Blues mailbag, Part 1: Season predictions, line combos, Dvorsky's chances, Mailloux's ceiling

New York Times

a day ago

ST. LOUIS — After spending some of his offseason in sunny Florida, St. Louis Blues associate coach Steve Ott is back in town. He stopped by the 'Last Minute Blues Podcast' this week, and the excitement from a guy who spent three years playing with the organization and will be entering his ninth season behind the bench was hard to miss.
Advertisement
'The excitement, it shows on my face because we have the depth right now, we have the goaltending, we have great leadership,' Ott said. 'Now it's time for the real work. We're still a month away, but the guys will be rolling in here real quick. They'll be excited to get up and running again.'
It was a far different scene when Blues coaches and players were rolling out of town last April, after their excruciating Game 7 loss to the Winnipeg Jets in the first round of the NHL playoffs. But four months removed, they're using it as motivation.
'If you asked every one of our players how (ticked) off they were to lose that Game 7, we're all in the same boat,' Ott said. 'But it lit a fire because when you have expectations to win again, that makes you do the extra squat, the extra run, because you don't want to let the city down. We know the support that we're getting from St. Louis — it's outstanding — and we want to give it back to them.'
Otter has us FIRED UP for this season. Hear from the Associate Coach on a new episode of the Last Minute Blues Podcast 🎧 https://t.co/oyBcxks3JT pic.twitter.com/v0zuLMLRky
— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) August 13, 2025
When the Blues report to training camp in a month, they'll welcome veterans Pius Suter and Nick Bjugstad, who were signed in free agency, and Logan Mailloux, who was acquired in the trade for Zack Bolduc. They'll join Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg, who were the headline additions last offseason, and a growing core of players ages 21-26.
'The fast-tracking, bringing in Holloway and Broberg, was phenomenal,' Ott said. 'It fast-tracked us that extra year, injecting these young guys into the roster, and now you start bringing in the draft picks. There was the trade with (Bolduc), but we're getting a young D-man in Mailloux back. It's neat to see us going through the retool on the fly and getting back to where we have these expectations to win real quick. That's where we are right now.'
Advertisement
With that as the backdrop, let's get to your questions in Part 1 of the mailbag.
Note: Some questions have been lightly edited for length and clarity.
After the Blues outperformed expectations in 2024-25, I'm curious about your thoughts going into this season. — Luke D.
I thought the Blues could be a wild-card team last season, so they finished about where I figured. I like them even more this season because of the strong second half and a few other factors.
No. 1 is having Jim Montgomery in the fold from the first day of training camp. We saw how a couple of weeks off during the 4 Nations Face-Off allowed the coach to get the players on board, so you can imagine what a full offseason will do.
No. 2 is that the Blues' culture seemed to be shaping up late in the season. Winning will do that, but I believe the attitude change led to the wins, and the rebuilding of the culture came from that process. It'll be a new season, but a foundation has been started.
Regarding the roster, it's fairly similar, which means they should be competing for one of the two wild cards and perhaps a spot in the top three of the Central Division if all goes well.
There are some questions and concerns, though. Can Jimmy Snuggerud produce and stay on the top line? Will Brayden Schenn hang on to the No. 2 center spot, and if not, can Suter step up? Can Cam Fowler play at the elite level he did last season? How will Mailloux look in what's expected to be his first full season in the league?
So, as usual, lots of intrigue, but overall, I like their chances to be a playoff team.
Which is most likely to happen:
1. Snuggerud beats out the Montreal Canadiens' Ivan Demidov for the Calder Trophy.
2. Mailloux plays the second-most power-play moments among defensemen.
3. Holloway gets 70 points.
— John N.
Holloway gets out of bed and puts up 70-plus points. I'll list Snuggerud winning rookie of the year as a sneaky second. With Mailloux, you have Fowler, Broberg, Justin Faulk and even Colton Parayko who could see more power-play time. I assume the Blues will just want Mailloux to get comfortable in a regular role without adding to his plate.
Advertisement
Rank in order of most likely to happen:
— Kyle F.
My order of most likely to happen:
• The Blues have seven players score at least 20 goals: Kyrou, Holloway, Jake Neighbours, Thomas, Buchnevich, Schenn, Suter and Snuggerud.
• Kyrou scores at least 40 goals: After three straight seasons with 30-plus, he finally breaks through.
• Snuggerud scores at least 20 goals: If he plays 50-plus games with Thomas, I'll say yes.
• Thomas exceeds 100 points: I'd have this one higher on the list because he's capable, but staying healthy and producing consistently is extremely difficult.
• Fowler exceeds 50 points: I'm doubting him, but he was on fire last season and got to 40.
• Binnington has at least a .910 save percentage: He was .913 two seasons ago and .900 last season. It'll be tough, but with an improved defense, it's possible.
• Buchnevich exceeds 80 points: I'm a little skeptical because he has never done it in his career and is coming off a 57-point season.
• Walker delivers over 300 hits: He led the team with 281 hits in 73 games last season. But there's no need for him to hit more — just keep doing what he's doing.
Give us your opening-night lines. — Bobby R.
Buchnevich–Thomas–Snuggerud
