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ST. LOUIS - St. Louis Blues President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Doug Armstrong announced today the team has signed forward Alexey Toropchenko to a two-year contract worth an annual average value (AAV) of $1.25 million to avoid arbitration.
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Oskar Sundqvist signs one year deal worth league minimum to reunite with the Blues. Welcome back, Sunny!
Blues are streaming video is the scrimmage at the Prospect Camp on [YouTube](https://stlblues.me/46BTExd)
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The St. Louis Blues selected Dalibor Dvorsky with the 10th overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft. Dalibor Dvorsky Position: Center Height: 6-foot-1 Weight: 200 lbs Shoots: Left Age: 18 Club: AIK (HockeyAllsvenskan) Nationality: 🇸🇰 NHL Central Scouting final ranking: 3rd among European skaters
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Blues acquire Hayes for a 6th-round pick on 2024. Philadelphia is retaining 50% of Hayes' contract. Cap hit will be ~$3.5m
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Steen back with the Blues as a European Player Development Coordinator Love that guy
www.stltoday.com
When the Blues make their selection at No. 10 on Wednesday night in Nashville, general manager Doug Armstrong and his scouting staff will be looking to land a caliber of player previously unreachable by St. Louis in the last 15 years. It will be the team’s highest pick since 2008. It will be Armstrong’s first time selecting in the top 10 of the draft, and in one of the deepest drafts in recent memory. The Blues have been successful while picking late in the first round, and have built much of their extended period of winning on hitting on players drafted in the 20s. But this one is different. The Blues are not hoping for their first-round pick to turn into a regular NHL player. They are hoping for their first-round pick to turn into a star. Who might that be? They Blues would be fortunate if Matvei Michkov (because of his Russian contract and lack of contact with teams) or Zach Benson (size concerns) fell to them at No. 10. In a deep draft for forwards, the Blues could have the top defenseman (David Reinbacher) reach them. If not, they could have their pick of the next group that includes Dmitri Simashev, Axel Sandin-Pellikka and Tom Willander. Some of those scenarios are optimistic. Here are more realistic ones if the first nine picks go a little closer to plan. Oliver Moore: Moore is perhaps the best skater in the draft, a center whose acceleration and edges help him generate offense. He had 75 points in 61 games last season with the United States National Team Development Program and will be attending the University of Minnesota next season, where he’ll play alongside current Blues prospect Jimmy Snuggerud. Moore is originally from a suburb of Minneapolis, and could be the key to forming a speedy one-two punch down the middle with Robert Thomas. Gabriel Perreault: Perreault is coming off a season in which he broke Auston Matthews’ scoring record with the USNTDP by putting up 132 points on 53 goals and 79 assists. It’s not an apples to apples comparison because Perreault was still a year older than Matthews was at the time of his record, but the point remains that Perreault led the USNTDP in points, outscoring other top draft prospects like Will Smith, Ryan Leonard and Moore. Perreault is a winger, and would not fix the Blues’ depth issues at center and defenseman in their prospect pipeline, but would add another element of scoring punch with high hockey IQ. He will go to Boston College next season. Ryan Leonard: Leonard might be more wishful thinking than anything for the Blues at 10, as many projections have him being gone by that point. He formed a potent line with the USNTDP with Smith and Perreault and projects as a center with an above-average shot to go with his hands. Many scouting publications have Leonard gone in the No. 6-8 range, but a name to keep an eye on just in case. Dalibor Dvorsky: Like Leonard, Dvorsky could be gone by the time the Blues make their selection. Dvorsky is a big center at 6-1 and 201 pounds that is originally from Slovakia but has played the last five seasons in Sweden. Next year, he will make the jump to the SHL with IK Oskarshamn. He makes a living in the interior and pairs that with playmaking ability. Dvorsky would fill a need at center, and would do so with some size. Colby Barlow: Out of Owen Sound in the Ontario Hockey League, Barlow has a little bit of everything in his 6-1, 187-pound package. His shot garners a lot of attention, and for good reason after scoring 46 goals in 59 games during his draft year. Barlow’s curl-and-drag release can be deceptive, and he was the youngest captain in Owen Sound history when he wore the “C” last season. Barlow would be the fifth straight winger the Blues have picked in the first round. Nate Danielson: Danielson is an exciting center with two-way potential who created offense off the rush for Brandon in the Western Hockey League. Like Barlow, Danielson is the captain of his junior team, and posted 78 points in 68 games. Quentin Musty: Musty has the pedigree of a top prospect after he was selected first in the OHL draft in 2021, and he is one of the youngest players in this draft that doesn’t turn 18 until July 6. A left winger, Musty has the 6-2 size that could play in the NHL, and possesses a power forward skillset that helped him to 78 points in 53 games with Sudbury last season.
