ST. LOUIS — There’s been a lot happening in St. Louis Blues land lately: the NHL Draft, free agency, development camp, trades, waivers, etc. And that’s just on the hockey side of things — off the ice, there’s been a rebrand of the Blue Note.

That makes this a good time for another edition of the Blues power rankings. You’re familiar with the drill by now: It’s a vibe check of current events, and as you’ll see this time, it can feature people from the team’s past as well. We pick out 10 and rank them in order of importance.

If you missed our first two power rankings in February and April, you can go back and check them out:

Here’s the latest edition.

1. The new “STL” logo

A few weeks ago, I walked into a meeting with Blues executives who were giving reporters an advanced preview of the team’s new uniforms. I was interested in what changes they’d made to the Blue Note and, of course, how the uniforms looked overall.

I liked everything the organization did with the rebrand and could see how much thought and work went into it.

In the days before the Blues launched the new modernized Blue Note and tertiary marks publicly, I kept going back to one specific new design: the “STL.” It will be on the players’ game pants and available on merchandise.

Many different concepts hit the table over the last few years, and the Blues waited until they could get it right. They did.

“They nailed it!” former Blue Paul Stastny wrote in a text.

The new “STL” logo is one of three tertiary designs in the Blues’ rebrand. (Courtesy of St. Louis Authentics)

The St. Louis Cardinals baseball team has its own iconic “STL” logo, and now the Blues have their own distinctive mark with interconnected letters resembling a musical clef. The look is new to the city’s sports fans now, but will quickly become recognizable and representative of the hockey club.

2. Carbonneau’s first impression

It was as if Justin Carbonneau had rehearsed his first media interview after the Blues selected him at No. 19 in the NHL Draft, then scripted how he played in the team’s development camp. His words couldn’t have been more confident and his performance couldn’t have been more impressive.

In case you missed it, here’s a couple of snippets from that first interview:

  • “I play with a lot of fire. I’m not really scared of anyone. I know that the (6-foot-8) guys are stronger probably than me and bigger, but I’m going to still try.”
  • “I always play for the logo on the front. To wear it one day, it’s going to be my next goal.”

After flying to St. Louis for development camp a few days later, Carbonneau backed it up. He was scoring goals, and as he said on draft night, going to the front of the net.

As Scott Wheeler, my colleague at The Athletic, wrote about Carbonneau before the draft, this is who he is, and Blues fans are here for it.

3. Bolduc’s goodbye message

On the first day of free agency, the Blues made a trade that few, including myself, saw coming.

I remember seeing the team was acquiring defenseman Logan Mailloux from the Montreal Canadiens, and I knew he wasn’t going to come cheap.

Who would be going the other way? It probably wouldn’t be a Blues prospect who still hadn’t established himself in the American Hockey League, where Mailloux was a force last season with the Laval Rocket. That would only leave a couple of AHL players, such as Dalibor Dvorsky, or someone off the NHL roster.

It ended up being Zack Bolduc, which was a bit of a surprise considering how well the 22-year-old winger stepped up as a rookie last season. As general manager Doug Armstrong hinted ahead of time, and explained after the deal was done, the Blues had depth on the wing and saw an opportunity to bring in a young, right-shot defenseman.

We may not know who won this trade for several years, and there’s a chance both the Blues and Canadiens will like the outcome. We do know, however, that the Blues are saying goodbye to a player in Bolduc who worked hard and has a promising future.

On his way out the door, the Blues’ first-round pick from 2021 (No. 17 overall) expressed how grateful he was in a heartfelt social media post.

4. Free-agent finds: Bjugstad, Suter

Often, when a player switches teams, the beat writer who covers his previous team will send a text message to the new team’s beat writer. That was the case on the first day of free agency last week when the Blues announced a two-year, $3.5 million contract for veteran center Nick Bjugstad.

“You won’t find a better dude than Nick,” former Arizona Coyotes beat writer Craig Morgan told me.

In our industry, having players who don’t mind making themselves available to the media and putting some thought into the questions they’re answering is much appreciated. I realize that stuff doesn’t matter a ton to the team itself, but what I’ve found is typically when guys are good with reporters, they’re usually also great personalities in the locker room.

The same is true of Pius Suter, who left the Vancouver Canucks to sign a two-year, $8.25 million contract with the Blues.

“Quiet, but a quality human being and he’s well-liked,” Vancouver beat writer Thomas Drance of The Athletic said.

While the Blues did some tidy work with their bottom-six forwards by adding Bjugstad and Suter, it appears they’ve also brought two more team-minded players into a group that grew extremely tight last season.

5. Leddy’s departure

In March 2024, I wrote about defenseman Nick Leddy playing in Game No. 1,000. I enjoy working on those milestone stories because players have fun reflecting, and you learn a lot about them from family and friends.

For example, Leddy has a quiet, modest demeanor, and his father, Mike, can recall where that began.

