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Blues’ Jordan Kyrou Out Day-To-Day With Lower-Body Injury

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12/7: Blues head coach Jim Montgomery designated Kyrou as day-to-day, and said he was “doing OK”, in an update on Sunday. It seems St. Louis has dodged the worst-case scenario, after losing a main lineup fixture early into Saturday night’s win.

12/6: The St. Louis Blues lost star winger Jordan Kyrou during Saturday night’s game against the Ottawa Senators. He went down the tunnel three minutes into the game after receiving a hit against the boards from Ottawa Senators rookie Stephen Halliday. Kyrou was favoring his left leg on his way off the ice.

Kyrou has been on a heater as of late. He has three points, a plus-two, and eight shots on net over his last four games. Those numbers have propped Kyrou up to 16 points, a minus-nine, and 69 shots on goal in 27 games this season. He ranks second on the team in scoring behind Robert Thomas’ 17 points in 24 games. Kyrou hasn’t filled his usual stapled top-line role under head coach Jim Montgomery, but he’s snapped back to routine scoring after a four-game drought in early November.

Kyrou has been an electric scorer for the Blues dating back to the 2021-22 season. That was his breakout year in the NHL, marked by 27 goals and 75 points in 74 games. He has followed that with three consecutive 30-goal seasons and two more 70-point years. He’s up to 348 points in 443 games through eight years in the NHL. That scoring will make him an invaluable asset in any potential moves, and a hard lineup piece to replace should this injury force him out of more games.

St. Louis Blues Recall Matt Luff

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The St. Louis Blues have recalled a stopgap as the team navigates multiple injuries to their forward core. According to a team announcement, the Blues have recalled veteran depth forward Matt Luff from the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds.

It’s been several years since Luff last played in the NHL. Dating back to the 2022-23 season, Luff played 19 games for the Detroit Red Wings, scoring two goals and four points with a -4 rating, while averaging less than 10 minutes of ice time per game.

He actually spent one additional year within the Red Wings organization, although he played exclusively for their AHL affiliate in Grand Rapids. Before that season with Detroit, and a one-year stint with the Nashville Predators, Luff had spent three years as a depth forward for the Los Angeles Kings, registering 10 goals and 17 points in 64 games.

Without a pathway back to the NHL, Luff settled on a PTO with the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers last season before ultimately signing a one-year AHL deal with Springfield. It turned out beneficial for both sides as Luff enjoyed the best season of his professional career, tallying 18 goals and 45 points in 50 games. That extra offense was enough to earn the Thunderbirds a spot in the 2025 Calder Cup playoffs, though they were eliminated in the First Round by the Providence Bruins.

Regardless, there’s no guarantee Luff will suit up in another NHL contest during this recall. The Blues are reportedly leaning toward giving Aleksanteri Kaskimaki, who was recalled yesterday, his NHL debut. Additionally, Pius Suter is expected to return to the lineup after missing St. Louis’ previous two games.

Blues Place Nathan Walker On IR, Out Eight Weeks

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The Blues announced that winger Nathan Walker has been placed on injured reserve after he sustained an upper-body injury in Monday’s 4-1 loss to the Ducks. He’ll miss at least eight weeks. They didn’t immediately announce a corresponding recall since they’re off until Thursday, so one likely won’t come until later in the week.

Walker’s appearance yesterday came following his second healthy scratch of the season for Saturday’s home game against the Mammoth. The injury wasn’t obvious, which makes such a lengthy return timeline a surprising announcement. In fact, it was a fairly normal outing for the diminutive high-energy forward, who posted a -1 rating in 12:21 of ice time and recorded a team-high five hits. That’s in line with the 12:38 of ice time and 3.80 hits he’s averaged per game this season.

Perhaps the Blues are being cautious with a well-liked veteran amid a season where getting reps for younger players is increasingly becoming a priority. With a 9-11-7 record, their .463 points percentage is fourth-worst in the Western Conference, and their -26 goal differential is 31st in the NHL. MoneyPuck gives them an 8.2% chance of making the playoffs, also the second-worst figure in the league.

