Any real improvement likely depends on internal growth from young players (Dvorsky, Snuggerud, Holloway, Neighbours, Broberg, Mailloux, Hofer)
New Additions – Mixed Impact:
Pius Suter:
Good Player, Good add, & Upgrade over Sundqvist at 3C and strong on the PK.
Slightly overrated IMO — not a consistent 20-goal scorer, lacks physicality, and not great on faceoffs.
Not a legitimate 2C
Bjugstad:
Good size/hockey sense. Not great on faceoffs.
Can he replicate or contribute to the chemistry Faksa brought to the 4th line, which was a overlooked but key factor during the win streak and playoffs.
Mailloux
Definitely the most exciting addition to the team IMO despite the loss of Bolduc
See him making an impact right away while living with the youthful mistakes
3rd Pair RHD is a perfect situation to gain NHL experience without overexposing him
Team Concerns:
Physicality (sort of)
Lineup replacements are slightly less physical than their predecessors - not all that concerned at the moment though
Faceoff strength
Suter (42%)
Bjustad (47%)
Sundqvist (45%)
Experience on the back end.
R. Suter was serviceable last season and Leddy, although hurt for the bulk of the year, brought experience.
Would like to see them sign veteran #7 D-man is needed for stability during inevitable
Division Outlook:
The Central is getting tougher:
Utah has improved.
Chicago and Nashville likely won’t be as weak as last year.
Dallas, Colorado, and Winnipeg remain top-tier.
Staying competitive will require more than just minor upgrades IMO
Final Thought:
Are we better? Maybe slightly. But unless the young core takes a real step forward, we’re not positioned to go much deeper in the postseason.
I give them a B. I think they did the best they could. There weren't many teams willing to make trades, and most of the free agents signed with their original teams. I do think the team was ready to make a splash in the free agent market, but there was little left to offer. I would say 75 percent of the teams out there have done little or nothing so far this offseason. I will give the team credit; they are trying to improve.
Carboneau - A
Logan Malieuu - A
Pius Suter - C
Bjugstad - C
Bolduc - D
Overall Grade: B
Carboneau, Mailieu - equals or exceeds what other teams acquired in the draft and trades
Suter, Bjugstadl - equal or lesser than that what other teams aquired
Bolduc - exceeds what other teams lost.
Overall Grade B - Gained 2 potential star players. However, lost one too.
Suter being a quality penalty killer is a big key. If he can lead the pk group to even 5 spots higher in kill percentage and cut the 6-5 goals in half that is a significant improvement.
There are a million variables of course that have to come together (like with all teams) but getting better on the pk had to be a priority. Last year's pk group was embarrassing.
All in all, a B for me. No significant money thrown around, no significant term thrown around, basically not risking a whole lot to get ourselves a shot at being as good as last year.
Still some dead weight contracts for my money on the books, felt like we should've been able to get a little creative with getting some of them out the door and didn't. if we continue using the tactic to get leddy out then it will eventually become a reputation (not an issue yet though). So a decent job, but not a great job, if i were to assess the situation thus far.
BluesBirdsBuds wrote: ↑03 Jul 2025 13:23 pm
(Not including the draft)
C+
(for reference/scaling: 2018 = A+)
Overall Takeaway:
Offseason additions are marginal growth at best.
Any real improvement likely depends on internal growth from young players (Dvorsky, Snuggerud, Holloway, Neighbours, Broberg, Mailloux, Hofer)
New Additions – Mixed Impact:
Pius Suter:
Good Player, Good add, & Upgrade over Sundqvist at 3C and strong on the PK.
Slightly overrated IMO — not a consistent 20-goal scorer, lacks physicality, and not great on faceoffs.
Not a legitimate 2C
Bjugstad:
Good size/hockey sense. Not great on faceoffs.
Can he replicate or contribute to the chemistry Faksa brought to the 4th line, which was a overlooked but key factor during the win streak and playoffs.
Mailloux
Definitely the most exciting addition to the team IMO despite the loss of Bolduc
See him making an impact right away while living with the youthful mistakes
3rd Pair RHD is a perfect situation to gain NHL experience without overexposing him
Team Concerns:
Physicality (sort of)
Lineup replacements are slightly less physical than their predecessors - not all that concerned at the moment though
Faceoff strength
Suter (42%)
Bjustad (47%)
Sundqvist (45%)
Experience on the back end.
R. Suter was serviceable last season and Leddy, although hurt for the bulk of the year, brought experience.
Would like to see them sign veteran #7 D-man is needed for stability during inevitable
Division Outlook:
The Central is getting tougher:
Utah has improved.
Chicago and Nashville likely won’t be as weak as last year.
Dallas, Colorado, and Winnipeg remain top-tier.
Staying competitive will require more than just minor upgrades IMO
Final Thought:
Are we better? Maybe slightly. But unless the young core takes a real step forward, we’re not positioned to go much deeper in the postseason.
I am close at around a C. If we would have signed Suter, kept Leddy, and not made the Bolduc trade then probably a B+. I watched Mailoux play 3 times last year and I just don’t see him improving enough in the offseason to make the team. Armstrong may force it, but he was simply not discipline enough. He is very offensive minded and will join the play, but at times does it with nobody protecting the Blue line. Or he will leave the crease with a player standing there all along, to go after a puck battle with two other players along the wall. Monte is a stickler for defensive discipline and just worry Mailoux will fall out of graces.
dhsux wrote: ↑03 Jul 2025 18:15 pm
The whole true grade for this off season to date, for those wishing to apply one, will be about the big trade.
I wouldn't look for anything too great for the coming year but that's not what that trade is about. THAT trade may take years to judge.
This team will be competing for another play off spot this year with eyes toward bigger and better things the year after and beyond.
+1
Nailed it.
And I seriously doubt Bolduc was going to be resigned anyway. How could they afford to pay Neighbours, Broberg and Holloway. If Bolduc nets 30 he’d cost 4-5 million easy, not enough money to go around.
Hofer signing was nice. Decent price and still an RFA in 2 years is a win.
Suter signing was nice. Decent price again. Adding to Center depth and quality PK guy. Plays the 200 foot game Army talks about. Consider this a win.
Bjugstad is JAG to me. Adds size and to Center depth. Salary okay.
Everything comes down to the the Mallioux Bolduc trade. Since Mallioux has very limited NHL experience, we won't be able to evaluate this for a few years. I hate trading Bolduc. Hopefully the Blues scouting staff got this right and acquired the Big RD offensive force with an improved defenseive element to his game.
