After a 43-33-6 record and fifth-place finish in the Central Division last season, the St. Louis Blues are looking to make the playoffs for the first time in three years.  

Forward Robert Thomas led the way in scoring last season, tallying 60 assists and 86 total points. Center Jordan Kyrou finished with the most goals for the Blues, scoring 31 total. 

Goalie Joel Hofer had the highest save percentage between the two goalies at 0.914 percent.  Jordan Binnington started the majority of games and had the highest win total of the two with 28 wins in 55 games started. All of these players return to the team as they hope consistency leads to success.

“I think we are going to compete for a playoff spot [this year],” said Blues general manager Doug Armstrong in a press conference. “I’m really interested to see how it comes together.”

As a busy Blues offseason comes to an end, here’s how the roster looks heading into the 2024-25 season.

Offense

Last season, the Blues scored 234 goals, ranking No. 24 in the NHL. St. Louis picked up several pieces to increase this tally.

The Blues added former Columbus Blue Jackets forward Alexandre Texier on June 28, trading away a 2025 fourth-round pick. Texier scored 12 goals and 30 total points last season with the Blue Jackets, ranking No. 8 in scoring on Columbus’s roster. After the trade, the Blues signed Texier to a  two-year extension, with an annual value of $2.1 million.

Texier joins a center group that includes Thomas and Kyrou, two of the highest scorers on the Blues last season. Two of Texier’s 12 goals were short-handed, serving as a dangerous option on the penalty kill. This adds to a St. Louis team that scored 11 total short-handed goals, ranking No. 5 in the NHL last year. 

On Aug. 13, St. Louis signed restricted free agent forward Dylan Holloway, the No. 14 overall pick in the 2020 Entry Draft by the Edmonton Oilers. During his time in Edmonton, Holloway recorded nine goals and 18 points over 89 games played. 

Holloway played on the Oilers’ power play unit, scoring one goal on the man advantage last season. Holloway looks to provide a fresh face on a Blues power play squad that finished No. 24 in power play percentage at 18%. 

Early in the offseason, the Blues re-signed forward Kasperi Kapanen to a one-year, $1 million annual value contract. Kapanen finished with 16 assists and 22 total points in 73 games played last season, landing him No. 12 in team scoring. 

Kapanen is beginning his third year with the Blues after being traded from Pittsburgh. He found success on the Blues’ penalty kill unit, scoring one short-handed goal and two short-handed points last season. 

On the same day as that Kapanen was re-signed, the Blues traded for forwards Radek Faksa and Mathieu Joseph. Faksa played for the Dallas Stars, amassing 12 assists and 19 total points in 74 games played. Joseph played for the Ottawa Senators, tallying a career-high 24 assists and 35 total points in 72 games played. Both forwards were traded for future considerations. The Blues added a 2025 third-round draft pick on top of the considerations to acquire Joseph. 

Defense

After finishing No. 20 in goals against per game played, the Blues looked to retool a defense that needs experience and depth. 

St. Louis signed defenseman Ryan Suter, who’s played 19 seasons in the NHL across three teams before joining the Blues. 

Suter adds 1,444 regular season games worth of experience to a young St. Louis defense. In his career, Suter has tallied 681 points, 105 goals and 576 assists. He most recently played with the Dallas Stars, finishing with 15 assists and 17 total points in 82 games played. 

Philip Broberg will join Suter as a defenseman for the Blues. The 23-year-old was a restricted free agent out of Edmonton before signing a two-year $9.16 million contract.

On top of Suter and Broberg, the Blues signed defenseman Pierre-Olivier Joseph after tallying nine assists and 11 points in 52 games played last season. With the acquisition of Mathieu Joseph, the signing allows the brothers to play together for the first time in their careers. 

Ahead of the season, the Blues placed defenseman Torey Krug on injured reserve. Krug put up 35 assists and 39 total points last season, playing in his 13th season in the NHL. He was the highest-scoring defenseman for the Blues last year. 

With Krug on the injured reserve, defensemen Nick Leddy and Justin Faulk have to take on a heavier role. Faulk and Leddy were ranked No. 2 and 3 on Blues defensemen, scoring 30 and 28 points respectively. Fellow defenseman and assistant captain Colton Parayko is looking to bounce back in scoring after recording 26 total points last season, the lowest in his career. 

Goalies

Binnington ranked No. 10 in goalie wins last year with 28 in 55 starts. He has been the Blues starting goalie for five seasons prior to the new season, starting in 273 games and winning 145. Last season, Binnington amassed a 0.913 save percentage and a 2.84 goals-against average. Fans have seen incredible highs from Binnington, with a 0.927 save percentage in the 2018-19 season. 

He’s projected to be backed up by Hofer, who finished his first full season as the Blues backup goalie. Hofer started in 27 games and won 15 games. He tallied a 0.914 save percentage and a 2.65 goals-against average over the season. 

With both goalies returning for a new season, not much has changed in the crease for the Blues. Hofer’s looking to follow up his first full season in the league with more success, following in the footsteps of Binnington.

Overall Expectations

With plenty of new firepower on the offense and new faces on the blue line, St. Louis is looking to give the Central Division a run for its money. 

The Blues began their season against the Kraken in a 3-2 win. 

They begin home play against the Minnesota Wild at 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 15, at the Enterprise Center.

Edited by Dylan Heinrich | dheinrich@themaneater.com 

Copyedited by Amelia Schaefer and Natalie Kientzy | nkientzy@themaneater.com 

Edited by Annie Goodykoontz | agoodykoontz@themaneater.com