The St. Louis Blues have an important summer ahead of them as they try to return to the playoffs after missing in each of the past two seasons. They are not in a rebuild due to the immovable contracts and they aren’t a contender for the very same reason.
However, they have enough salary cap space to raise their ceiling and make a quality move this summer. Here are three potential acquisitions to raise their ceiling in the 2024-25 season.
Martin Nečas
First up is Carolina Hurricanes restricted free agent (RFA) Martin Nečas. The 25-year-old forward could make a world of difference in the Blues lineup. A lot of rumors seem to indicate that the Hurricanes will be moving on from him this summer. A change of scenery for him could be the best case for both sides.
Nečas can ascend into a 30-goal scorer in the right situation and I think the Blues can provide that. The Hurricanes are a far more structured and better team, but if he’s paired witha center like Robert Thomas, he can take off. He had 28 goals in 2022-23 and 24 goals in the 2023-24 season. He also has 17 power-play goals in the past two seasons. Of course, the Blues need to avoid overpaying him in his next contract, but there’s value to be had either way.
Joel Farabee
The Blues could make another deal with the Philadelphia Flyers this summer. If it were for forward Joel Farabee, they’d be moving a lot more than what they moved for Kevin Hayes in the 2023 offseason. It’s unclear whether the Flyers will shop Farabee this summer, but the Blues should have interest regardless. His contract has four seasons left with a salary cap hit of $5 million. It’ll fit into the club’s cap table no matter what. If they trade Pavel Buchnevich this offseason, adding a player like Farabee could make sense.
Related: 3 Blues Targets With the 16th Pick in the 2024 NHL Draft
Farabee is a winger who scored 22 goals and 50 points in 82 games last season in Philadelphia. He has two 20-goal seasons under his belt at age 24. Another key part of his profile is that he scored 20 goals at even-strength last season and 74 of his 82 career goals have come in the same manner. If he’s on a line with Thomas, I could see him scoring 30 goals or more. His defensive numbers aren’t too shabby either. Adding a winger at a young age like Farabee makes a lot of sense for the club depending on how they approach this summer.
Anthony Cirelli
It would be a surprise to me if the Tampa Bay Lightning traded Anthony Cirelli this summer. If they do entertain the idea, Armstrong should jump all over the opportunity.
The Blues need a second-line center with Hayes and Brayden Schenn clearly struggling to succeed in the role last season. Cirelli is as valuable as the trade market might be able to offer at the center position this offseason. He’s been a massive part of the Lightning’s success since 2018-19 winning two Stanley Cups. He scored 20 goals for the first time in his career last season and has twice finished top five in Selke Trophy voting. His faceoff numbers aren’t elite at the center position, but he provides plenty as a two-way player.
It’s hard to determine what the Blues might have to sacrifice in trades for Nečas, Farabee, or Cirelli, but I think they have the assets to get a deal done if both sides want to. The club has questions to answer in its top six.
