NHL's Top Issues Facing The St. Louis Blues: Krug, Holloway, Broberg and Thomas in Spotlight

You’re reading the newest edition of THN.com’s series breaking down the top issues facing each NHL team. 

In today’s file, we’re examining three issues facing the St. Louis Blues.

1. What do new acquisitions Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg need to do to make their offer sheet compensation worth it for Blues GM Doug Armstrong?

Armstrong shocked the NHL world when he acquired Broberg and Holloway via offer sheets to the former Oilers players – with the compensation of a second-round draft pick (for Broberg) and a third-round pick (for Holloway) heading Edmonton’s way. That asset package – not to mention Broberg’s annual salary of $4.58 million, and Holloway’s $2.29-million salary – sets the bar rather high for the two new Blues.

At the very least, Broberg needs to be a top-four, minute-munching blueliner who can contribute something in the area of the numbers he posted at the American League level (including 33 assists and 38 points in 49 games) last season. And Holloway – who generated six goals and nine points in 39 games for the Oilers last year – needs to produce at least 10 goals and 30-35 points as a member of St. Louis’ third line of forwards and second power-play unit.

Both Holloway and Broberg are under contract only for the next two seasons, so the experiment Armstrong has made with them could be short-lived. But the Blues are built to win now, and Broberg and Holloway are going to get every chance to prove they were worth Armstrong’s gamble on them. They don’t have to blow the doors off, but they do have to contribute meaningfully to justify their new salaries. And they have to do so right away.

2. Can star center Robert Thomas reach the 90-point mark this year?

The 25-year-old Thomas set new career highs on offense this past season, putting up 26 goals, 60 assists and 86 points in 82 regular-season games. So it’s not at all a stretch to suggest he can improve on those numbers this season and get to the 90-point plateau. Thomas will be the Blues’ No. 1 center and member of the first power-play unit, and linemates Jake Neighbours and Jordan Kyrou should help him reach 90 points.

Thomas is still in the early stages of his NHL career, but he’s already demonstrated he can be a point-per-game player. He’s a key part of St. Louis’ core, and his best days are ahead. It won’t be easy for him to reach the 100-point mark, but he just needs an extra four points in addition to the total he had last season. That should be relatively easy for Thomas, and even a slight bump in production will result in new career-bests for him in 2024-25.

3. Will the potential added cap space with Torey Krug on Long-Term Injured Reserve tempt the Blues into another move?

The Blues currently have $1.26 million in cap space, but with Krug out for the entire season after ankle surgery, that number will increase to $7.76 million. Armstrong may not use that cap space right away, but as the season unfolds, he’s going to have enough financial flexibility to make a major addition to the roster.

Armstrong knows his challenge is to keep the Blues competitive in the short-term while keeping his eye on the long-term, and while the 33-year-old Krug has three seasons (and a full no-movement clause for this season) left on his current deal at $6.5 million per season, Armstrong will do whatever he can to improve the team. And if that means revisiting a Krug trade when he’s healthy, that’s what Armstrong is going to do.

Krug’s no-movement clause turns into a partial no-trade clause at the beginning of next season, so Armstrong could move him then and use the cap space on younger players. But for the moment, Krug’s status on the sidelines should allow the Blues to bring in experienced hands and players with playoff pedigrees to bolster their lineup. Armstrong’s offer sheet additions prove he’s under no gentleman’s agreement to not poach another team’s players, and if he can use the cap space he’s accumulated by putting Krug on LTIR, he’s definitely going to be aggressive with it.