Read the full transcript of our weekly Blues chat.

Matthew DeFranks: Good afternoon. We’re about three weeks removed from NHL free agency, and about two months away from the first preseason game. Let’s get to some questions.

Joe 99: I was very young, but remember the incredible excitement when the Blues landed Keith Tkachuk. Seemed like a big surprise from left field. Given the contracts that Matthew and Brady now have, the new salary cap levels, our trade chips, etc., is there a chance the Blues could have a Tkachuk on the roster in the next few years? How about any other star? Can it be done to get that elite scorer?

Matthew DeFranks: I wouldn’t hold your breath for either of them, but particularly Matthew. Matthew still has five more years left on his contract in Florida, and I’m not sure even he could have imagined his trade to the Panthers going this well. Three Eastern Conference titles, two Cups and a team that is sticking together for a while in a tax-free and warm-weather state.

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As for Brady, he’ll be an unrestricted free agent in 2028 and he’ll be 28 years old, so he could be an option in a few years. As for a trade from Ottawa, he does have a full no-movement clause, so he does have the power to choose his future. The Senators finally made the playoffs last season, and their young core is coming along, so I would imagine the captain elects to stick around.

I used to look at those top-end options for the Blues, but I’ve stopped. It’s just not the way that Doug Armstrong has built teams in the past. He builds deep teams that revolve around a handful of guys beating you, not one transcendent star. While Armstrong will be ceding the GM role to Alexander Steen next summer, he’ll still be around as the president of hockey operations and I imagine his philosophy will still be present within the organization.

Buck Dancer: Hi sir – Any word on how many times the Blues are going to wear last year’s jersey as their third jersey this upcoming season? I hope it’s not every Saturday, as 10 games is way too many. Why get beautiful new jerseys and then only wear them in 70% of your home games to accommodate an outgoing jersey? We need to see those new jerseys in at least 36 of the 41 home games this season. Anything less is a travesty.

Matthew DeFranks: When we spoke to the Blues about their rebrand, they did not indicate how they would use their outgoing royal jerseys. I don’t know if it’s going to be Saturdays like the previous Heritage jerseys, or randomly throughout the season like many teams around the league. It did sound like they would still be wearing the 90s retro ones for a game or two, so do be prepared for that at least.

Buck Dancer: Who is the third/line right wing on this team? Texier? Joseph? Both players were extremely disappointing last year. That looks like a big hole with training camp two months away.

Matthew DeFranks: That’ll be a question that training camp will have to answer. In my mind, I believe it’ll be Nick Bjugstad in that spot. But the Blues could also opt for him as the fourth-line center instead. Oskar Sundqvist, Mathieu Joseph and Alexandre Texier are other veteran options for that role, and I wonder how much of a run Dalibor Dvorsky or even Justin Carbonneau gets in September.

I don’t think Texier or Joseph have much of a future in St. Louis based on last year, but the Blues like something in Texier based on how smooth he looked at times. Of course, there were plenty of, well, other times.

Andrew Meine: Speaking of Justin Carbonneau, I’ve seen several articles mentioning he could be NHL ready possibly as soon as this year. Is that your opinion as well? or too optimistic. What do you think his ceiling is?

Matthew DeFranks: I think that is far too optimistic, to be honest. I’m trying to think of players that were in the NHL full-time immediately after being drafted by the Blues, and I think the last one was David Perron in 2007. So it’s been almost 20 years, and zero players in the Doug Armstrong era. Even Robert Thomas and Robby Fabbri took a year to get the NHL, and Alex Pietrangelo two (in a full-time capacity).

He’s clearly got a solid scoring ability in the QMJHL, and a bigger frame to build around, but there’s still work to do in other areas of his game. I don’t profess to be an expert on his game, but I do know that every player at No. 19 has a flaw that dropped them, even if they could have been picked earlier.

Buck Dancer: If the Blues really want Byram for futures and not something off their current roster, they could use future assets to acquire a young forward from another team and then flip that player to Buffalo for Byram. Or they could keep that player and then move Neighbours. There are creative ways to do this if Armstrong wants to pull it off. What do you think?

