The Blues, with a forward core ravaged by injuries of late, would likely have been keen to add any NHL capable player from waivers. One such as Berggren was especially hard to pass up. After several years of lighting up the AHL but not quite putting it all together at the highest level, the 25-year-old became the latest former top prospect to hit the wire.
Blues Rumors
Blues Reportedly Have Brayden Schenn, Pavel Buchnevich On Trade Block
It’s not a foregone conclusion that the St. Louis Blues will be major sellers leading up to this year’s trade deadline, though it’s certainly shaping up that way. In two separate reports, Chris Johnston of The Athletic writes that center Brayden Schenn could be the first domino to fall, while TheFourthPeriod’s David Pagnotta suggested in Inside Sports with Brenden Escott that Pavel Buchnevich’s name has popped up in trade chatter.
The updates come only a few days after General Manager Doug Armstrong declared that there were no untouchables on the Blues’ roster. Armstrong has the opportunity to collect multiple prospects, as well as draft capital, to set St. Louis up for its next generation as the front office transitions to Alexander Steen next season.
Schenn, 34, isn’t a stranger to seeing his name in trade conversations. The former 5th overall pick of the 2009 NHL Draft has already been traded twice in his career, though he’s spent the last nine years with the Blues. Schenn was included in trade negotiations last season, though the captain publicly expressed his desire to remain in St. Louis and may have used his no-trade clause to ensure that he did.
He’s become more movable as his full no-trade protection transitioned to a 15-team no-trade clause this year. Still, unless there’s a significant increase in offensive production, the Blues may have missed their best opportunity to maximize Schenn’s perceived trade value. Through his first 36 games this year, he’s on pace for 14 goals and 30 points, which would be his worst output since the 2012-13 season.
Furthermore, outside of his faceoff percentage, which is at an elite rate this season, Schenn’s possession metrics and defensive metrics have also declined this year. Still, because the premium put on the center position, and other team’s desperation, St. Louis has the opportunity to take advantage of a sellers market. Just last night, the Los Angeles Kings traded Phillip Danault, who’s signed through next season at a $5.5MM cap hit, for a second-round pick.
Additionally, the Blues could market Schenn’s playoff experience as another selling point. Especially for a young center-needy team like the Montreal Canadiens, Schenn’s postseason past, particularly helping St. Louis win the Stanley Cup in 2019, could be of great value both on and off the ice.
Meanwhile, the idea of moving Buchnevich may be mostly pie in the sky thinking, and the Blues simply doing their due dilligence. The 30-year-old forward is signed through the 2030-31 season at an $8MM cap hit and has full no-trade protection until the 2029-30 season.
Furthermore, like Schenn and multiple other players on the roster, Buchnevich’s trade value has fallen this season. Scoring five goals and 17 points in his first 36 contests, Buchnevich is one pace for his lowest goal-scoring totals since his rookie campaign in 2016-17.
Still, before this year, Buchnevich was a fairly consistent offensive presence for St. Louis. In 292 games from 2021 to 2025, Buchnevich scored 103 goals and 263 points with a +56 rating, averaging 19:09 of ice time. If team’s feel that Buchnevich can rebound to that level of play in a different environment, they may be willing to pay the cost for his services. Still, there’s likely too many hurdles to overcome to make a swap this season.
Assessing Potential Under-The-Radar Trade Candidates
After two major trades last week involving players like Quinn Hughes, Marco Rossi, Tristan Jarry, and Stuart Skinner, the trade bait boards in the media have removed several names from the potential trade list. There are still many clear candidates available for trade, including Ryan O’Reilly, Rasmus Andersson, Alex Tuch, and Yegor Chinakhov. However, beyond that initial group of obvious options, there are less obvious, under-the-radar players who might come into play as the next few months unfold.
We start with a couple of Jets players who are near the bottom of the NHL standings and have been a colossal disappointment this season. Much of their struggles are due to three-time Vezina Trophy winner (and last season’s Hart Trophy winner) Connor Hellebuyck missing three weeks after an arthroscopic knee procedure on Nov. 21.
