​Apr 15, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Blues right wing Jimmy Snuggerud (21) is congratulated by teammates after scoring his first NHL goal against the Utah Hockey Club during the first period at Enterprise Center. Mandatory Credit: … | Source: Lastwordonsports.com – Andrew Willis, EditorLast Word On Hockey‘s Puck Drop Previews are back for the 2026-27 season! As the regular season approaches, Last Word will preview each team’s current outlook and stories to watch for the upcoming year. We’ll also do our best to project how things will go for each team throughout the campaign. Today, we’re previewing the 2026-27 St. Louis Blues.The 2026-27 St. Louis BluesThe Blues may be one of the biggest wild cards of this upcoming season, with undeniable prospect talent and solid additions in the offseason. With a newly named captain in Robert Thomas as well as a new general manager in Alex Steen, the team is getting younger, faster, and, in turn, looks to be more competitive, despite the departure of one of their leading scorers, Jordan Kyrou. Let’s discuss the outlook for the 2026-27 St. Louis Blues.December 17, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri; St. Louis Blues defenceman Colton Parayko (55) controls the puck as Winnipeg Jets centre Adam Lowry (17) defends during the third period at Enterprise Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn ImagesA 2025-26 Season RecapThe Blues had a slow start last season, which ultimately led the team to miss the Stanley Cup Playoffs by four points, despite going 17-5-3 after the Olympic break. The special teams were an issue throughout the season, as the team finished 26th on the power play with 17.6% and 25th on the penalty kill with 76.7%. The goaltending, like the rest of the team, had a slow start, but young goaltender Joel Hofer emerged as the starter in the latter portion of the season and will likely be the goaltender of the future.At the trade deadline, the Blues parted ways with their captain, Brayden Schenn, as well as a veteran defender, Justin Faulk. That allowed the young players like Jimmy Snuggerud, Jake Neighbours, and Logan Mailloux to get more ice time.2026 OffseasonMost notably, Jordan Kyrou was traded to the Washington Capitals in exchange for Connor McMichael and the 16th-overall pick (Maddox Dagenais) in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft. The Blues also had the 15th and 29th picks in the draft, which they traded away for Mason McTavish, who can be a top-six centre on the team. Along with adding McMichael, they greatly improved their centre depth, despite losing their captain, Schenn. They also added some depth players in Ross Johnston and Brandon Carlo.As we mentioned earlier, the Blues also named a new captain in Robert Thomas, as well as a new general manager in Alex Steen, as he took over from Doug Armstrong, who transitioned away from the day-to-day operations of the team, a position he held for 16 years, and is now the president of the team.Lineup ProjectionsForwardsLWCRWDylan HollowayRober