In the seven seasons after they won the 2018-19 Stanley Cup, the St. Louis Blues have struggled to be a consistent championship threat.

They’ve made the playoffs in four of those seven years, but they’ve never made it beyond the second round of the playoffs, and in three of the past four seasons, the Blues have missed out on the playoffs altogether.

The Blues want to be a consistent playoff team, and incoming GM Alexander Steen has a mandate to get St. Louis into the post-season immediately. With the moves the Blues are making, and with one major move reportedly in their sights, the Blues could be a sneaky pick to get into the playoffs next season.

In a recent mailbag for The Athletic, veteran reporter Jeremy Rutherford reported that the Blues have interest in Carolina Hurricanes up-and-coming defenseman Alexander Nikishin. The 24-year-old Nikishin posted 11 goals and 33 points in 81 games this past season, but his playoff performance wasn’t elite, as he put up just one assist in 17 playoff games during Carolina’s championship run this spring.

Nikishin is now a restricted free agent, so if the Hurricanes don’t want to give him a major raise on his next contract, there’ll be some team that’s more than willing to do so.

That’s where the Blues come in. With Steen coming into power to replace the technically-promoted Doug Armstrong, St. Louis is intent on moving forward with a renewed push up the Central Division standings.

Changing up their defense corps with an addition like Nikishin could be just the move the Blues need to turn the corner and start attacking the rest of the teams in the hyper-competitive Central.

If the Blues do get Nikishin, their defense corps will feature some mainstays – including veterans Colton Parayko, Philip Broberg and Cam Fowler – and youngsters Theo Lindstein and Logan Mailloux. So St. Louis has what could prove to be an underrated group of blueliners.

Although they did make a major trade by shipping out star right winger Jordan Kyrou to the Washington Capitals, the Blues got back a solid piece in forward Connor McMichael, and St. Louis also added former Anaheim Ducks star forward Mason McTavish to shore up their group of forwards. Armstrong/Steen has added a solid ‘D’ in former Toronto Maple Leafs blueliner Brandon Carlo.

The Blues are going to have an uphill battle trying to make it into the playoffs ahead of Central powerhouses including the Colorado Avalanche, Minnesota Wild and Dallas Stars. Even the Utah Mammoth, Winnipeg Jets and Nashville Predators have designs on a playoff spot in 2026-27.

But it’s possible, if not probable, that the Central sends five teams into the playoffs next season. That would give the Blues the opening they need to push into the post-season picture and take their chances at a long playoff run once they get there. 

This is why the Blues are a sneaky pick to be a playoff team next year. They may not have a generational player in the mold of a Nathan MacKinnon or Quinn Hughes, but their depth is going to allow them to creep up on teams and surprise the league with strong play. St. Louis has finished in fifth in the Central in each of the past three seasons, and that type of finish might be enough for the Blues to be a playoff team in ‘26-27.

The Blues probably aren’t close to winning another Cup anytime soon. But Steen and Armstrong still have approximately $4.3 million in salary cap space, and that flexibility will allow Steen to address in-season issues. If you’re looking for a dark horse playoff team next year, the Blues could be the best pick you can make.

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