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Out? Promising rookie Zack Bolduc (traded to Montreal), fourth-line center Radek Faksa (signed with Dallas) and defenseman Nick Leddy (claimed off waivers by San Jose).

The offseason moves followed the same plan Armstrong laid out before the summer. The Blues wanted to add centers. Check. ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ wanted to continue to grow their young core. Check. They didn’t want to hand out bloated free-agent contracts. Check. They traded from their surplus of wingers. Check.

Now the question is this: Are these Blues better than the ones that lost in the first round in the spring?

“I think we’re different,� Armstrong said. “I don’t know if we’re going to be better. I’m excited about Mailloux. I’m excited about a full year of (Jimmy) Snuggerud. We brought the experienced players in in Suter and Bjugstad. They all have to come together.

“I’m hoping that we’re a better team. I’m hoping that the experience of what they went through last year for the returning players is a positive one and they can build off that. One of the things I have experienced over the years is that every team is its own team.�

On Wednesday evening, the Blues signed Suter to a two-year contract with an average annual value of $4.125 million. Suter, 29, could fit as the Blues’ second- or third-line center, and there were even times in Vancouver last year when he shifted to the wing. With the Canucks, Suter posted career numbers with 25 goals and 21 assists while being the team’s most-used forward on the penalty kill.

“Our penalty killing hasn’t been where it needs to be and he’s another certainly strong, strong option now to lead that,� Armstrong said.

Suter was arguably the second-most coveted center on the market behind Mikael Granlund, who signed a three-year contract in Anaheim with a $7 million AAV. With a shallow center market and plenty of teams needing a middle-six pivot, how were the Blues able to land Suter on a short-term deal at a reasonable cap hit?

It was multiple factors, according to Armstrong, who said the Blues had good discussions with him Tuesday night and then followed up Wednesday.

One, the Blues offered him opportunity. He could, in theory, play between Dylan Holloway and Jordan Kyrou, and play similar minutes to the ones he played down the stretch in Vancouver after the J.T. Miller trade. Armstrong said Suter spoke with coach Jim Montgomery on Wednesday before he signed with the Blues.

“We provide the opportunity for him to maximize his earning potential, and I think he sees that,� Armstrong said. “Our job is to provide that for him. His job is to take advantage of it.�

Two, the two-year term will allow Suter to hit the market again when he’s 31 years old and with the cap projected to be at least $113.5 million instead of the $95.5 million it is heading into the fall. If Suter wanted a longer-term deal, it would have been more expensive on an annual basis, and this is about all the Blues could afford.

“It’s an investment in his future,� Armstrong said. “He’s making an investment in himself to come here and play an important role. … At the dollar value that we could offer, it didn’t make economic sense for him to go long-term with the cap going up with what we think is his ability to improve.�

Down the middle, the Blues will roll with Robert Thomas, Schenn, Suter, Bjugstad and Oskar Sundqvist, with one of them shifting to the wing. It’s an area the Blues have addressed this summer after trying to put Pavel Buchnevich or Holloway in the middle across the last calendar year.

“We think that (Suter) can come in here and provide us depth at the center ice position,� Armstrong said. “He and Bjugstad certainly change our center ice complexion. Have five natural centers now with Schenn there and Sunny. There’s going to be some options. It’s always easier to move a centerman over to the wing than a wing to center. We like our depth there.�

The Suter signing, combined with Leddy being claimed off waivers by the Sharks, leaves the Blues in a terrific position relative to the salary cap.

With 23 players on the active roster, and with Torey Krug not placed on long-term injured reserve yet, the Blues are still $625,151 under the salary cap. If the roster remains unchanged, and the Blues put Krug’s $6.5 million on LTIR during the season, they would have about $5.875 million available to acquire players at the trade deadline, or simply to navigate injuries during the season.