It’s still tough news for the 31-year-old Walker, who signed a two-year, $1.775MM extension in September. After rattling off three goals in seven playoff games last year, the Australian-born depth forward was off to one of the best starts of his career with a 3-6–9 scoring line in 25 games. That’s good for 0.36 points per game, a mark he’s only eclipsed once before when making double-digit appearances in a season.

Not only do Walker’s 95 hits lead the Blues by a significant margin, but he’s factored in as a depth penalty-killer as well. His possession metrics universally rank down the middle among team ranks. With Walker on the ice at 5-on-5 this season, St. Louis has been outscored 17-14 and outshot 117-109, but has won the high-danger chance battle 58-46. That 55.8% share of high-danger chances ranks third among qualified Blues skaters behind Jordan Kyrou (66.7%) and Pius Suter (56.6%).

Walker had spent most of his time as St. Louis’ fourth line left wing at even strength alongside Oskar Sundqvist and Alexey Toropchenko. With the latter unavailable indefinitely after sustaining burns on his legs in an at-home accident, Jimmy Snuggerud out multiple weeks following wrist surgery, and Suter out day-to-day, the Blues are now without four regular forwards for the time being. They only have 11 healthy ones on the active roster, so unless Suter is ready to play Thursday against the Bruins, a recall from AHL Springfield is virtually guaranteed.

In the meantime, Walker’s long-term absence could mean extended playing time for 21-year-old Aleksanteri Kaskimaki, who was scratched for yesterday’s game after being recalled earlier in the day but is now ticketed to make his NHL debut in Boston.

Blues, Kings Swap Nikita Alexandrov, Akil Thomas

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The St. Louis Blues and Los Angeles Kings have swapped higher-level AHL forward depth. According to an announcement from the Blues, St. Louis has traded Nikita Alexandrov to the Kings for Akil Thomas.

Neither player made their respective teams’ NHL rosters out of training camp, and have exclusively played in the AHL this season. However, they are both former second-round selections from the late 2010s and have garnered NHL experience in the past.

Alexandrov, 25, was drafted with the 62nd overall pick of the 2019 NHL Draft from QMJHL’s Charlottetown Islanders. He’s spent the last five years in the North American professional circuit, all within the Blues organization.

He has yet to break out in any meaningful way, and injuries have impacted his availability over the last few years. After scoring 21 goals and 49 points in 48 games for the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds last year, he enjoys a career line of 61 goals and 143 points in 188 AHL contests with a +21 rating, good for a 0.76 point-per-game average. In the NHL with St. Louis, he’s registered a relatively disappointing three goals and nine points in 51 games.

Meanwhile, Thomas, who was drafted with the 51st overall pick of the 2018 NHL Draft, spent all last season on the Kings’ roster, albeit as an extra forward. He’s spent the previous six years as a consistent secondary scorer for the AHL’s Ontario Reign, tallying 50 goals and 106 points in 176 games. He has had fairly similar production to Alexandrov at the NHL level, scoring four goals and seven points in 32 games.

Depending on what St. Louis and Los Angeles do with their respective new players, it appears to be a win for the Reign at face value. Alexandrov has scored three goals and 14 points through his first 18 contests this season, and the Reign sit middle-of-the-pack in the AHL in terms of GF/G. Springfield, on the other hand, has had a dismal start to the 2025-26 campaign, sitting 29th in the league with a 5-10-2-2 record.

Blues’ Jimmy Snuggerud, Alexey Toropchenko Out Multiple Weeks

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Despite winning the first two games out of their current three-game homestand, the St. Louis Blues will not come out of it unscathed. The Blues announced that rookie forward Jimmy Snuggerud suffered a left wrist injury that will require surgery, and he’ll be reevaluated in six weeks.

Additionally, the team will be without depth forward Alexey Toropchenko for the next few weeks due to a leg injury, although it is unrelated to any on-ice incident. Toropchenko apparently scalded his legs in an at-home accident. St. Louis has recalled Aleksanteri Kaskimaki from the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds to fill in the void.

Losing Snuggerud at any point is a significant blow to the Blues’ offensive core. Still, considering that other high-scoring winger Jake Neighbours only recently returned after missing nearly a month of action, it will be difficult for St. Louis to find any traction.

