The St. Louis Blues didn't have many spots up for grabs at the start of 2025 training camp. That was good news for head coach Jim Montgomery, as it meant the culture he was building last season would have most of the same players returning. Montgomery led the Blues on a miraculous run to the playoffs, and nearly upset the Winnipeg Jets if it weren't for a heartbreaking tying goal in the final seconds of Game 7.
One downside of having the roster nearly set in stone is that it takes away the intensity of training camp battles. While some teams are in the middle of roster reconstruction all over the ice, the Blues have 13 forwards on one-way contracts, and Jimmy Snuggerud is likely making the team on his two-way deal. The roster make-up doesn't offer many others the chance to steal a spot.
Justin Carbonneau is one player who is earning a long look, but it might not be in the cards for him in 2025-26. The Blues' first-round pick impressed everyone at the team's rookie camp and also scored the first goal of the preseason last Saturday. If the Blues were in a different position, Carbonneau might be stealing a spot away from someone.
The Blues are pretty set in their top six, which takes Carbonneau out of the running. However, there is a belief that a spot or two could be stolen in the bottom six. It's the reason why Montgomery and general manager Doug Armstrong took a chance on a veteran power forward who hasn't played in a professional game since early in the 2023-24 season.
Milan Lucic attempts a comeback with the Blues
The Boston Bruins gave their fans a dose of nostalgia when they signed Milan Lucic to a contract before the start of their centennial season. While Don Sweeney and then-Bruins head coach Montgomery felt that Lucic could contribute something to the team, most fans believed it was nothing more than a public relations stunt to generate interest in the team's 100th season and give fans something to cheer for.
Public relations stunt or not, the move backfired when Lucic got involved in a domestic violence incident with his wife after playing just four games. The incident led to Lucic entering the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program, and it was the last fans saw of the power forward. The assumption was that Lucic had quietly retired from the NHL to straighten out his personal life and move on.
That was the assumption until this offseason, when rumors began to circulate that Lucic was returning on a professional tryout. Armstrong felt that Lucic was ready for a second chance after a year off from the game.
“We certainly did our due diligence,” Armstrong told reporters via The Hockey News. “I talked to Milan obviously, I talked to his family, I talked to his sponsor, I talked to the league. He's 22 months sober now. There's a lot of things that he does behind the scenes, I'll let him describe.”
While the odds are against Lucic with all the contracted players on the roster, he plays a role that the players he is battling against might not be willing to fill. The Blues lacked toughness in their bottom six last season, and if Lucic is still a willing competitor as he was before his absence, he could steal someone's job.
Who is at risk of losing their job to Lucic?
With the top six being pretty much secure, it's the bottom six that have to be looking over their shoulders at Lucic's presence in the locker room. Players like Nathan Walker, Mathieu Joseph, Alexandre Texier, and Oskar Sundqvist are in danger of being overtaken by the power forward.
Walker signed a new two-year extension shortly before camp, and his desire to make the team has been evident throughout the first week. He is the smallest player on the ice most nights, but his heart is bigger than most of the players in the league. It was evident that he was feeling the heat when he dropped the gloves in the first five minutes of the first period to show off that Lucic wasn't the only enforcer in town.
While the Blues don't expect Walker to be their fighter, he is likely going to nail down a spot anyway, which leaves Joseph or Texier as the forward on the outside looking in if Lucic does make the team. Expect all those players to be getting a heavy dose of playing time in the preseason as Montgomery tries to nail down the final roster.
