There are numerous factors that contributed to the St. Louis Blues’ failure to return to the postseason in 2025-26, and one of those factors was the health of a few key contributors. One of the team’s best forwards, Dylan Holloway, was limited to just 59 games played as a result of lower-body injury issues. Set to become an RFA this summer, Holloway could be a candidate to receive a long-term extension from the club.
Blues GM Doug Armstrong spoke on that possibility in his end-of-season press conference, and made it clear that the team wants to see Holloway show he can stay healthy – and play at a consistent level – before they feel comfortable committing to a long-term contract. Per The Athletic’s Jeremy Rutherford, Armstrong said “Holloway has to prove to himself and the league that he’s an 82-game player to that level that he played at the end. I think he is, but what I think is really irrelevant — it’s what he does. That’s just an honest answer that we need consistent, 82-game play.” Holloway has been excellent at times in his Blues career, and finished 2025-26 with 22 goals and 51 points in 58 games played. His expiring contract, the offer sheet he signed when he was a member of the Edmonton Oilers, contained a $2.29MM AAV.
Other notes from around the Central Division:
- While much of the recent conversation regarding the goaltending of the Winnipeg Jets has surrounded star Connor Hellebuyck, there is also the team’s backup role to consider. Veteran Eric Comrie is a pending unrestricted free agent, but he joked with the media, including The Athletic’s Murat Ates, that he “always” finds his way back to Winnipeg. Comrie was drafted by the Jets in 2013, broke into the NHL with the team in 2016-17, left and then re-joined the team via waivers in 2019-20, did the same in 2020-21, and finally returned to Winnipeg in 2024-25 after a two-year stint with the Buffalo Sabres. Comrie’s .890 save percentage in 25 games as the Jets’ backup this season was below his career standards of performance, but his .914 mark in 2024-25 shows what he can accomplish when the Jets as a team are firing on all cylinders. Ates called Comrie a “beloved teammate” in Winnipeg and added his return on a new contract is “highly plausible.”
- One player almost certain not to return to the Jets is the team’s 2019 first-round pick Ville Heinola. Ates wrote that Heinola’s “time with the Jets is over,” and that he will prioritize playing time in his next landing spot, whether that is with another NHL club or in an opportunity in Europe. The 25-year-old got into eight NHL games just a year after he was drafted, but wasn’t able to seize an NHL role on the Jets’ defense over the course of more than a half-decade with the club. While the Jets boasted enviable defensive depth throughout Heinola’s tenure with the team, something that contributed to his inability to break into the NHL, it’s also true that Heinola struggled to develop his defensive game. He has at least shown an ability to create offense from the back end at the AHL level, such as in 2022-23 when he scored a career-high 37 points in 48 games.