It’s the dull part of the offseason in the NHL as free agency and the draft have already concluded. The St. Louis Blues are likely done with significant moves this offseason but I would never say never.
If the Blues are done making moves this offseason, I view it as a mild success. They have been unable to move a large contract from their blue line, which takes them down a notch in terms of success. Blues general manager Doug Armstrong believes this team can bounce back and I think they will in some ways, but they are still far away from being a true Stanley Cup contender and there wasn’t much he could do to change that this offseason.
Toropchenko Re-Signs on Two-Year Deal
Before heading to arbitration, the Blues and Alexey Toropchenko reached an agreement on a two-year deal with an average annual value (AAV) of $1.25 million. This is a fantastic deal for both sides as they avoided arbitration and got a deal done that extends into the 2024-25 season; both the salary cap hit and two-year term are terrific for the Blues. Toropchenko’s role as a fourth-line winger over the past two seasons has been enormous.
In 69 games last season, Toropchenko had 10 goals and nine assists for 19 points while racking up 122 hits. He was also in the minority of Blues players with a positive plus/minus of plus-6. His value as a fourth-liner is as high as anyone on the Blues roster right now and that won’t change over the next two seasons. He has a rare combination of size and speed that head coach Craig Berube favors a great deal.
Sundqvist Can Help Blues Improve Their Penalty Kill
Although Oskar Sundqvist has struggled since a torn ACL in 2020-21 and subsequent trade to the Detroit Red Wings in 2022, he can be quite valuable for the Blues in 2023-24. He is clearly motivated to play in St. Louis again after taking a team-friendly deal at $775,000 for one season. He showed flashes of returning to form with the Minnesota Wild last season in the final 15 games of the season with seven points and 22 hits.
One area where Sundqvist can help the Blues is the penalty kill, which is an area where they struggled mightily last season. They had the third-worst penalty kill in the league last season at 72.4 percent, behind only the Vancouver Canucks and Anaheim Ducks. They need vast improvement in this area of the game and Sundqvist can help bring that with his previous experience.
Related: Blues Signing of Sundqvist Marks Return of a Fan Favorite
In his first stint with the Blues, Sundqvist was a big part of the penalty kill unit and had four shorthanded points in the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons. The Blues finished within the top 20 of the NHL in penalty-killing in all five seasons with Sundqvist on the roster. All in all, adding a defensively responsible forward like Sundqvist should help the Blues’ penalty kill in 2023-24.
Blues Current Lineup Projection
The Blues’ lineup on opening night this season will be similar to the lineup that they finished the 2022-23 season with. Only a couple of additions and very few subtractions have taken place this offseason as they added Sundqvist, Mackenzie MacEachern, and Kevin Hayes while losing Thomas Greiss.
A lot of the lines and pairings are interchangeable, so I expect Berube to try a litany of combinations throughout the first few weeks of the season. Here’s how I would set the lineup as they currently stand.
| Pavel Buchnevich | Robert Thomas | Jordan Kyrou |
| Jakub Vrana | Bradyen Schenn | Kasperi Kapanen |
| Brandon Saad | Kevin Hayes | Sammy Blais |
| Jake Neighbours | Oskar Sundqvist | Alexey Toropchenko |
This is the best possible combination for the Blues’ top-six with Pavel Buchnevich and Jordan Kyrou playing alongside Robert Thomas. This would also make for a heavy bottom-six with big hitters like Toropchenko and Sammy Blais. This is a forward group that could carry them into playoff contention. I expect extra forward options to be MacEachern, Nikita Alexandrov, and Nathan Walker.
| Nick Leddy | Colton Parayko |
| Torey Krug | Justin Faulk |
| Scott Perunovich | Robert Bortuzzo |
This is a tough blue line to work with for new assistant coach Mike Weber, but it is a group full of veterans. Based on recent performance, the left side in this projection is one of the worst in the NHL. They’ll hope for bouncebacks from several blueliners this season. Other options that could get playing time on the blue line are Marco Scandella, Calle Rosen, and Tyler Tucker.
| Jordan Binnington |
| Joel Hofer |
I’m curious to see how Joel Hofer develops into the full-time backup role with the opportunity to get a lot of starts behind Jordan Binnington. Both goaltenders will be forced to deal with a below-average blue line in front of them, so the Blues will ask a lot of these guys throughout the season.
Important Dates for Blues Ahead
- September: Training camp
- Sept. 23: Preseason games begin
- Oct. 12: Season opener vs. the Dallas Stars
The Blues wrapped up their prospect camp on July 4, so the next month will likely be quiet leading up to training camp. I assume training camp will take place in early-to-mid September before the preseason begins. The Blues have plenty of on-ice work to do before the regular season begins in October as they look to bounce back from a tough 2022-23 season.