2 early Blues trade targets after missing 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs

The St. Louis Blues had high hopes as the year got underway. They had pushed the Presidents Trophy-winning Winnipeg Jets to double overtime of the seventh game in the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs and they had responded well to head coach Jim Montgomery after he took over from Drew Bannister after the first quarter of the schedule had been played. Montgomery felt that with a full training camp, he could implement his system and the Blues would be in a position to dictate in 2025-26.

That theory sounded great, but the Blues did not get out of the gate on time. They lost nine of their first 12 games, going 3-7-2 in the process and they put themselves in a position of having to play catch-up nearly all season. Key players like goalie Jordan Binnington, defenseman Colton Parayko and fellow defenseman Cam Fowler were unable to meet expectations and the Blues suffered through a non-playoff year.

While they would eventually have a few notable moments, they simply did not accomplish enough to rise any higher than fifth place in the Central Division of the Western Conference. They closed the season with a 37-23-12 record for 86 points, and that left them four points away from the last Western Conference playoff qualifier.

The biggest trade chip could be Binnington, who has played goal for the Blues since their Stanley Cup-winning season of 2018-19. He has alternated between spectacular and ordinary since then, but he has been good enough to hold the No. 1 goaltender position with both the Blues and Canada in international competition.

Blues may want to go after a high-scoring forward

The Blues were disappointing in a number of areas this season, and general manager Doug Armstrong is most likely going to consider multiple changes. St. Louis could get involved in the free agent market and the general manager may also be willing to make multiple trades in order to help the team play more consistent hockey next season.

The Blues have to become a more dangerous offensive team, and that could involve going after Brock Boeser of the Vancouver Canucks. His name was mentioned prominently at the trade deadline this year, but he remained with the sluggish Canucks all season.

Boeser was a first-round draft choice of the Canucks in 2013. He has had nine solid years with the Canucks and he has scored 22 goals or more in 8 of his 10 seasons. Boeser had a career high of 40 goals in in the 2023-24 season and he was named an All-Star that season. He was also an All-Star in his rookie season of 2017-18 and was named to the league’s All-Rookie team. (He played briefly in 2016-17, but he qualified as a rookie the following year.)

Boeser showed off ability to score in the postseason

The Canucks have not been to the playoffs often during Boeser’s career, but he was quite productive the two times they did make the postseason. He scored 4 goals and 7 assists in the 17 games the Canucks played in the playoffs in 2020 and he followed that up with 7 goals and 5 assists in 12 games during the 2024 playoffs.

It appeared the Canucks were on their way towards a climb up the NHL standings, but that did not happen. Boeser obviously wants to play for a contending team and it appears the Canucks are a long way from joining that rank in the NHL.

Boeser has a dynamic right-handed shot and he is capable of getting rid of the puck in an instant. He would be a major asset and addition if the Blues can acquire him in a trade.

Trading for a bruising defenseman would help

The Blues struggled badly on the defensive and that was one of the reasons that Binnington had a below average season.

The Blues did not get the kind of season they needed from Fowler. He was a first-pair defenseman but he was taken out of that role because of his ineffectiveness. The Blues had signed him to a 3-year deal but he did not play like a long-term deal was deserved.

Parayko is another long-time St. Louis defenseman and he has been steady throughout his career. However, the 2025-26 season was not his best and his offensive totals suffered. He finished the season with four goals and 18 assists, far below his numbers from the previous season.

The Blues may be very interested in Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen. The 6-4, 208-pound Ristolainen is a solid block of granite on the blue line and it is clear that Montgomery would appreciate a player with his toughness playing defense for St. Louis.

Ristolainen is not an offensive threat as he scored one goal and 13 assists in the regular season. He has not scored more than five goals since the 2019-20 season. However, he is a strong defensive defenseman and he will bring the lumber on a regular basis.

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