Blues miss playoffs for 3rd time in 4 seasons, Thomas injury among factors

The St. Louis Blues failed to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the third time in the past four seasons.

The Blues (34-33-12) won 5-3 at the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday but were eliminated earlier in the day with the Los Angeles Kings’ 1-0 victory against the Edmonton Oilers.

St. Louis qualified for the playoffs last season, losing to the Winnipeg Jets in seven games in the Western Conference First Round. It won its only Stanley Cup championship in 2019.

Here’s a look at what happened in the 2025-26 season for the Blues, and why things could be better next season.

The skinny

Potential unrestricted free agents: Oskar Sundqvist, F; Justin Holl, D

Potential restricted free agents: Dylan Holloway, F; Jonatan Berggren, F; Matthew Kessel, D

Potential 2026 Draft picks: 12

What went wrong

Struggles early in the year: The Blues were experiencing tough times when the calendar changed to 2026; from Dec. 29-Feb. 4, they went 5-12-1. On Feb. 6, when the NHL began its break for the 2026 Winter Olympics, St. Louis trailed the Anaheim Ducks by 14 points for the second wild card in the West. As valiant as its effort was to get back into the postseason race, it proved to be too much to overcome.

Scoring issues: The Blues are averaging 2.68 goals per game, which ranks 28th in the League this season. Robert Thomas leads them with 58 points (22 goals, 36 assists), Holloway is next with 46 points (20 goals, 26 assists) and Pavel Buchnevich is third with 45 points (17 goals, 28 assists). It didn’t help Thomas was out from Jan. 10, had a minor procedure on his leg in early February and didn’t return until March 1. Holloway missed time, too, and has been limited to 56 games this season. 

Woes on special teams: Neither the power play nor penalty kill has been a source of strength for St. Louis; it is converting on 17.8 percent of its power plays and has a 76.4 percent success rate on the penalty kill. Each is ranked 26th in the NHL.

Reasons for optimism

Broberg rising through ranks: When the Blues tendered an offer sheet to restricted free agent Philip Broberg in 2024, they knew they were hoping to land their future top defenseman. Broberg signed a six-year, $48 million contract ($8 million average annual value) on Jan. 10, and general manager Doug Armstrong said Broberg was, “One of the few bright lights in a season that hasn't gone anywhere near the way we expected.” The 24-year-old has 32 points (six goals, 26 assists) in 78 games while averaging a team-high 23:25 of ice time.

Joel Hofer’s emergence: Hofer has played like a No. 1 goalie for the Blues this season and is 22-13-5 with a 2.59 goals-against average, .911 save percentage and six shutouts, which ranks second in the NHL behind Ilya Sorokin of the New York Islanders (seven). The 25-year-old is shaping up to be the starter in the foreseeable future; Jordan Binnington, 32, who led St. Louis to the Cup seven years ago, has one season remaining on the six-year, $36 million contract he signed on March 11, 2021. 

Youth movement: Jimmy Snuggerud is tied for fourth among NHL rookies this season with 44 points (18 goals, 26 assists) in 67 games, and other up-and-coming players benefited from the playoff push after the Olympic break. Forwards Dalibor Dvorsky, Otto Stenberg and Berggren, and defensemen Logan Mailloux and Theo Lindstein gained valuable experience through the stretch run that should help next season and beyond.