Blues acquire veterans Radek Faksa, Mathieu Joseph for future considerations

Senators also send 2025 third-round pick to Blues, who add to their bottom forward depth

The St. Louis Blues didn't get involved Monday's free agent frenzy but they made a pair of trades on Tuesday to try and bolster the bottom of their forward crop.

In two separate deals, the Blues acquired forward Mathieu Joseph from the Ottawa Senators along with a 2025 third-round pick for future considerations, also sending future considerations to the Dallas Stars for forward Radek Faksa.

"That was something where we felt we have to be a harder team to play against, a team that can play stronger along the walls, stronger in front of the net." Blues coach Drew Bannister said. "I think that's something that certainly was addressed. The aspect of speed and skating. We're a quicker team today than we were yesterday.

"Their strengths are plays away from the puck and certainly being able to kill penalties. I think in the role that they're going to play for us, it certainly frees up maybe some of our top players to play 5-on-5, more specialty team units on the power play, not relying so much heavily on the PK because we have these players that can play in these positions."

Joseph, 27, is a winger who played in 72 games with the Senators last season and had 35 points (11 goals, 24 assists). He carries a $2.95 million cap hit for the next two seasons and $3.3 million in actual dollars each season remaining from a four-year, $11.8 million contract signed in 2022.

Joseph has 135 points (55 goals, 80 assists) in 360 regular-season games; he was part of the Tampa Bay Lightning's Stanley Cup champion team in 2021.

Faksa, 30, is a center played in 74 games with the Stars last season and had 19 points (seven goals, 12 assists) and one goal in eight playoff games last season. He has one year remaining on his contract, a five-year, $16,25 million contract signed in 2020, at a $3.25 million cap hit and is owed $2.75 million in actual dollars.

It's evident Blues general manager Doug Armstrong was looking for the Blues to get bigger and most importantly, faster, and he felt like he did with these moves.

"We wanted to get to be a faster team," he said. "If you look at our third and fourth line, I don't think we've ever had better skaters now if you go with Joseph and 'Kapi,' and you go with 'Torp' and [Alexandre] Texier. We have really quick players down there now that's going to get in on the forecheck, that's going to kill penalties that are going to relieve some of the necessity for our top-end players to kill, allow them to have more offensive zone face-offs.

"Faksa's a 30-year-old. He's a big man. He's big, strong, he plays down low, he can roll around. I think with that and with 'Sunny,' they're not the fleetest of foot players, but having that speed on the wings is going to allow them to put the puck in the right areas and have those guys forecheck but also be very good defensively. I like the makeup of that group. It's different than what we've had in the past just because of it's natural skating ability."

After signing Pavel Buchnevich to a six-year, $48-million extension, the Blues added another contract, signing Joseph's brother, P.O. Joseph, to a one-year, $950,000 contract.

The younger Joseph, 25, is a defenseman who was not qualified by the Pittsburgh Penguins and became an unrestricted free agent on Monday.

P.O. Joseph had two goals and nine assists in 52 games last season for the Penguins, and played the past four seasons in Pittsburgh.

"We added P.O. Joseph, a big, lanky player, kills plays, good skater," Armstrong said. "After I talked to [Mathieu], we started negotiating with P.O. a little earlier, so it was nice to make that second call and get the gang together."

The addition of the Joseph brothers will mark the seventh pair of brothers to play for the Blues in their history.

The additions add $7.15 million in cap space since there is no salary retention and leaves the Blues with just over $8.1 million in cap available with 22 of 23 NHL contracts used.