{"id":472934,"date":"2025-07-30T19:59:56","date_gmt":"2025-07-30T23:59:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/?p=472934"},"modified":"2025-07-30T19:59:56","modified_gmt":"2025-07-30T23:59:56","slug":"analysis-of-the-st-louis-blues-2025-26-defence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2025\/07\/30\/analysis-of-the-st-louis-blues-2025-26-defence\/","title":{"rendered":"Analysis of the St. Louis Blues 2025-26 Defence"},"content":{"rendered":"

Last week, we <\/span>analysed<\/span><\/a> the St. Louis Blues forward group for the 2025-26 season. We found that there is considerable potential for achieving many goals, but some questions remain about certain players. As we inch closer to the start of training camp, we now take a look at the Blues defence for the upcoming season.<\/span><\/p>\n

Analysis of Blues Defence<\/span><\/h2>\n

Like with our forward analysis, we will use the pairings posted on <\/span>Daily Faceoff<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/em>Once again, please note that the pairings posted right now are just speculative. We are just using it as a framework for our analysis.<\/span><\/p>\n

First Pair<\/span><\/h3>\n

Cam Fowler<\/a> – Colton Parayko<\/a><\/span><\/h4>\n

Fowler <\/span>joined the Blues<\/span><\/a> in December of last season and made an immediate impact. In 51 games with the Blues, Fowler scored nine goals and added 27 assists. He was a big part of the team’s offence. Furthermore, Fowler had the fifth-most assists by a defenceman in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, recording eight of them in the Blues first-round series. This includes a historic <\/span>Game 3<\/span><\/a> in which Fowler scored a goal and added four assists. However, one has to wonder when age will catch up to Fowler. He is 33 right now. While he had a strong season last year, can he maintain that success this season? Will his 16th season be when we start to see Father Time, or will Fowler continue to perform for the Blues?<\/span><\/p>\n

Parayko is coming off a season where he set a career high with 36 points. Had it not been for an injury late in the season, the Canadian may have reached 20 goals for the first time in his career. Parayko has developed into the Blues <\/span>top defenceman<\/span><\/a>, something they have been lacking since Alex Pietrangelo<\/a> left. After two strong seasons, Parayko is the number one in St. Louis and the glue that holds the defence together.<\/span><\/p>\n

Second Pair<\/span><\/h3>\n

Philip Broberg<\/a> – Justin Faulk<\/a><\/span><\/h4>\n

Broberg set a career high in games played, goals, assists, and points. Furthermore, he established himself as a strong penalty killer, being one of four Blues to have 100+ blocked shots. Offensively, he was streaky. He recorded 12 points in his first 15 games before recording just 17 the other way. Suppose Broberg can be more consistent in his point production, in addition to continuing his strong defensive play. In that case, he and the Blues will be in a great spot.<\/span><\/p>\n

Despite being in <\/span>trade rumour<\/span><\/a>s, it is looking like Faulk will be wearing the\u00a0<\/span>Blue Note\u00a0<\/span><\/em>this season. At 33 years old, Faulk is who he is. He is an offensive-minded defenceman. The good news is that Faulk doesn’t have to rely on the guy who does the heavy lifting. With Parayko and Fowler leading the way and the emergence of Broberg, that opens the door for Faulk to just focus on the offence. In a perfect world for the Blues. Logan Mailloux<\/a> takes over on the second pair, and Faulk goes to the third pair.<\/span><\/p>\n

Bottom Pair<\/span><\/h3>\n

Tyler Tucker<\/a> – Logan Mailloux<\/a><\/span><\/h3>\n

This will be an essential season for Tucker. He played in 38 games last season, his most in his three-year career. Tucker brings a physical presence to the lineup, complemented by a decent shot. With older players like Fowler and Faulk, the time is coming sooner rather than later when there will be openings on the roster. This year is a prime opportunity for Tucker to make a name for himself.<\/span><\/p>\n

Mailloux is the defenceman Blues fans will be watching as soon as training camp starts. The Blues <\/span>parted<\/span><\/a> with Zachary Bolduc<\/a> to bring in the young defenceman, a trade that surprised many. Mailloux has only played in eight NHL games, so what he brings to the table is hard to tell at this point. General manager Doug Armstrong made this trade to add youth to the defence, so clearly, Mailloux is part of the Blues future. Mailloux is the biggest wild card on the team’s defence. It is even possible he starts the season in the American Hockey League, depending on how training camp and the preseason go.<\/span><\/p>\n

Strengths<\/span><\/h3>\n

There is a nice mix of veterans and youth in the defensive pairings. This helps continue the Blues retool while also preserving their status as a playoff contender. Furthermore, players like Fowler, Parayko, and Faulk can allow the continued development of the young defenceman.<\/span><\/p>\n

In addition, there is offensive potential in this core. Parayko could score 20 goals next season. Broberg could hit double digits. Faulk is at his best when working on the power play. The defence plays a vital role in the team’s offence. They will defend the net, of course, but they can help put it in the net on the other side of the ice.<\/span><\/p>\n

Weaknesses<\/span><\/h3>\n

There are some questions regarding how players perform given their respective ages. How does Fowler perform in his 16th season? Mailloux only has eight games on his resume, so is he ready for a full-time role?<\/span><\/p>\n

Parayko and Broberg also missed time with injuries last season, and Tucker was <\/span>injured<\/span><\/a> in the playoffs. Can the defensive core stay healthy?<\/span><\/p>\n

Wild Cards<\/span><\/h3>\n

Two wild cards could find their way into the Blues defensive pairings. Matthew Kessel<\/a> has 70 games worth of NHL experience and could provide an additional right-handed option. It would seem Kessel will battle Mailloux for the final defensive spot in training camp.<\/span><\/p>\n

Lastly, watch out for prospect <\/span>Theo Lindstein<\/span><\/a>. He may not be ready for the NHL now, but as the season goes on, who knows what may happen. The Blues did not hesitate to <\/span>sign<\/span><\/a> Jimmy Snuggerud<\/a> in the middle of a playoff race. Should the stars align, perhaps the same could happen with Lindstein? Is it a long shot? Maybe. Is it worth keeping in the back of your mind? It may not hurt.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Last week, we analysed the St. Louis Blues forward group for the 2025-26 season. We found that there is considerable potential for achieving many goals, but some questions remain about certain players. As we inch closer to the start of training camp, we now take a look at the Blues defence for the upcoming season. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3464,"featured_media":472975,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[32,4547,4548],"tags":[656,718,1099,6834,3803,7797],"class_list":["post-472934","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blues","category-hockey","category-nhl","tag-cam-fowler","tag-colton-parayko","tag-justin-faulk","tag-logan-mailloux","tag-philip-broberg","tag-tyler-tucker"],"modified_by":"Andrew Willis","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/472934","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3464"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=472934"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/472934\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":472976,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/472934\/revisions\/472976"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/472975"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=472934"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=472934"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=472934"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}