Holloway–Schenn–Kyrou
Neighbours–Suter–Bjugstad
Alexey Toropchenko–Oskar Sundqvist–Walker
With the success of the Holloway-Schenn-Kyrou line last season, is there any reason not to start 2025-26 with them together? — Daniel M.
I don't know what Montgomery's plans are, but you have to, right? According to Natural Stat Trick, the three played 500-plus minutes at five-on-five last season and were on the ice for 29 goals for and 14 against. If the chemistry doesn't return, mix it up. But unless there's a development in camp, I don't see why you wouldn't put them back together.
Will Mathieu Joseph and Alexandre Texier still be with the Blues on opening night? — Harry L.
There's a good chance they will still be around, and that's not a bad thing. They each had their moments and struggled last season, but they're definitely NHL players who can help and provide depth. The Blues didn't buy them out or waive them, and the players don't have much trade value. If that's the case, it's probably best to just hang on to them.
Advertisement
What is it that keeps Texier out of the lineup? — Bob S.
To me, it's knowing what you're going to get from him consistently. He makes a nice play on a goal and then turns two pucks over. He's tenacious for a stretch and then invisible for a stretch. And where do you play him? He's not a top-six guy, and he's not a fourth-liner. If it's the third line, do you have better options? The Blues do.
Radek Faksa won 57 percent of his faceoffs last season, and neither Bjugstad nor Suter was even 50 percent. Is this a potential problem? — Matthew F.
It could be, yes. The Blues relied on Faksa on the faceoff dot and don't have a lot to replace him. Bjugstad has been decent in recent years, winning around 50 percent in Arizona and Edmonton, but Suter was below 45 percent the last two seasons in Vancouver. If Walker centers the fourth line, he's 51.5 percent in his career but has far fewer draws.
How do you assess Dalibor Dvorsky's chances of making the team out of camp? — Andrew A.
I'd say less than 50 percent. There's a reason the Blues got Suter and Bjugstad. If Dvorsky has a great camp, perhaps there's a chance of him starting the season on the wing, but that seems like a long shot. My guess is he'll start in AHL Springfield, and assuming he picks up where he left off last season, we'll see him at some point.
Do the Blues have a backup plan for their second-line center in 2026-27 if Dvorsky isn't ready? — Brian R.
It's a fair question, but so much can happen between now and then. If it's not Schenn or Suter, the Blues can jump into the free-agency market or find a trade.
Which young guy do you think breaks out this season? — Tom L.
If the options are Snuggerud, Dvorsky and Mailloux, I'll go with Snuggerud since it appears he'll get a golden opportunity (deservedly so) to produce on the top line.
It seems to me that Mailloux is the key to the season. If he's as good as the Blues think, he fills a major need. If he isn't, the defense has a big hole. Thoughts? — Michael P.
Your points are valid, but if I'm putting together 10 keys to the season, he's low on the list. The Blues need him to grow into an NHL player, not count on him to make a difference.
Can Broberg and Mailloux be a top pair soon? — Tony B.
Depending on Fowler getting re-signed, I can see Broberg playing with Parayko in the top pair. Mailloux has the potential because of his size, play with the puck and physicality, but first he has to prove he's a top-four defenseman.
Advertisement
What's your latest prediction on the next contracts for Holloway and Broberg? — Todd L.
If I'm them, I'm looking for $8 million to $9 million AAV. With a new collective bargaining agreement in 2026-27, seven years will be the max. But if they don't get $8 million to $9 million AAV, they might want a shorter term.
Do you see any future issues with Broberg's agent being known for driving up his clients' AAV or taking a shorter-term deal like with Bowen Byram? — Todd L.
His agent is Darren Ferris. I don't see an issue. Broberg wanted a chance to play, and Ferris found it in St. Louis; Byram wanted a fair contract, and Ferris got that.
Do you expect Joel Hofer to get more games and Colten Ellis to progress enough in the minors to make Binnington expendable? — Larry S.
Binnington has two more seasons left on his contract. I don't know that the trade return would make a deal worth it, and I don't think the Blues even know if Ellis is an NHL goalie.
I keep hearing speculation that the Blues may still be in on trades. Is there anything to it, or is it just summer clickbait? — Jarrod H.
I haven't heard anything specific. The team's trade talks with the Buffalo Sabres regarding Byram cooled before he re-signed, but all it takes is a phone call. Likewise, clubs still like Kyrou.
If the Blues' point total is set at 91.5 for the 2025-26 season, are you over or under? — James N.
I'll take the over. They had 92 points two years ago and 96 last season, and they're certainly comparable lineups, if not better. I can't wait for Dom Luszczyszyn's 2025-26 season preview!
Will the Blues ever have an MVP again? — Ben S.
Yes, they will … maybe? I still believe Thomas has a chance, but it goes to show you that stars are tough to find when you don't draft high and free agents want to get paid.
It feels like an entire generation of Blues fans has missed out on seeing a star. Are there negative impacts to the organization's not having one? — Chris B.
You're not wrong. The negatives would be not having someone who could've single-handedly led the club to more success, young fans who don't have a guy to say, 'I saw him play,' and ownership who could've counted on the ticket sales.
(Top photo of Steve Ott: Jeff Vinnick / Getty Images)
Spot the pattern. Connect the terms
Find the hidden link between sports terms
Play today's puzzle