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Elliotte Friedman: "St. Louis has made a lot of noise, haven't done anything major yet. (Source says) you would be foolish to think that they won't be doing something, if Keller becomes available, that's a natural match. There's no way they're sticking with the status quo." 👀
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Put on your navy, royal and gold sunglasses for a second. Allow yourself to escape reality and dig deep into your optimism reserves. Now that you’ve sufficiently entered a state of blissful delirium, consider this: the last time the Blues missed the playoffs, they won the Stanley Cup the very next year. In 2018, they missed the playoffs by one point. In 2019, they lifted the franchise’s first Cup. This time is a little bit different. In finishing with 81 points last season, the Blues submitted their first losing season in 15 years and missed the playoffs by 14 points. Even the grandest optimists would have trouble pushing aside their delusion to think St. Louis is in position to contend for the Cup next season. Count Blues general manager Doug Armstrong among those who understands the differences between the 2018 offseason and this one, which will ramp up as the draft approaches June 28. “We were different-wise in our cap space,” Armstrong said. “We were different-wise in our maturity. We brought in a lot of new faces that year, a lot of new faces and really good players. We had a young player like Robert Thomas that wasn’t supposed to make our team go on a little bit of a run, too. We’re just not as mature as we were then. We’re not built the same way. “In ’19, a lot of people had picked us to be in the Final, win the division, win the Cup. I don’t think anyone’s doing that next year, and it’s not our time. I think we’re going to be competitive. I think we can fool people.” In 2018, Armstrong swung big to change his roster. The Blues traded for Ryan O’Reilly from Buffalo. They brought back David Perron from his one-year stay in Vegas. They signed Tyler Bozak. They allowed Pat Maroon to come home. This summer? Unless big money comes off the books via a trade (Armstrong already ruled out a buyout), the Blues’ big acquisition could come in the form of a third-line center. Throughout the offseason, Armstrong has toed the line publicly in his statements about the Blues. He’s expressed faith in the roster he built, but he also knows how hard it would be to dissemble it given the contracts on the books. He’s said he doesn’t like the long summer or the high draft pick, and he wants a return to the playoffs, but Armstrong also knows his team is “further away” than just adding one piece. He’s talked about the need for better defense, with hope that better performances from veteran blue liners (and the addition of assistant coach Mike Weber) helps solve the problem. Asked in a recent meeting with reporters what attributes he would like to add, Armstrong wanted better defending but also wanted to build a team that could succeed in both of the NHL’s seasons. “It’s also trying to find the balance between being a good regular season team and a good playoff team,” Armstrong said. “You see they’re different animals. I know one thing, we had zero chance to win the Stanley Cup this year because we didn’t make the playoffs. We’ve got to make sure we find a way to get in the tournament.” Florida’s run to the Stanley Cup Final has given teams hope that simply making the playoffs can allow you to become a contender. But the Panthers were a Presidents’ Trophy team that went through injuries and goaltending issues before becoming healthy and squeaking into the playoffs. The Blues are not in that position. In 10 days, the Blues franchise will change — either in the short-term or the long-term. On the first day of the draft in Nashville on June 28, Armstrong could be the most popular man in hockey outside of Connor Bedard. He’s armed with pick Nos. 10, 25 and 29 and previously has shown a penchant for big trades. If the Blues can turn those picks into a young, controllable asset, Armstrong has expressed a desire to do so. If not, the Blues will have to settle for their highest draft pick since 2008, and their most first-round picks since 2007. As for next year, Armstrong simply wants the Blues to get back to their identity, “which is being a good team, being good teammates and playing a strong, structured game.”
Hello Blue Bros. Glad someone finally started a Blues community.