If this slow start persists, the Jets have two veterans, Gustav Nyquist and Jonathan Toews, who could be trade targets if Winnipeg decides to punt on this season. With just six assists in 24 games, Nyquist hasn’t been a fit in Winnipeg. The 36-year-old is on a one-year deal worth $3.25MM that he signed on July 1 and is only two years removed from posting 75 points in 81 games with the Predators.
Should Winnipeg make Nyquist available, he will attract significant interest due to his veteran experience and passing skills. Make no mistake, Nyquist is somewhat one-dimensional at this stage in his career, but he can also contribute on the penalty kill and occasionally score. Last year at the trade deadline, Nashville traded Nyquist to the Wild for a second-round pick; however, his performance this season (and last year) makes that return unlikely. Nyquist doesn’t have trade protection on his current deal.
Initially, Toews’ story was an incredible demonstration of perseverance and grit in getting back to the NHL. The Jets took a chance on Toews, hoping he could regain his spot as an NHL center in their top six, or at least their top nine. That hasn’t happened so far, as Toews has struggled to keep up with today’s NHL pace, which is understandable given his health issues and the time he was away from the game.
Winnipeg misjudged how effective Toews would be, and they are now paying the price in the standings because of a significant gap in their forward group. That said, they are still in the playoff hunt, and with an intense stretch of play, they could contend again. However, if they stumble, they might consider moving Toews if he’s willing to waive his no-move clause. Since he returned home to play for the Jets, it’s unlikely they will trade him or that he will accept a deal, but if Winnipeg’s struggles persist, it could become a real possibility.
Toews has been moved to the fourth line (along with Nyquist) and has scored just three goals and six assists in 33 games this season with a -13 rating while averaging 15:33 of ice time per game. Those stats mark the worst production of Toews’ career. He’s appeared slow this year, and Winnipeg seems like a team playing in slow motion when he is on the ice. It raises the question of whether they can continue to include him in the lineup.
The Jets signed Toews to make a substantial impact in the playoffs, but if the playoffs look unlikely, it makes sense to see if they can find him a team that will qualify and receive a small return. That is, if he wishes to play elsewhere.
Sticking with the Western Conference, the Blues have also disappointed this season, after pushing the Jets to the very limit in last year’s playoffs. St. Louis is a team caught between being a playoff contender and an up-and-coming squad, and it’s fair to wonder how many veterans they might move this season. Much has been said about Jordan Kyrou, Jordan Binnington, and Brayden Schenn, all of whom are on many trade candidate lists, but one name that isn’t talked about often is forward Mathieu Joseph.
Joseph is a Stanley Cup champion who could be a reliable addition to a contending team looking to strengthen its depth. The 28-year-old has a good shot, can kill penalties, and plays with a lot of speed. He is carrying a $2.95MM cap hit in the final year of a four-year deal and won’t cost a fortune for any team aiming to improve their lineup. Joseph would also bring a bit of physicality to the bottom of a forward group, making him a strong candidate for a trade.
Switching over to the Eastern Conference, a name that emerges as a somewhat under-the-radar trade candidate is defenseman Ryan Shea. The Penguins signed Shea to a one-year NHL contract in the summer of 2023 that included a $775K guarantee, despite him having never played an NHL game up to that point.
Shea had spent three seasons in the Stars’ minor league system after captaining Northeastern University in the NCAA. The 28-year-old is once again heading for free agency next summer and was earlier projected by AFP Analytics to receive a one-year deal worth just over $1MM.
However, his performance this season (two goals and 11 assists in 33 games) has raised his value, and he could be eyeing a multi-year contract considering his age and recent form. The Penguins have over $54MM in cap space for next season (as per PuckPedia) and could easily re-sign him, but it remains uncertain whether he fits into their long-term plans given their projected window of contention. If they see him as part of their top-six forward group, he will sign and stay; if not, he should be an available trade asset before the deadline due to his $900K cap hit.
Lastly, we have Teddy Blueger of the Canucks. Blueger has played just two games this season due to a lower-body injury, but is expected to return after Christmas, making him a likely trade candidate given his upcoming free agency next summer.
Blueger is a dependable pro and a consistent presence; he is a fourth-line center, no more, no less. The 31-year-old is in the final season of a two-year deal paying him $1.8MM and is likely to get a raise if he can return to the lineup and perform at his best. Blueger has been remarkably consistent throughout his career, peaking at 28 points in a season, a number he has reached multiple times.
