The St. Louis Blues are coming off a promising playoff appearance. St. Louis rallied under head coach Jim Montgomery, who joined the team early within the season after being fired by the Boston Bruins. Montgomery aided the likes of Brayden Schenn and goalie Jordan Binnington as they pushed for a spot within the postseason.
The Blues met with the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Winnipeg Jets in round one. And it was a tale of two halves in a way. In Winnipeg, the Jets showed why they were a force to be reckoned with. In St. Louis, though, the Blues did whatever they wanted. NHL MVP Connor Hellebuyck struggled mightily on the road, and it nearly ended Winnipeg’s season.
Nevertheless, the Jets eliminated the Blues in seven games to advance. St. Louis hit the offseason hoping to make a splash move. After ending second within the Noah Dobson trade sweepstakes, the team went with Pius Suter and Nick Bjugstad as the most important offseason additions.
St. Louis is hoping to contend once more in 2025-26. If things go south, though, they’ve some very intriguing trade candidates. Listed here are two way-too-early trade candidates on the Blues roster before the season begins in slightly over a month.
Blues’ Brayden Schenn is not any stranger to trade rumors
The Blues explored trading Brayden Schenn on the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline. On the time, it was unclear whether the team would make the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Even in the event that they were in contention, trading Schenn could’ve netted a haul too good to show down. In the long run, they elected to hold on to their captain for the rest of the season.
Once the Blues made the playoffs, the trade winds around Schenn obviously died down. And it is difficult to assume the team moving him at this point. Nevertheless, teams across the NHL are searching for second-line centers. Schenn is among the finest second-line centers within the league at the moment. He can be signed for an additional season beyond the 2025-26 campaign.
Schenn’s $6.5 million cap hit could cause some teams to balk. But when the Blues are out of contention, the 34-year-old Schenn goes to be in demand. It’s definitely not the end result St. Louis is hoping for. In a seller’s market, though, a trade could help St. Louis quickly retool and return to contention.
Jordan Binnington could fetch an enormous return
Jordan Binnington has etched his name within the annals of Blues history already. His very ascension to NHL stardom brought the franchise its first Stanley Cup in 2019. He never became a very elite goalie on this league. In saying this, he might be some of the sought-after netminders on the trade market.
Binnington often does well when the lights are vivid. He has a .909 save percentage in 48 postseason contests. Furthermore, he was a standout member for Team Canada on the 2025 4 Nations Faceoff Tournament. In reality, he was among the finest players for the Canadians on the tournament, no matter position.
The Blues star has struggled with inconsistency over the previous couple of seasons. He has recorded a .902 save percentage over the past 4 years, while posting -9.44 Goals Saved Above Average and 20.26 Goals Saved Above Expected.
All this said, he does have a solid enough track record. He has a Stanley Cup to his name. And goaltendng is in demand across the NHL. All of this creates an ideal storm for the Blues to explore the trade market on him in the event that they fall off. Especially with a young, NHL-caliber goalie already on the roster waiting for a bigger role.