“You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to look at our roster and see where it is,� Armstrong said. “I don’t see a lot of changes, with the caveat I could go back there and I could be back here (speaking to reporters about a move) in an hour and a half. I don’t see it. I think we’re excited about this group, and I hope we’re better.�

“It became a numbers game,� Blues general manager Doug Armstrong said. “One of the things, too, is the coach who selects who goes over the boards is a big Tucker fan. (Jim Montgomery is) a big Tucker fan. He thought that that’s an element that our team, when he’s on the ice, when he’s playing, you were harder to play against. As a group, he likes that. If he was going to take that slot in our six, it made sense to give him that opportunity.�

So Leddy found himself on the way out. Armstrong confirmed that the Blues tried to trade Leddy first, but there were no matches among Leddy’s preferred destinations (he owns a 16-team no-trade list). Thus, Leddy was waived, and San Jose, as the worst team in the NHL last season, had first dibs on claiming Leddy.

With Leddy on the Sharks, the Blues are free from his $4 million cap hit — they basically replaced that money by signing Pius Suter to a two-year contract with a $4.125 million cap hit — and opened a spot for Tucker on the third pairing. Tucker has been a seventh defenseman under previous coaches Craig Berube and Drew Bannister, but played a career-high 38 games last year, all under Montgomery.

“Now, there’s risk involved with that, obviously,� Armstrong said. “Nick’s an experienced player that’s had a very good career. He’ll go to San Jose and do very well, but you have to create space if you want to give ice time away and that was one way to do that.�

Leddy finished with 211 games played as a Blue, with nine goals and 55 assists. For long stretches of his time in St. Louis, he was paired with Colton Parayko on the top pair, eating tough minutes and logging plenty of time on the penalty kill. But Cam Fowler took that spot next to Parayko, and Philip Broberg filled the other spot in the top four.

With Leddy’s departure, the Blues continue to transition from a defensive group that has been one of the oldest in the league. As recent as 2023-24, the Blues trotted out Parayko (30), Justin Faulk (31), Torey Krug (32), Leddy (32) and Marco Scandella (33), and each player is two years older now.

Now, the Blues defensive group will still include Faulk (now 33), Fowler (33) and Parayko (32). But it will also feature Mailloux (22), Broberg (24), Tucker (25) and Matthew Kessel (25).

“This is the year of the young defenseman,� Armstrong said. “Young meaning not experienced defenseman on the Blues right now. Tucker is going to get an opportunity to be a full-time player. Mailloux is getting an opportunity to be a full-time player. Kessel is in that group. Broberg just turned 24.�

Armstrong continued on to the St. Louis forwards, too. Their time might be next season.

“You look at that forward group, they’re probably a year away when you have (Otto) Stenberg, (Jakub) Stancl, (Juraj) Pekarcik, (Dalibor) Dvorsky all at 20 all turning pro,� Armstrong said. “We’re going to let them have the opportunity to get their foundation and footing under them. Now if they come in and take a job, great. But I would say next year at this time, there’s going to a be great opportunity to input a lot of younger forwards.

“I do believe that getting that foundation is so important for the player and the organization than force-feeding them into an area that maybe they can’t have success. I think we protected ourselves from having to do that, while allowing them the right to come in and take a job.�

Armstrong elaborated that the additions of Pius Suter and Nick Bjugstad could allow the Blues to begin a prospect like Dvorsky (No. 10 pick in 2023) on the wing, where the defensive responsibility is lessened. It’s an introduction to the NHL that would mirror Robert Thomas’ rookie season in 2018-19.

“If he’s having trouble in the middle of the ice, he can start on our team on the wing,� Armstrong said. “We don’t have to force feed him into an area. Over time, he’ll take over one of those jobs. There’s going to be great competition. He certainly has the opportunity to come in and make our team.�

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Behind Mikael Granlund (three years, $7 million cap hit with the Ducks), Suter was widely regarded as the second-best center on the open market. Suter figures to slot in either as the second- or third-line center in St. Louis, likely bouncing between the options with Brayden Schenn depending on the lineup configuration.