Blueger isn’t overly big or fast, but he is an excellent forechecker and has some offensive skills beyond goal scoring, which he isn’t particularly good at. He is a smart player both offensively and defensively, especially on the penalty kill, where he has been excellent historically.
All these factors make Blueger a prime candidate to be moved before the deadline, given his timeline and the Canucks’ plans. Vancouver is about as unpredictable as any team can be right now, but Blueger has a Stanley Cup on his resume and will be sought after by playoff-bound teams, which Vancouver is not.
St. Louis Blues Reassign Matt Luff
The St. Louis Blues announced that they’ve assigned depth forward Matt Luff to the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds. The Blues are down to 21 players on the active roster.
St. Louis likely felt comfortable reassigning Luff given yesterday’s injury updates. According to Lou Korac of The Hockey News, all three of Jordan Kyrou, Jimmy Snuggerud, and Nathan Walker were skating yesterday morning. The expectation is that Kyrou will return to play against the Florida Panthers tomorrow.
Today’s reassignment concludes Luff’s first playing time in the NHL since the 2022-23 campaign. He skated in five games for the Blues, registering one goal with a -2 rating while averaging 9:08 of ice time in a fourth-line role.
He’ll return to a Thunderbirds where he’s joined the best stretch of his professional career, at least in the AHL. Throughout the past two years in Springfield, Luff has scored 25 goals and 59 points in 67 games with a -14 rating. Despite spending the last two weeks with the Blues, Luff remains third on the Thunderbirds in scoring this season.
It may not be his last pit stop in St. Louis this season. Given their current trajectory, the Blues are expected to sell off a few pieces leading up to the trade deadline, especially at the forward position. Should that come to fruition, Luff may find his way back to the NHL for the last stretch of the regular season.
St. Louis Blues Reassign Hugh McGing
The St. Louis Blues announced today that the club has reassigned forward Hugh McGing to their AHL affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds.
The 27-year-old forward was originally recalled by the Blues from Springfield on Dec. 8. McGing served as a healthy scratch the next day for the Blues’ game against the Boston Bruins, but drew into the lineup for the team’s following three contests.
McGing made an instant impact during his recall, scoring his first NHL goal during the team’s road loss to the Nashville Predators. McGing also added the first assist of his career a few nights later, during the Blues’ second loss to the Predators of December.
A 2018 fifth-round pick of the Blues, McGing played his first NHL game in 2022-23 and got into five games in 2023-24. He spent all of last season in the AHL but earned an early recall this season in part due to his record of steady production at the AHL level.
While he has just six points through 18 AHL games this season, he’s managed to score at least 30 points for the Thunderbirds in every full season he’s played there. He’s become a consistent, reliable presence in Springfield, a development that paved his way to the NHL.
While his most recent recall has come to an end, McGing’s NHL performance put him on the radar for future call-ups. Even as the Blues struggle to build momentum in the standings this season, and are at risk of playing out the latter part of their season outside of the playoff picture, each game would have serious weight for McGing, especially from a financial perspective.
He’s a pending unrestricted free agent who could leave the Blues organization for the first time in his career. He’s playing out a two-year, two-way deal that carries a league-minimum $775K NHL cap hit and a $250K AHL salary. Given his slow start to the season in terms of AHL production, he’ll need to earn as many NHL games as possible if he wants to make a push to earn a one-way contract, or a heftier AHL guarantee, in free agency this summer.
Blues Claim Jonatan Berggren Off Waivers
The Blues have claimed winger Jonatan Berggren off waivers from the Red Wings, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports. The team moved center Nick Bjugstad to injured reserve to open up a roster spot for him, per Matthew DeFranks of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
When Detroit waived Berggren yesterday, the motivations weren’t clear. They might have been attempting to open a roster spot for Mason Appleton to come off injured reserve, or the Wings simply may have been looking to give the fourth-year Swede a fresh start elsewhere. If they were hoping to sneak him through to the AHL, though, they’ll be disappointed with today’s outcome.