Matthew DeFranks: I’m not a huge Bo Byram fan to begin with. His underlying numbers have been bad dating back to his time with Colorado. When he played with Rasmus Dahlin, everything went well and the Sabres controlled the ice. When he played with other people, the results were not pretty. That’s great as long as you have Rasmus Dahlin, and the Blues don’t have one of those.

I think his new contract should limit his trade market this year because of his uncertain future. He can’t sign an extension until next summer, and he many very well walk to free agency in 2027 anyways.

Buck Dancer: Bjugstad needs to be the 4C replacement for Faska for this team to be really good. They start moving guys up the lineup and it’ll catch up with them. By all accounts, Carbonneau and most of this year’s draft class have little chance to play in the NHL nest season. I see no chance that Carbonneau is on the team this upcoming season. Would they really move a young, left-shot center like Dvorsky to wing? His off-wing, no less? That doesn’t seem like a good idea for his development.

Matthew DeFranks: Bjugstad doesn’t really fit with the identity of the fourth line with Toropchenko and Walker in there. He’s big, yes. But he’s only recently started hitting more in his career, and he’s not much of a defensive player. Stylistically, he’s not a replacement for Radek Faksa. And even with his poor skating and his age, Oskar Sundqvist fits more in that spot from a stylistic perspective, in my mind. Could the Blues put Bjugstad there? Absolutely, and I expect him there at times this season, but I just see him in a different spot.

As for Dvorsky, they could easily flip Neighbours to the right side if that was an issue. Doug Armstrong has mentioned before that inserting a young player like him might be easier on the wing without the defensive responsibility at center. They did so with Robert Thomas in 2018-19, of course, and it’s easier with a strong defensive center like they now have in Pius Suter.

Buck Dancer: Jimmy Snuggerud is the biggest collegiate prospect the Blues have had since Tony Hrkac, who was a big-time talent. How do the Blues make sure Snuggerud is more successful than Hrkac was in the NHL?

Matthew DeFranks: I think you can argue Erik Johnson or T.J. Oshie, but that really doesn’t matter, does it? Side note: If you haven’t looked up Hrkac’s numbers from his final year at North Dakota, I would highly recommend it.

This is more of a broad statement regarding young players in the NHL, but teams need to put players in positions to succeed. That means promoting them when they’re ready. Using their strengths correctly. Pairing their skills with the right people. Allowing them to make mistakes.

I think putting a shooter like Snuggerud with a couple of high IQ passers like Robert Thomas and Pavel Buchnevich makes a lot of sense. He doesn’t really fit opposite Kyrou, and not just because both are right-handed. I think managing his minutes in tight games, and watching his game around the 50-game mark will be important. His college schedule was a lot smaller than the NHL one, and college rookies need to adjust to a busier schedule.

Buck Dancer: Yes, I’ve seen his numbers. He owns the NCAA single-season scoring record to this day and nobody is ever going to beat it. Hrkac also owns the Blues single-season record for most assists by a rookie and had a four-goal playoff game against old friend Darren Pang. He was a tremendous talent. But the Blues rushed him. They can’t make the same mistake with Snuggerud.

Matthew DeFranks: The Circus is still around the rink from time to time. He was a scout for the Lightning for a decade, and now runs the Ducks pro scouting.

Sctdog: Given Army’s comments including the 5% better goal, it seems like the goal of the Blues is to be in the top three in the Central or at least more comfortably in a wild card position this season, it is not a go for the cup type of campaign. Is that a fair assessment of his comments and given the prospects and mix of young and old players a reasonable expectation. Maybe win a round, scare a team in the second round but this is another building year as they come out of the rebuild.

Matthew DeFranks: That feels right to me, and it turns the keys over to Steen (sort of) in a position with cap space, with young players maybe ready to play and with a team potentially ready to take the next step. We’ve talked about it a lot here, but teams don’t just go from missing the playoffs to a Cup contender. There’s a process, and the Blues are in it right now.

I do think that the top of the Central became more beatable this summer. I don’t think the Jets, Stars or Avs got better. Minnesota is what it is. So I do think there is an opportunity to squeeze in the top three.

