Blues season preview: McTavish, McMichael added to bolster offense 

The 2026-27 NHL regular season begins Sept. 29. Leading up to the season opener, NHL.com is identifying six things to watch for each team. Today, the St. Louis Blues.

Last season: 37-33-12, fifth in Central Division; missed Stanley Cup Playoffs 

Coach: Jim Montgomery (third season)

Biggest challenge

The Blues have some new faces that they'll want to integrate quickly during a short training camp. Among them are forwards Mason McTavish and Connor McMichael, each acquired via trade. last season. McTavish, 23, had 41 points (17 goals, 24 assists) in 75 games with the Anaheim Ducks last season. McMichael, 25, had 46 points (14 goals, 32 assists) in 78 games with the Washington Capitals. The Blues also acquired Brandon Carlo from the Toronto Maple Leafs this offseason; the 29-year-old defenseman had seven assists in 55 games last season.

How they make playoffs

St. Louis needs to be more consistent this season, especially in goal. Joel Hofer had a few more starts than Jordan Binnington last season (43 compared to Binnington's 39) and put up better numbers. Hofer was 24-13-5 with a 2.61 goals-against average, .910 save percentage and six shutouts, which ranked second in the NHL behind Ilya Sorokin of the New York Islanders (seven). Binnington was 13-20-7 with a 3.33 GAA, .873 save percentage and one shutout. The Blues also need to be better on special teams; they were 26th in the NHL on the power play (17:6 percent) and 25th on the penalty kill (76.7 percent) last season.

Most intriguing addition

McTavish is getting a fresh start with the Blues, who acquired him from the Ducks on June 26. His 41 points last season were his fewest in his four full NHL seasons, and his 15:19 of ice time was also his lowest. He'll have something to prove with St. Louis and will be provided every opportunity to do so as its second-line center behind captain Robert Thomas.

Biggest potential surprise

The Blues are excited to see Adam Jiricek in training camp. The 20-year-old defenseman, who was selected with the No. 16 pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, had 59 points (19 goals, 40 assists) in 55 games with Brantford of the Ontario Hockey League last season. Jiricek then joined Springfield of the American Hockey League affiliate, where he played six AHL playoff games. St. Louis has experience on defense, but Jiricek could be hard to leave off the NHL roster if he has a strong camp.

Ready to contribute

Theo Lindstein, a 21-year-old defenseman, got the chance to play with Colton Parayko late last season and looked comfortable in the role. He had four points (two goals, two assists) in 17 games and averaged 15:46 of ice time. Prior to that, he had 14 points (six goals, eight assists) in 59 regular-season games and three assists in nine playoff games for Springfield. It certainly looks like Lindstein is ready to carve out a full-time spot in St. Louis.

Fantasy sleeper with EDGE stats

Joel Hofer, G: He set NHL career bests in wins (24), GAA (2.61) and shutouts (six) last season. After the season resumed following the Winter Olympics, Hofer was among the leaders in wins (12; tied for most), save percentage (.933; third among goalies with at least 10 games played) and GAA (2.04; third) from Feb. 25 to the end of the regular season. Hofer has a .909 save percentage over 115 career NHL games. Per NHL EDGE stats, he ranked highly among goalies in long-range save percentage (.984; 93rd percentile), mid-range save percentage (.906; 86th percentile) and 5-on-5 save percentage (.915; 81st percentile) last season. The 26-year-old is attainable outside the top 100 overall (average draft position: 123.8) and has a chance to be the full-time starter if Binnington is unable to bounce back. -- Chris Meaney

Projected lineup

Dylan Holloway -- Robert Thomas -- Jimmy Snuggerud

Connor McMichael -- Mason McTavish -- Pavel Buchnevich

Jake Neighbours -- Dalibor Dvorsky -- Jonatan Berggren

Ross Johnson -- Pius Suter -- Alexey Toropchenko

Philip Broberg -- Logan Mailloux

Theo Lindstein -- Colton Parayko

Cam Fowler -- Brandon Carlo

Joel Hofer

Jordan Binnington