With a new season fast approaching, the St. Louis Blues roster appears set. However, recent moves have created uncertain futures for some players.
New Arrivals Have Changed Things
It has been a busy off-season for the Blues. The team has done many things that they had hoped to do. They were able to clear cap space by trading Kevin Hayes. Additional forward and defensive depth was added via trades and free agent signings. Furthermore, the Blues were able to re-sign star forward Pavel Buchnevich.
However, the biggest and definitely the boldest move the Blues made was tendering offer sheets to Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg. Once the Edmonton Oilers chose to not match the offers, the Blues obtained two young pieces for their team.
With many new faces joining the team, the Blues seem prepared to make a run at the Stanley Cup Playoffs. In addition, the new faces also create uncertain features for a few players.
Players Already With Uncertain Futures
Some players already had uncertain features when the off-season begun. As such, the moves do not change their status. Defenceman Torey Krug was once again in trade rumours. Futhermore, new players with one-year contracts like Radek Faksa and Ryan Suter do not qualify for this as their futures with the team are already uncertain due to their contract status.
The purpose of this article is to identify players who face uncertain futures as a direct result of the moves this off-season.
Blues Facing Uncertain Futures
Scott Perunovich
At one point this off-season, Perunovich seemed to have a big opportunity before him. The arthritis injury to Krug opened a spot on the roster for a left-handed defenceman.
Perunovich’s scouting report and play so far in his short career suggest he is an offensive-minded defenceman. He can carry the puck out of the defensive zone to start the transition to offence. He can handle the puck and extend plays. What stands out on his scouting report is that he is considered a power play captain. His skill with the puck allows him to keep the puck in the zone while looking for an open teammate. If the puck does clear the zone, he can get it back in with a long pass. Furthermore, those long passes can lead to odd-man rushes on offence. To solidify all this, Perunovich won the Hobey Baker Award in 2020 as a prospect.
The acquisitions of Suter and Broberg have changed all this. Suter is likely to be a second-pairing deference. Meanwhile, Broberg’s scouting report and profile suggest he can play on the top pairing. The third pairing also appears set with Pierre-Oliver Joseph and Matthew Kessel. This leaves Perunovich with only two options. He can be an extra player who serves as a healthy scratch most games or he can go to the minor leagues to get regular playing time. Regardless, he is not getting the opportunity he was looking at just a few weeks ago, at least not at this time.
At 26-years old, Perunovich is running out of time to crack the Blues regular defensive lineup. With the exception of an injury, it does not Perunovich is going to get a consistent opportunity this season. Will the Blues wait for 2026-26 to give him the opportunity? Or is it time to cut their losses with someone who just never factored into the equation? It has certainly been an unceremonious fall for someone who was once a top prospect in the Blues organization.
Tyler Tucker
Tucker has only played in 52 NHL games. In his two NHL seasons, Tucker’s playing time was blocked by players like Krug, Nick Leddy, and Marco Scandella. With two of the three not in the equation for respective reasons, Tucker figured to be on the third pairing for the 2024-25 season.
However, the signing of Oliver-Joseph put Tucker on the outside looking in. Combined with Perunovich seemingly destined for an opportunity and the addition of Suter, Tucker’s role for the season was in question. Furthermore, the addition of Broberg makes Tucker’s future past this season in doubt. While Suter is unlikely to return to the Blues after this season, Tucker may find himself blocked by multiple prospects in the Blues organization. Defenceman like Noah Beck and Theo Lindstein could be ready for the NHL soon.
Beck, Lindstein, or any other defensive prospect who joins the Blues will likely not get regular playing time right away. It is likely they will split time with someone else. While one may think Tucker may be the guy who splits time moving forward, that is not a sure thing. Tucker will turn 25 this season. Futhermore, he still has value based off his scouting report. The Blues could decide to trade Tucker to utilize the value he possesses as a young defenceman. This is now a Tage Thompson situation where the Blues are getting to get a franchise-altering player in return, but they could get a serviceable player in return.
Like Perunovich, Tucker has not had much of an opportunity to make the Blues lineup. Like Perunovich, the window may be closing pretty quickly for Tucker.
Final Thoughts
We play the games for a reason. All it takes is one injury to make all this null and void. This will be an interesting training camp and preseason to watch for the Blues. For Perunovich and Tucker, they will be playing for their hockey futures, whether it is with the Blues or elsewhere.
Main Photo: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