I think it’s also possible that the Blues are 5% better, and the results outpace that. The PK was bad last season and cost them wins. The goaltending was inconsistent when looking across the entire season. So those are things that cost you games even if the 5v5 play is there. So if we assume some positive regression in those areas, plus growth at 5v5, the result could be better. I guess we’ll find out, since it’s possible the other way is also a potential outcome.

Sctdog: Do you and/or the Blues view Jake Neighbors as a 23-year-old top 6, third line, and/or trade bait forward? Some media commentary suggests he is a third liner and yet also a key part of any major trade. I see a 23-year-old player with two successive seasons of +20 goals who brings hard work, grit and net front presence to any line. I know the shooting percentage is high, but he also plays in front of the net a lot, even though he’s not a mainstay on the PP, and he’s done it two years in a row. Looking at the Florida model, it seems to me that the Blues need another Neighbors in the top nine not one fewer.

Matthew DeFranks: I view him similarly to how you view him, and I think the Bolduc trade to Montreal made him more valuable to the Blues, at least in my eyes, since they now have one less NHL winger.

I do think there’s obviously some shooting percentage things with Neighbours, but as you mentioned, he shoots from where there are high percentages to begin with. I did this exercise a long time ago, but looking at the guys with consistently high shooting percentages in their careers and you’ll see Point, Draisaitl, Reinhart, Hagel, Kreider, Marchand.

Guys that work inside tend to score a lot, and that’s Neighbours and his 17.1% career shooting percentage.

Sctdog: Does Fowler get resigned? Given his strong skating, and he’s always been a pretty good point producer does it seem like he can be a top 4 for this season and 2-3 more? He’s essentially the same age as Faulk, but seems to be aging better.

Matthew DeFranks: I’m very wary of it just because we’ve seen so many contracts recently for aging defensemen go wrong. Krug, Faulk, Scandella, Leddy among them. I think it depends on Broberg’s progress and whether the Blues view him as a potential partner for Parayko. And also how Mailloux looks on the power play if he is fully capable of being the PP1 QB.

DCG: Matt: We’re a few weeks removed from the Bolduc trade, and at the time, while I was surprised, I felt like I understood it based on Army’s explanation. The more time that passes, though, the more I think this is an incredible risk trading an up and coming winger on a team that needs goal scoring for a kid who has yet to log an NHL minute and will be trying to master a much tougher position. A month removed, what’s your take on the trade, and do you think Bolduc’s lack of production in the playoffs was a factor in Army’s being comfortable trading him?

pugger: Mailloux… What are the chances this guy becomes a true #1? OR even 1A? I sure like Bolduc’s skill set, and it sounds like Montreal is very happy to have this guy. Kind of a scary trade, but, I guess the upside is so high you have to do it, right?

Matthew DeFranks: The Blues probably took the bigger risk with this trade since they gave up the more experienced, more proven asset, albeit not at a premium position like a right-handed defenseman. Maybe the Blues deserved to get an extra pick or something in the trade, but that’s not how it went, obviously.

I wonder how much the Blues thought about Bolduc’s inconsistency throughout the season, or whether that was purely a product of playing under Drew Bannister. Or how they looked at his post-4 Nations surge as power-play driven.

There’s something to be said for scoring 19 goals with primary linemates like Sundqvist and Joseph, but the Blues bet on a big, right-handed defenseman that was one of the AHL’s best in back-to-back seasons.

Not sure Mailloux is going to have No. 1 potential or even top-pair potential, and the Blues see him as a top-four guy that could maybe improve past that stature.

Sctdog: Faulk over the last two years in total has all of 6 goals including 2 on the power play, which he often quarterbacks. Is Fowler or Broberg the new PP D, do they drop Faulk’s TOI to a near 3rd pair D?

Matthew DeFranks: The second power play unit will be a battle to watch during training camp. As you mentioned, Justin Faulk has done little in recent years to make his claim to a spot ironclad. Is he probably the favorite to QB the second unit? Sure. But I’d imagine Mailloux gets a good look there, with the possibility of Broberg as well. I think Fowler has done enough to be the top guy on the first PP.

