.
The team also added Nick Bjugstad. He comes in on a two-year contract worth 3.5 million. He is a solid defensive player who can play both on the wing and at the center position. He has shown the ability to be a scoring threat in his career, scoring 22 goals in 2023-24, but his versatility and defense make him a quality signing at a low price for a team with cap restraints. These were not massive moves, but they help stabilize the roster and improve it for 2025-26.
The Blues keep their captain
There was speculation in St. Louis that the front office to make two specific trades. The first was the potential trade of Brayden Schenn. There were rumblings before the trade deadline that the team would trade away its captain. The speculation then ran into the offseason, but one of the best moves that the team made was keeping their captain. The Canadian was the fifth overall pick of the Los Angeles Kings in 2009. He would spend time with the Philadelphia Flyers before being traded to the Blues prior to the 2017-18 campaign.
He was an integral part of the team winning the Stanley Cup in 2019 as well. Further, Schenn has been a consistent presence for the franchise. In his eight seasons with the team, the forward has scored 20 or more goals five times, while amassing 50 or more points six times. This includes 2024-25, when he found the back of the net 18 times and added 32 helpers. Further, 18 of his 50 points came in the final 26 games when the Blues went on their run to the playoffs. While not trading away their captain brings back production and leadership, the best move was not trading away a different player.
The perfect move was the one not made
There were rumors that St. Louis would trade Jordan Kyrou before his no-trade clause kicked in on July 1. Kyrou was the 35th overall pick in the 2016 draft by the Blues. He would make his NHL debut in 2018-19 and has been a consistently solid player for the team. Since 2021-22, he has scored 27 or more goals in each season while also having 67 or more points. In 2024-25, he tallied 36 goals while adding 34 assists, good for 70 points. That placed him first on the team in goals while also second on the team in points. He also led the franchise in plus/minus rating.
He was a major catalyst for the Blues down the stretch. From February 11th through the end of the season, he averaged a point per game. Further, he led the team in goals during that time frame. During the 12-game winning streak that helped bring the Blues to the playoffs, Kyrou lit the lamp nine times, while adding six assists. He also did not take a single penalty and led the team in high-danger chances created. Losing the Canadian forward would mean losing a major reason the team made a run to the playoffs.
St. Louis made some small moves during the summer of 2025, but they should make an impact. This was one of the best teams in the NHL in the last third of the season. They pushed the President's Trophy winners to seven games in the playoffs, and the Jets needed double overtime to finally eliminate them. While big moves get the big headlines, sometimes the best moves are the ones that were not made.