Though it likely wasn’t enough to earn him a top-three spot in Calder Trophy voting, the University of Minnesota alumnus had gotten off to a quality start to his first full season in the NHL. Snuggerud, 21, has scored five goals and 11 points in 26 games, though he had gone scoreless in his last seven. Still, St. Louis needs all the help they can get in the offensive zone.

Additionally, Snuggerud has shown a level of poise on the defensive side of the puck that is atypical for young wingers. He’s started 52.7% of his shifts in the defensive zone this season, and is first on the team with a 93.2% on-ice save percentage at even strength.

In all fairness, Toropchenko’s absence won’t be as significant as Snuggerud’s. The 26-year-old Russian has only one goal and two points in 17 games this season, though he has been a physical presence in the team’s bottom six, racking up 38 hits.

Meanwhile, Kaskimaki will have the opportunity to make his NHL debut only two years into his professional career in North America. He was drafted with the 73rd overall pick of the 2022 NHL Draft and spent two years post-draft with the Finnish Liiga’s HIFK, scoring 14 goals and 26 points in 93 games.

Joining the Thunderbirds last season, Kaskimaki finished his rookie campaign with 11 goals and 34 points in 63 games with a -6 rating. His average output has decreased somewhat to begin the 2025-26 season, though he has plenty of time to recover. Through his first 16 games with Springfield this year, Kaskimaki has scored four goals and seven points with a -5 rating.

No Contract Talks Between St. Louis Blues, Philip Broberg

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While the 28th-ranked St. Louis Blues will likely move on from a few pending free agents leading up to this year’s trade deadline, there are a few they could look to extend for the right price. Defenseman Philip Broberg is a prime extension candidate on the roster this season, though Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic writes that no contract talks have taken place yet.

Poached from the Edmonton Oilers last year by way of an offer sheet, the investment turned out well for the Blues. The former 8th overall pick of the 2019 NHL Draft enjoyed the best year of his career last season, scoring eight goals and 29 points in 68 games with a +21 rating, averaging 20:30 of ice time per night.

It was a clear indication that Broberg was underutilized during his tenure in Alberta. Debuting in the 2021-22 season, Broberg appeared in only 81 NHL contests over the next three years, scoring two goals and 13 points with a -5 rating, averaging 12:42 of ice time. A nearly eight-minute bump in ATOI accounted for over double the production for Broberg.

Outside of his boxcar statistics, his underlying metrics paint a similar picture. Brobert finished with the highest on-ice SV% at even strength for the Blues last year with a 93.7% output. That came despite beginning 53.2% of his shifts in the defensive zone. He averaged an 87.7% mark over his three years with Edmonton.

He’s doing much of the same again for the Blues this year. Through his first 26 games, Broberg has scored two goals and 10 points in 26 games with a -1 rating, averaging 23:25 of action per contest. While a -1 rating is a far cry from the +21 he finished with last season, it’s worth noting that St. Louis is second-to-last in the league with a -23 goal differential.

Still, there doesn’t appear to be internal pressure in the Blues’ front office to get Broberg signed quickly. Rutherford quoted General Manager Doug Armstrong, saying, “There’s no rush with that. We’re going to try and get them signed as quick as we can. If not, they’re restricted free agents. We’ll make sure that we leave enough space available to get those guys signed. The cap’s going up. It’s nice to know, with (other) guys signed, what we can do moving forward. And we can always create space.”

Regardless, his upcoming contract will be a difficult one to project. The Athletic speculated in mid-October that Broberg would earn a $6.7MM salary on his next deal, while Rutherford’s recent article now claims it could climb as high as $8MM. Additionally, AFP Analytics projects a $7.32MM price tag if Broberg were to sign a long-term extension.

All three projected salaries would make Broberg the highest-paid defenseman on the team. It’s typical to desire more offense from a blueliner at that price point, though Broberg has proven to be a capable shutdown specialist that can handle a heavy workload.

Justin Faulk Reportedly Drawing Trade Interest

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In his recent look into the potential trade board heading into 2026, Sportsnet’s Nick Kyperos believes that St. Louis Blues defenseman Justin Faulk is drawing plenty of trade interest from around the league. According to Kyperos, interested teams are considering Faulk a fallback option for those that fail to land Rasmus Andersson from the Calgary Flames.

Outside of not having as much trade value as Andersson, Faulk would be more complicated to trade for. The 15-year veteran is signed through the 2026-27 season at a $6.5MM cap hit and has a 15-team no-trade clause for this season and next.