Brian Phipps: Any idea what number Bjugstad wears this season? Obviously 17 and 72 are taken, so will he be the first Blue to wear #27 since Petro? Thanks in advance!

Matthew DeFranks: I have no idea, but I can’t imagine the Blues give away 27 to a player of Bjugstad’s stature, especially if Pietrangelo’s career really is over and a ceremony in St. Louis gets that much closer.

My crazy idea? Fowler goes back to No. 4 with Nick Leddy gone. Bjugstad takes the vacant No. 17. Shrug.

pugger: Hey Matt!! Hope all is well with you and yours, sir.. I’m kind of excited about the Blues this season. I think they have a shot at making the playoffs, making a little rumble maybe when they get there. Thoughts?

Matthew DeFranks: I’m sure that’s the goal. And it’s not really that unrealistic given how close they were to beating the Jets in the first round in the spring. There’s some uncertainty of course — counting on Snuggerud, repeats from Holloway and Broberg, avoiding aging of Fowler, etc. — but the Central feels a lot more open.

pugger: Any scenario where the Blues are get an offer for Binnington they jump on, and just let Hofer be the starter.. He’s got the skills, I think. But is he ready? Thoughts?

Matthew DeFranks: I don’t think so. I think as long as the Blues are in this position as a franchise, they need Binnington as the starter. But it is worth noting that his no-trade list is down to 14 teams this season from 18 last year.

pugger: Yea, imagine if Bolduc had 50-60+ games with Thomas dishing him passes? Could have had 30+ goals. Plus he seems to have embraced all facets of the game, d side, the grittiness, etc… Plus, Bolduc is not a small guy.. He’s what, 6’1″/2″??? He could be a force. Well let’s hope Mailoux blossoms, and even if he is just top 4, the Blues desperately need that, so I’d take that if that’s how it pans out

Matthew DeFranks: To be fair, six of his 19 goals came on primary assist from Robert Thomas. And that included his last five goals of the season. But you’re right. This move was because the Blues had too much of one thing and too little of another.

pugger: Maybe your right. But I think Hofer has the skills, and his mindset seems awfully cool for the intensity that comes with being a goalie… They’ll have to decide at some point, I’m sure he doesnt’ want to be a backup for 5 more years…

Matthew DeFranks: Hofer is such a chill dude. Loves competition, of course, and places big expectations on himself. Both Binnington and Hofer’s contracts are up at the same time, so perhaps that’s a natural point.

pugger: But geez, don’t you want to get something for Binnington if he still holds value? I would think Toronto would pounce on a chance to bring him in.. He and Berube?

Matthew DeFranks: The value you get by keeping Binnington is what he provides in the goal. At this point, the Blues don’t need a pick that will be in the NHL in five years.

pugger: Binnington for players… If Mailoux totally breaks out (fingers crossed), Binnington + Parayko for Knies and something else from Toronto…

Matthew DeFranks: I guess we can see in a couple years.

GoThunder: I remain shocked Army didn’t buy out Texier. Is he there just for cannon fodder in camp? There’s no way this guy is in the opening lineup, right? Please tell me ‘right’.

Matthew DeFranks: I think Armstrong probably thinks about waivers as a better option than buyouts. We can see two examples in Saad and Leddy just from the last year. So worst case, the Blues can waive Texier and bury $1.15M of his cap hit in the AHL, or another team can claim him outright.

I wouldn’t expect him to admit this, but I’m sure there’s also some pride to never having bought out a player.

simpleton: You pegged Nikita Alexandrov in a previous chat as a sleeper for camp. What are the chances he makes that 3rd line wing instead of Texier or Joseph?

Matthew DeFranks: He’s also an option, assuming he gets re-signed of course. It can be tough for players that get the AAAA label though. Not good enough for the NHL, a great player in the AHL. They can sometimes get tagged as a good recall instead of someone that truly battles for a roster spot.

That’s all that’s in the queue, so we’ll call it there. Have a good week!

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