Once a standout who led Sweden’s top junior league in scoring in his draft year, Berggren cracked the Wings’ lineup for the first time in 2022-23. He’s been a fairly efficient depth scorer ever since, averaging a 15-16–31 scoring line per 82 games despite averaging under 13 minutes of ice time, but had seen his role slashed in Detroit this year. He’s been a healthy scratch more times (18) than he’s played (15) and has only suited up once since Thanksgiving.
There’s long been optimism about what Berggren’s production could look like if given an expanded role. He hasn’t seen minor-league action in two years but was one of the AHL’s top scoring presences from 2021-24, recording 49 goals and 127 points in 130 games for Detroit’s affiliate in Grand Rapids.
The 25-year-old may now get that chance on a decimated Blues team that’s missing three of its top four wingers in Dylan Holloway, Jordan Kyrou, and Jimmy Snuggerud. Their injury crunch has recently forced veteran Robby Fabbri into a top-six role after signing a two-way deal just days ago, plus emergency AHL call-ups Hugh McGing and Matt Luff sliding into the bottom six.
Now, their low place in the standings pays some dividends in the form of the third-highest waiver priority in the league. In addition to adding some short-term depth, Berggren could continually slot into a top-nine role for St. Louis down the stretch if they sell off rumored trade chips Brayden Schenn, Mathieu Joseph, and Oskar Sundqvist.
In claiming Berggren, the Blues are on the hook for his $1.825MM cap hit for the remainder of the season. He’ll be a restricted free agent next summer with arbitration rights.
Bjugstad has already missed three games with an upper-body injury, which he sustained seven days ago on Dec. 9 against the Bruins. As such, he’s eligible to come off IR at any time. The 33-year-old pivot has four goals and an assist in 25 games this season.
Image courtesy of Walter Tychnowicz-Imagn Images.
St. Louis Blues Recall Otto Stenberg
The St. Louis Blues announced today that forward Otto Stenberg has been recalled from the club’s AHL affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds.
The move puts Stenberg, 20, in a position to potentially make his NHL debut as soon as tonight during the team’s contest against the Nashville Predators. The club selected Stenberg No. 25 overall at the 2023 draft, the middle selection in the team’s trio of first-round draft choices that year. 2023 No. 10 pick Dalibor Dvorsky has already landed in the NHL, playing in a total of 25 career games so far, while No. 29 pick Theo Lindstein is still waiting, like Stenberg, to make his debut.
Stenberg is in the midst of his second season playing professional hockey in North America, and this year is his first year beginning the season in North America. In 2024-25, Stenberg began his season in the SHL before crossing the Atlantic to play in the AHL after the conclusion of the World Junior Championships. The 5’11” center has been solid at the AHL level, scoring 25 points in 59 games, and drawing positive reviews for the pace and work rate in his game.
With the Blues down an established NHL forward in Dylan Holloway, who was placed on injured reserve today, Stenberg now has an opportunity to prove himself at the NHL level for the first time. While it’s unclear at this point whether Stenberg will dress for any games, he’ll at least get his first, valuable taste of what life is like as a player in the world’s top league.
Blues Place Dylan Holloway On IR With Right High Ankle Sprain
The Blues announced forward Dylan Holloway will miss six weeks due to a right high ankle sprain and has been placed on injured reserve. Winger Alexey Toropchenko was activated from IR in the corresponding move.
Holloway sustained the injury in Sunday’s practice, not during game action. He was inadvertently tripped during a drill and wasn’t able to put any weight on his right leg as he was helped off the ice.
The 24-year-old is now in for his second extended absence of the calendar year. Holloway sustained a season-ending oblique injury with just five games left in the 2024-25 regular season, holding him out of their first-round loss to the Jets.
A pending restricted free agent after signing his two-year, $4.58MM offer sheet with St. Louis in 2024, Holloway’s production has taken a hit from last season’s breakout. After putting together a 26-37–63 scoring line in 77 appearances in 2024-25, he’s come out of the gate with eight goals and 17 points in 33 games this year. Expressed in points per game, that’s a drop from 0.82 to 0.52 – a 37% decrease.
That’s due mainly to natural ebbs and flows in luck. His shot and chance generation numbers are nearly identical to last season. His shooting percentage has dipped by over four percent from 14.6% to 10.5%, though. Combined with the team’s general lack of finishing ability – their 10.0 shooting percentage is 25th in the league – and his production has suffered.