Despite not displaying the offensive prowess he showed a few years ago, Faulk has stayed relatively consistent as he enters the back-nine of his NHL career. The 33-year-old rear guard scored 27 goals and 97 points in 158 games for the Blues from 2021 to 2023, with a +37 rating. He wasn’t a stranger to a heavy workload at the time, either, averaging 23:17 of ice time per game.

Factoring in his physicality and willingness to block shots during those two years, it’s no question why Faulk earned a few Norris votes, albeit at the bottom of the table. Since then, especially as St. Louis has entered a transitional period of their own, Faulk has seen his offensive production fall by a healthy margin.

Since the beginning of the 2023-24 campaign, Faulk has scored 12 goals and 75 points in 162 contests, a more than 20-point dropoff from his production from 2021 to 2023. However, although his physicality has fallen somewhat, Faulk remains a quality shot blocker while averaging more than 22 minutes of ice time per contest.

He’s actually shown a slight uptick in his defensive metrics, as well. Averaging a 91.1% on-ice save percentage at even strength throughout his time with the Blues, Faulk averaged a 91.7% mark in 2023-24, and 91.6% last season.

Although Kypreos didn’t mention any interested parties, there are a few teams that could theoretically use Faulk’s service, despite the relatively high cap hit for an in-season trade. The Detroit Red Wings, who have fallen to 25th place in GA/G, could certainly use more skill on the blue line.

Additionally, the Carolina Hurricanes and Utah Mammoth, each of which have ample cap space and has dealt with multiple injuries to their defensive core this season, may swing a trade for Faulk to improve the floor of their depth options.

Blues Release Milan Lucic From AHL Tryout

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Nov. 25: Lucic has now been released from his AHL tryout as well, the Blues announced. He had just one assist and posted a -7 rating through five games, likely limiting his interest elsewhere.

Nov. 4: The Blues have released left-winger Milan Lucic from his professional tryout, according to a team announcement. He’ll nonetheless remain in the organization for now and will report to the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds, also in a tryout capacity.

Lucic, 37, landed a PTO with St. Louis all the way back in August and showed up for his first NHL training camp in two years. He skated in four preseason games for the Blues, recording a goal and an assist. He then sustained a lower-body injury that shut him down late in camp, removing any hope he had of converting his PTO into an opening night roster spot.

The Blues quietly kept extending Lucic’s PTO in 10-day increments – a new vehicle in the recent CBA extension – while he rehabbed his injury. Evidently, he’s now healthy. Even with the team’s 4-7-2 start to the season, though, they didn’t see enough out of him to warrant giving the 17-year veteran a look on the fourth line, at least not yet. Releasing him from his tryout does nothing to preclude the club from giving him a contract later if they like what they see during his return to action in Springfield.

If Lucic suits up for the Thunderbirds, it will be the first AHL action of his career. He made the transition straight from the WHL to the Bruins’ roster when he first broke into the NHL in 2007 as a 19-year-old. It will also be his first action of any kind in over two years. Lucic’s last appearance came for Boston on Oct. 21, 2023, his fourth of the young season. He then sustained an ankle injury and missed the rest of the season after entering the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program following an alleged domestic incident, although those charges were dropped.

Blues Terminate Alexandre Texier’s Contract

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Nov. 23: After much back-and-forth, the Alexander Texier Blues stalemate has reached an end. As expected, the St. Louis forward cleared waivers, and as per the team, his contract has been terminated. Texier is now an unrestricted free agent. The Montreal Canadiens are known as to having interest, the likely favorite to land the speedy two-way winger, with another unknown Eastern Conference team in the running. This morning it was noted that the Ottawa Senators have also expressed interest, but it is unclear if they are the second suitor.

Nonetheless, we will likely find out soon, as Texier is healthy, and likely eager to sign quickly and make an impact with his new club.

Nov. 22: Texier did not report to the minors and he has been placed on unconditional waivers for the purpose of a contract termination, reports Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press.  If he passes through unclaimed as expected on Sunday at 1:00 PM CT, he will become an unrestricted free agent and his $2.1MM AAV will be off the books for the Blues entirely.

