How the Blues can pull off a perfect offseason, in 5 steps

ST. LOUIS — With the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Final on Tuesday, it's time for the St. Louis Blues to become more than spectators.
The NHL Draft is just more than a week away (June 27 and 28), and free agency and development camp will be the following week.
The Blues have the No. 19 pick in the first round, and when I was asked by The Athletic recently to project who the club might pick, I chose University of Wisconsin right-shot defenseman Logan Hensler.
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As far as free agency, the Blues have approximately $5.5 million in salary-cap space for the 2025-26 season, according to PuckPedia, but that number will grow when they place injured defenseman Torey Krug on long-term injured reserve (LTIR).
And if we're talking trades, few can predict what general manager Doug Armstrong will have up his sleeve this summer.
But that's what makes it fun: imagining the scenarios. Let's start by laying out what a perfect Blues offseason looks like — but before you get too excited, just know that the nightmare version is coming Friday.
Wanting to make moves for the future and remain competitive now, it makes sense that the Blues wind up in the middle of the first round — and for the second consecutive year, that's where they are.
In 2024, the Blues had the No. 16 pick and went with defenseman Adam Jiricek, who's had an injury-riddled couple of seasons. This year, they have the No. 19 pick, and as I mentioned, I went with Hensler in The Athletic's beat writer mock draft. I debated taking Kitchener Rangers defenseman Cameron Reid, who colleague Corey Pronman selected for the Blues when he did his mock draft.
But even though Pronman and I both have the Blues calling out the name of a defenseman with their first-round pick, that doesn't mean it's their biggest need. Pronman has the center position more pressing. So don't rule out the possibility of centers Jack Nesbitt (Windsor), Cole Reschny (Victoria) or Braeden Cootes (Seattle). And Nesbitt, especially, at 6-foot-4, 185 pounds, would be a nice land.
The winner of the Conn Smythe Award as the NHL's playoff MVP, Sam Bennett is going to be able to write his own price tag in free agency, and by many accounts, he wants to return to the Panthers.
Some Blues fans may not be too upset by that, because Bennett will turn 29 years old Friday, and after scoring 15 goals in 23 playoff games, he could get a long-term deal with a cap hit of $9 million-plus. That may be an overpayment for a player who's certainly contributed to the Panthers' success but also benefited from the talent around him.
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This article is part constructive and part fantasyland, though, so if we're going to wish for the Blues to come away this summer with the best available player at the position they need the most help, it probably has to be Bennett.
To be clear, Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg each have one more season left on the two-year deals they signed with the Blues when the team lured them away from the Edmonton Oilers with a pair of shocking offer sheets last summer.
They are eligible to sign extensions on July 1, though, and while it's not imperative that they're signed this summer, it sure would make fans more comfortable to know they're locked up long-term. Both are 23 years old and will be restricted free agents next summer, so the team would still retain their rights.
I was a bit surprised when The Athletic conducted its Blues fan survey recently and a majority of the 1,800 responses wanted four-year extensions for both Holloway and Broberg. Perhaps I'm too excited about what I saw, but I'd be willing to give them each eight years, and I'd do it this summer before the possibility of them increasing their value in 2025-26.
Cam Fowler, 33, has one more season left on his contract, and like Broberg and Holloway, is eligible to sign an extension on July 1. He's been a perfect fit on the top pair with Colton Parayko, which is perhaps why Parayko had a career year in 2024-25.
A two-year extension for Fowler may be more ideal, but for a couple of reasons, I agree with 47.3 percent of those in the survey who selected a three-year deal. The Blues may be able to get a lower cap hit by giving him more term, and even if he drops off by the third year, his skating ability makes it hard to believe that he won't be able to contribute, even if it's not in the top four.
The Blues have some defensive prospects in the system like Jiricek, Lukas Fischer and Theo Lindstein, who have promising futures, but that future is a few years away. So in the meantime, a player with Fowler's experience is extremely valuable.
I don't want to pile on Leddy, and I know there are many fans who would trade Justin Faulk before him. But Leddy is down to just one more year left on his contract, and with a $4 million cap hit, that may be more feasible to move than the remaining two years and $6.5 million cap hit for Faulk.
Either way, the Blues need to clear out a defenseman and add more toughness to a blue line that's been severely lacking it for years. Tyler Tucker needs to be a regular in the top six — not sitting at the expense of a vanilla veteran.
While the Blues may not be in the market for Florida's Aaron Ekblad in free agency, there are a few defensemen available who could fit the description of what they need, and they could also look for one in a trade.
(Top photo of Brayden Schenn and Sam Bennett: Jasen Vinlove / USA Today)

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