Suter, 29, has scored at least 14 goals in all five of his NHL seasons with Chicago, Detroit and Vancouver.

When the Canucks traded J.T. Miller in January, Suter became the team’s de facto No. 2 center behind Elias Pettersson, averaging more than 18 1/2 minutes in the final three months of the season. His 17:21 of average ice time across the entire season was a career-high, and Suter scored 22 of his goals at even-strength.

Even if Suter’s production falls from his career-high peak (he did shoot 18.1% last season), his all-around game is still solid enough to make him useful. He has consistently limited high-danger chances when he’s on the ice (according to analytics from Natural Stat Trick) and was Vancouver’s most used forward on the penalty kill.

St. Louis can now boast Robert Thomas, Schenn, Suter and either Oskar Sundqvist or Nick Bjugstad down the middle, improved depth at the center position last season.

The Blues signed Bjugstad to a two-year contract with a $1.75 million cap hit on Tuesday to replace the departed Radek Faksa.

The Blues are getting Suter at a price much lower than many expected going into free agency. AFP Analytics predicted Suter’s contract to be four years at $5 million per. Instead, the Blues shaved about a million off that annually, and halved the anticipated term.

At two years, Suter’s contract will also not block prospect Dalibor Dvorský when he is ready to make the full-time jump to the NHL.

Suter’s signing comes on the same day that the Blues waived defenseman Nick Leddy. If Leddy ($4 million cap hit) is claimed by another team, much of the cap space needed for Suter will be created by that transaction. If not, the Blues are still in a good position with Torey Krug ($6.5 million cap hit) available to go on long-term injured reserve.

“It’s going to be fun,� Lindstein said. “A new experience to come over here, it’s going to be fun to take my next step in my career. I’m probably expecting a higher level of course. It’s smaller ice here, too, so it’s going to go a little bit faster. I’m just looking forward to come here to North America.�

The Blues selected Lindstein with the 29th pick in the 2023 draft, the same draft in which they selected Dalibor Dvorsky at No. 10 and Otto Stenberg at No. 25. Because Dvorsky and Stenberg each tasted the AHL this season, the Blues did not bring them to development camp this summer.

Lindstein has gone deep into the playoffs each of the past two seasons in Sweden.

In 2023-24, his Brynas squad won the championship, earning a promotion from the second-tier Allsvenskan to the top-tier SHL. In 2024-25, they advanced to the final before falling in six games to Lulea. Lindstein played in all 17 playoffs games this spring.

“He’s played in some big games, and this is the next step in his career to come over and see how he can handle the North American ice,� Blues assistant general manager Tim Taylor said. “He was good at the World Juniors once again. Again, I hate to keep saying this but just the strength. He’s playing against men now, especially over here, it’s a little bit tougher of a league in the AHL. I would say it’s a little more physical, so that’s the next step in his growth and seeing how he can move the puck with these guys.�

Lindstein’s resume has grown since the Blues took him in 2023. He’s made the Swedish World Juniors team twice. In 2024, he was named to the WJC All-Star team as he led all defensemen in the tournament with six assists and eight points. In his return to the team last season, he wore an “A� as an alternate captain.

Plus, those pair of deep playoff runs for his club team.

“I feel stronger and better, and I’ve been doing a lot these last two years,� Lindstein said. “I’ve been playing relegation games and played in the second league, go up to the SHL again, and then play a long way in the playoffs last year. It’s been a couple good years. I’m just going to take that with me and bring it over here and be myself and play my game.�

Lindstein’s game is reliable. He’s patient and calm on breakouts, he’s poised with the puck in transition and he uses his stick instead of his physicality to defend in his own zone. In Sweden, he didn’t flash top-end offensive skill, with four goals and five assists in 44 games in the SHL in 2024-25.

Taylor said the Blues hope Lindstein’s skills translate “really well� to the smaller North American ice with less time to make decisions.