“We’d talk in the car about humility,” Dad said in 2024. “I said, ‘If somebody says something nice, say ‘Thank you!’ and go on about your business.’”

Leddy, who won a Stanley Cup in 2013 with the Chicago Blackhawks, has plenty to be proud of in his career. He caught a lot of criticism the last couple of years with the Blues, but the 34-year-old is still a silky-smooth skater who has time left in the game.

It’s just that Leddy’s time had run out in St. Louis. The Blues placed him on waivers last week, and the San Jose Sharks subsequently picked him up. The move will save St. Louis $4 million on its 2025-26 salary cap.

6. The Maroon father-son goal

Pat Maroon no longer plays for the Blues, but he’ll forever be a hometown hero. His son, Anthony Maroon, will forever be part of Blues lore after sticking by his dad’s side for the 2019 Stanley Cup run.  Fans will never forget Anthony, just 10 years old at the time, crying in the stands at Enterprise Center when his dad scored the double-overtime game-winning goal against the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference semifinals.

Today, Anthony is 16 and, as you might’ve guessed, plays hockey. He played with the Long Island Gulls (16U AAA) last season, posting 15 goals and 55 points in 58 games. In 2024, the Green Bay (Wisc.) Gamblers selected him in the eighth round of the United States Hockey League draft.

There could be another Maroon in the NHL one day, but in the meantime, the father-son duo took the opportunity to play on the same team when St. Louis hosted a national roller hockey tournament last month. It turned into another magical moment for the family.

They were playing for the Tour Roadrunners in the pro division (18-and-up) at the Torhs National Championships and teamed up for the first goal of the game.

Pat was on the left dot and feathered a pass to Anthony as he went streaking to the net, where he went forehand-backhand and put it between the pipes. Dad pumped his arms, then gave his son a huge hug and pat on the helmet.

7. Tkachuk’s Hall of Fame credentials

When the Florida Panthers won their second consecutive Stanley Cup last month, we saw proud papa Keith Tkachuk soaking up the moment again with his son Matthew.

It would have been glorious if Tkachuk received a call from the Hockey Hall of Fame the next day, but once again, he did not make the prestigious list.

The Athletic’s Sean McIndoe wrote an article in support of Tkachuk’s case, and I agree with McIndoe that it’s “now a question of when, not if.” He scored the 35th most goals (538) and the 15th most power-play goals (212) in NHL history.

Of the 34 players ahead of Tkachuk on the NHL’s all-time goal-scoring list, the only one eligible for the Hockey Hall of Fame who’s not in yet is Patrick Marleau. Of the 14 players ahead of him on the all-time power-play scoring list, there are no eligible players not in the Hall.

It may indeed be a question of when, not if. But seriously, when?

Legendary defenseman Al MacInnis, who went into the Hall in 2007, recently voiced his support on social media, saying Tkachuk “should absolutely be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.”

8. Kerber’s sportscaster award

Nearly every morning on game day, you’ll see Blues radio play-by-play man Chris Kerber walking in the lower bowl of Enterprise Center as the team takes the ice for practice.

He usually has a small group of people with him, and often you’ll later learn the group includes a young student he’s mentoring. It might also be someone who’s made a sizable charitable donation, or a family who recently lost a loved one in the line of duty.

Last month, the National Sports Media Association (NSMA) named Kerber the 2025 sportscaster of the year in Missouri. It’s an honor that’s more than deserved, but we were already aware of his immense talent in the booth.

Kerber’s daily commitment — a workday that begins before 8 a.m. and wraps up well after midnight — to bring the Blues’ fan base closer to the club is what stands out more than anything.

Congrats, Kerbs, on the award and for being a true ambassador.

9. Pietrangelo’s health

There were rumblings this summer that former Blues captain Alex Pietrangelo, now with the Vegas Golden Knights, may miss some time with a few serious injuries. Then came his official announcement on June 30 that the “likelihood is low that my body will recover to the standard required to play.”

Regardless of how anyone feels about Pietrangelo’s departure from St. Louis in 2020, the health of a husband and father of four young children is first and foremost on the minds of many in the city.

We may never see the 35-year-old defenseman back on the ice again, and nobody should forget what he meant to the franchise. He played 758 games with the Blues and will always be the first player in team history to hoist the Stanley Cup in 2019.

10. Blues on Olympic rosters

The NHL and NHL Players’ Association confirmed Tuesday that they had ratified a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). It will extend the league’s labor peace through 2030.

One major development in the new CBA is that the two sides have signed off on letting players compete at the Olympics in 2026.

Many countries, including Team Canada and Team USA, announced the first six players on their respective rosters in June, anticipating the agreement.

So far, the only Blues player on a list is Alexandre Texier, who was one of France’s first six players. There could be more, though, such as Canada’s Colton Parayko, Jordan Binnington and Robert Thomas, when the complete rosters come out in February.

(Top photo of Pat and Anthony Maroon: Jeremy Rutherford / The Athletic)