He clearly has gotten a head start on talking to other teams even while still signed with St. Louis.  Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reports that nine teams are believed to have shown interest in signing Texier when he hits the open market but Texier and his agent Dan Milstein of Gold Star Sports Management have whittled the field down to two Eastern Conference teams.

Nov. 21: Texier has cleared waivers after being placed on them yesterday and has been assigned to AHL Springfield, the team announced. If he fails to report to the minors, he’ll be in breach of contract and can trigger a contract termination.

Nov. 20: Texier has considered asking for a contract termination to become an unrestricted free agent, reports Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. He remains on the Blues’ roster for now but has played just once since Oct. 28, sitting as a healthy scratch in nine of their last 10 games.

Texier, the first player in NHL history drafted directly from France’s Ligue Magnus, signed a two-year, $4.2MM contract with the Blues in June 2024 after they acquired his signing rights from the Blue Jackets. He was coming off a career-high 12 goals and 30 points in 78 games with Columbus, averaging north of 15 minutes per game, but the team wasn’t interested in re-signing him as they opened roster spots for a younger wave of prospects.

The 26-year-old just hasn’t been a fit in St. Louis. He made only 31 appearances last season and lost 15 games to illness and injury, meaning he spent nearly half the year in the press box. When dressed, he delivered career-average production on a per-game basis, notching six goals and five assists for 11 points. He did so in reduced ice time, averaging closer to 12:30 per game, as his role as a penalty killer in Columbus was stripped entirely from him with the Blues.

This season, Texier’s ice time has been slashed further to 10:15 per game. He’s only made eight out of 20 possible appearances, on track to finish with a similar workload to last season. Skating most commonly in fourth-line deployment with Nick Bjugstad and Nathan Walker, he’s logged one assist and nine hits. Perhaps more importantly, his chance generation is way down. He averaged 1.61 shots on goal per game last year – even more than he managed during his breakout year in Columbus – but that figure has nearly halved to 0.88 in 2025-26.

A contract termination would allow Texier to be uninhibited by his above-market-value $2.1MM cap hit as he looks for a new home. Still, he would be walking away from roughly 75% of his identical base salary for this season to do so. Whether he desires to remain in the NHL also remains to be seen. He’s made a move back to Europe before to be closer to his family in France, asking the Blue Jackets to spend the 2022-23 season on loan to Switzerland’s ZSC Lions, which they granted.

St. Louis Blues Recall Logan Mailloux

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The St. Louis Blues announced today that defenseman Logan Mailloux has been recalled from the team’s AHL affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds.

While Mailloux struggled quite a bit during his first stint on the Blues’ NHL roster, his reassignment to the AHL was never expected to be a lengthy one. TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie reported today that the Blues had always planned for Mailloux to play five games in the AHL before returning to the NHL.

That’s exactly what’s happened thanks to this recall. Mailloux got into five games with Springfield, scoring two goals. The Blues reassigned defenseman Hunter Skinner, the player they recalled to fill Mailloux’s vacated NHL roster spot, yesterday in a move that pre-empted today’s recall.

Mailloux’s ability at the AHL level has never been in question, and his solid play in his recent five-game stint served as further proof of that. Mailloux is a two-time AHL All-Star who landed on the league’s All-Rookie team after his 47-point rookie campaign with the Laval Rocket, and on the league’s “Top Prospects” list last season, one where he scored 33 points in just 63 games.

As a player who offers a rare combination of size, strength, and offensive ability from the blueline, Mailloux has long been a coveted talent. The Blues surrendered Zachary Bolduc, coming off of a strong 19-goal rookie season, in order to acquire him. But his first nine games playing for the Blues were nothing short of a disaster, as routine defensive lapses and an inability to translate his offensive talents left him scoreless with a minus-12 rating.

Those high-profile struggles are what prompted the Blues to send Mailloux down to the AHL in order to help him “reset” his game. After five games, the hope is likely that Mailloux has gained some confidence playing in a level he’s a star at, and will be able to translate that confidence into improved play at the NHL level.

The Blues could badly use the kind of talent Mailloux has shown he could eventually become. They have won just six times in 21 games this season, and need something to help spark a turnaround. If Mailloux can begin to play up to his potential, that could be a big boost to the overall form of the team’s defense.

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