“You don’t know until you get into it,� Taylor said. “You’ve got to give them a little bit of runway, too. Can’t expect them to come over in the first 10-15 games that they’re going to have production and look like they belong. There’s going to be some growth with him. Obviously, he has a lot of really good things and habits. We’re hoping that will help and instill lots of confidence in him.�

Lindstein has had temporary tastes of the North American style, as the 2025 World Juniors in Ottawa, the U.S. Hockey Summer Showcase and the Hlinka Gretzky tournaments were all on the smaller surface.

“It goes fast, but hockey is a fast sport,� Lindstein said. “You need to be on your toes all the time. I just like it.�

In Springfield, Lindstein will join a blue line that should feature two other Swedes in Samuel Johannesson and Leo Loof, plus prospects Michael Buchinger and Quinton Burns. Corey Schueneman and Hunter Skinner figure to round out the group.

If Leddy is claimed, that team will absorb Leddy’s full contract. If Leddy does not get claimed, he will remain a part of the Blues organization. Leddy’s placement on waivers does not have anything to do with a buyout, as the buyout window has closed.

In order to send a waivers-eligible player to the AHL, he must be waived in the “playing season waiver period,� which begins 12 days before the start of the regular season. So that means the Blues would have to waive Leddy in the fall again if they chose to send him to AHL affiliate Springfield (Massachusetts).

Leddy, 34, owns a 16-team no-trade list, so it remains possible that Leddy is claimed by a club on his no-trade list. That could explain why the Blues went this route instead of a trade.

This could also be the first step toward a mutual contract termination, one that would be similar to what the Blues executed last season with forward Brandon Saad. Saad went unclaimed on waivers and instead of reporting to the AHL, he chose to forfeit more than $5 million in order to terminate his contract and sign as a free agent with Vegas.

Leddy could face a similar choice if he clears waivers. If it becomes obvious that no team wants him at his current cap hit and salary, he could opt to terminate his contract, forfeit the $3 million in salary and sign a cheaper deal elsewhere.

If the Blues get to the point of sending Leddy to the AHL in the fall, they can only receive $1.15 million of cap relief from the transaction, meaning Leddy would still count $2.85 million toward the Blues’ cap picture.

Even with Torey Krug not placed on long-term injured reserve yet, the Blues are still about $750,000 under the $95.5 million salary cap. When the Blues choose to place Krug on LTIR (either in the offseason or during the season), they can create close to $6.5 million more in cap space.

Of course, if Leddy is claimed by another team, that would allow $4 million more in cap space for the Blues and give them about $11.25 million in purchasing power.

The Blues acquired Leddy in March 2022 from Detroit in exchange for a second-round pick, Oskar Sundqvist and Jake Walman. That summer, the Blues signed him to a four-year contract at his $4 million cap hit.

Leddy has played 211 games with the Blues, stacking up nine goals and 55 assists while primarily Colton Parayko’s partner on the top pair. Last season, Leddy missed almost four months due to injury and averaged 14:11 of ice time in the playoffs against Winnipeg.

Cam Fowler proved to be a productive partner to Parayko on the top pair, and Philip Broberg’s arrival last summer took another spot on the left side. With Tyler Tucker available as a third-pairing option, the Blues had decisions to make on the blue line.

As it stands now, Tucker appears to have the inside track to a role on the third pairing, potentially alongside Mailloux. That would leave the top four of Fowler-Parayko and Broberg-Faulk untouched, with Matthew Kessel as the seventh defenseman.

When he spoke to reporters on Tuesday following the acquisition of Mailloux, Blues general manager Doug Armstrong was asked how the Blues would look at the logjam on defense. He replied coyly, “We’ll look at it.�

Meanwhile, the Blues keep looking to improve through internal development and opportunistic additions.

Fortunately, they have done an excellent job on both fronts during general manager Doug Armstrong’s tenure.