He’s still second on the team in scoring and a weapon the offense-starved Blues can’t afford to lose for any length of time, particularly with three other forwards – including top-nine names Jordan Kyrou and Jimmy Snuggerud – on IR. He’s averaged 17:52 of ice time per game, third among St. Louis forwards, and is among their most impactful drivers of possession. At 5-on-5, his 49.8 CF% and 53.3 xGF% are both top three among Blues forwards, even if his -11 rating doesn’t indicate a great run of two-way play from him at a glance.
Despite the rash of injuries, the Blues have somewhat recovered from their dreadful start. They’re 5-4-1 in their last 10 games and have climbed up to 31 points, four out of a playoff spot. However, a tight Western Conference picture and dwindling underlying numbers combine to give them just an 8.4% chance at postseason play, per MoneyPuck.
They’ll at least recoup some depth in Toropchenko. The 26-year-old fourth-line piece has been a double-digit goal scorer before, but isn’t on track to do so this year with one goal and two points in 17 outings. He’s been out since the beginning of the month after sustaining burns to his legs in an off-ice incident.
The Blues already had an open roster spot with Toropchenko on IR, so they’ll stick with one now as Holloway takes his place. A six-week timeline puts Holloway back in action on Jan. 26 at the earliest, meaning a 19-game absence at minimum.
Blues’ Dylan Holloway Leaves, Alexey Toropchenko Returns To Practice
The St. Louis Blues kicked off practice with good news. Winger Alexey Toropchenko took the practice sheet with his teammates for the first time this month, after missing the last seven games with burns to his legs sustained away from the team. He is expected to return to the lineup in Monday’s game against the Nashville Predators, per NHL.com’s Lou Korac. Practice took a turn towards the negative partway through, though, when top winger Dylan Holloway sustained a lower-body injury. He was helped off the ice by teammate Logan Mailloux and a coach, captured by Korac.
Blues head coach Jim Montgomery said the team didn’t have a clear view of Holloway’s injury, or availability for Monday’s game, just yet. He will carry a questionable tag moving forward. Holloway has been a spark plug once again for the Blues. He is second on the team in scoring with 17 points in 33 games. That scoring has stalled as of late, though. Holloway hasn’t scored in three games, and only has four points – three scorede in one game – over his last seven games.
Holloway has a nightly spot in St. Louis’ top-six. Should he get knocked out of the lineup, the Blues would likely turn towards Pius Suter, who could nicely rotate with Brayden Schenn on faceoffs. Suter has 14 points in 31 games this season – but is riding his own scoring drought through the last four games.
Toropchenko’s return will balance out the bottom-end of the lineup. He had a quiet season prior to his injury, with only two points in 17 games. Toropchenko has long been a minimal scorer – but hasn’t even reached half of the scoring pace that led him to 18 points in 80 games last year. Should St. Louis want to ease him into a role, they could bring Nick Bjugstad down from the press box. He has four goals and five points in 25 games this season.
Blues Assign Aleksanteri Kaskimaki To AHL
The Blues have opened up a roster spot heading into tonight’s game against Chicago. The team announced that they have assigned winger Aleksanteri Kaskimaki to AHL Springfield. Matt Luff took his place in the lineup.
The 21-year-old received his first recall of the season at the beginning of the month and played regularly after, getting into five games with St. Louis. However, while Kaskimaki played more than 15 minutes in his NHL debut against Boston but only surpassed the 11-minute mark once in his other four outings. Overall, he was held off the scoresheet in those appearances while recording six shots and a minus-six rating.
Kaskimaki was a third-round pick by the Blues back in 2022, going 73rd overall. He spent his full professional season with the Thunderbirds in 2024-25 where he had 11 goals and 23 assists in 63 games. So far this year, he’s scoring at a similar clip, notching four goals and three helpers in 16 appearances. He’ll have a chance to add to those numbers now that he’s back in the minors.
There was no corresponding recall so for now, St. Louis will go with one vacant spot on its roster. At this point, none of the four forwards that are currently on IR are close to a return so we’ll see if a recall comes in the coming days. From a salary cap perspective, they’re currently using LTIR even with Kaskimaki’s demotion so that won’t be a factor in whatever move comes next.