“We believe that for us to be competitive year in and year out and have a chance to win a championship, it has to come with draft, development and then input a difference maker at the end, (rather) than to go out and try to find a difference maker every year to push you over,� Armstrong noted.

In order words, they can’t operate like the Vegas Golden Knights.

“The draft is less important to those non-state tax teams that are in win-now mode because there is not one player on any one of those teams cares what their management does at the draft or who they draft,â€� Armstrong said. “ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ would love to see that pick get traded for a player who can help them tomorrow.â€�

And as for the elite free agents, they aren’t drawn to the STL by the Arch and toasted ravioli.

“There’s a hierarchy of where players want to play in the league,� Armstrong said. “This is me, if I’m a player, Original Six means something to me. Then no state tax is a financial incentive to go there.�

If the Blues can operate with peak efficiency and build another Stanley Cup contender, then perhaps they can move atop the third tier of NHL franchises in the eyes of star players.

To get there the Blues will need Dalibor Dvorsky to blossom into a top-six forward after arriving as the 10thÌýoverall pick in the 2023 NHL draft. ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ will need rangy Adam Jiricek to grow into a top-four defensive role after coming aboard as the 16thÌýoverall pick last year.

ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ will need this year’s top pick, Justin Carbonneau, to realize his potential as a scoring line power forward after arriving as the 19thÌýoverall pick. That process started with his orientation at this week's development camp.

On Armstrong’s GM watch, the Blues secured the following players in the back half of the first round: Robert Thomas, Tage Thompson, Jake Neighbours, Robby Fabbri, Zack Bolduc and Jimmy Snuggerud.

Bolduc’s breakout this past season allowed the Blues to deal him to the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday for promising defenseman Logan Mailloux, the 31st overall pick in 2021, to add much-needed youth to their blue line.

The team hopes that forward Otto Stenberg, defenseman Theo Lindstein and Carbonneau will follow the example of Thomas, Thompson, et al.

In the second round, the Blues have found success with selections like Jordan Kyrou, Vince Dunn, Ivan Barbashev and Joel Edmundson. They hope defensemen Colin Ralph and Lukas Fischer, two 2024 draft picks, can pan out as well.

In the third round or later, the Blues landed Jordan Binnington, Colton Parayko, Niko Mikkola, Jake Walman, Alexey Toropchenko, Joel Hofer, Tyler Tucker, Ville Husso, Sammy Blais and Matt Kessel.

Heady Aleksanteri Kaskimaki, a third-round pick in 2022, could fill in as a bottom-six winger this season. At this development camp, defenseman Quinton Burns and forwards Jakub Stancl and Juraj Pekarcik are middle-round 2023 picks looking to make an impression while forwards Ondrej Kos, Adam Jecho and Tomas Mrsic are on hand from the middle of the 2024 class.

The Blues have also made good use of their draft capital to gain help from the outside. The low net cost for acquiring defenseman Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway from the Edmonton Oilers via free-agent offer sheets was a second-round pick, two third-round picks and defensive prospect Paul Fischer, a fifth-round pick in 2023.

We’re not sure the Blues could ever top that heist via the offer-sheet route. Going forward, NHL GMs will do a better job of protecting themselves from such raids

But the Blues must continue using their precious draft capital wisely, as they did to acquire current players like Brayden Schenn, Cam Fowler and Pavel Buchnevich and former standouts like Ryan O’Reilly and Jay Bouwmeester.

Nothing materialized ahead of this summer’s draft, when several teams offered a first-round pick while shopping for depth at center. The Blues had plenty of company in their quest.

Armstrong remained on the prowl for value additions, which is why he signed sturdy veteran center Nick Bjugstad on Tuesday to replace free agent Radek Faksa.

“What we’re going to continue to do is grow with the team from last year to next year,� Armstrong said. “We’re not looking to bring in core pieces to take over our team.�

They’ll leave that sort of shopping to the Golden Knights.