2025 NHL Summer Cooler – St. Louis Blues
We continue with the St. Louis Blues. Last season, 96 points. They come in fifth in the Central, but they do get a wildcard spot. And the reality is they should have been playing in the second round because, as we’d mentioned earlier in the show, they had a twogoal lead with less than two minutes left in game seven against Winnipeg and let that get away before falling in double overtime. But in looking back, certainly the turnaround of the season came when Jim Montgomery replaced Drew Banister after 22 games. Club went 3518 and seven and that included a 12-game winning streak between March 15th and April the 3 that helped the Blues secure that wildcard spot. And you know, I know that you’ve been such a big proponent of Montgomery and it’s certainly telltale in the numbers as to how this team responded not to start playing winning hockey, but to be a hard team once they got to the playoffs and it took everything that the President’s Trophy winning Jets had to take them out. It certainly did. And let’s go back a year. A year ago, Doug Armstrong, the general manager of the team, made huge headlines by signing two restricted free agents from the Edmonton Oilers in Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg. And it looked right then that he was sending a signal to everybody that we’re not going away easy. And he started the season with Drew Banister being his coach. But when Jim Montgomery got the early dismissal from the Boston Bruins, Jim Montgomery had been in St. Louis once already as an assistant and Doug Armstrong was very quick to dismiss Drew Bannister and hire Jim Montgomery. And as you said, Vic, the season started to really turn around for them. They were the really surprising St. Louis Blues. I don’t think anybody expected them to make the playoffs and it was because of their their run that they had that knocked out really the Utah team out of contention for that playoff spot and they thrust themselves into the playoffs and so the bubble teams all got knocked back including Nashville who we’re going to talk about who everybody had in the playoffs at this time last year but at the very least yeah weren’t able to make it. Jim Montgomery is one of the best coaches in the league in my view and let’s go through their team and how it’s changed over the off season. Not much in terms of volume with changes during the course of the offseason for the St. Louis Blues, but a couple of very notable free agent signings at center. They pick up UFA Pew Sudter from the Vancouver Conucks. two years, 4.125 EV, and Nick Bugstad from the Utah Mammoth for two years at just under $2 million per year. They also acquire defenseman Logan Mayu from the Montreal Canadians in exchange for a right-wing Zack Baldduck. and Mayu big guy 6’3 213 has a big shot and I think gets a chance to start his career over again because the Montreal Canadians drafted him and got a lot of heat for it because of an incident that had taken place in 2020 where he had some objectionable photos of a woman and they were released without her consent and there was a lot of swirl around that when that pick was made and now Mayu gets a fresh start in St. Louis and has been very remorseful for the actions that he took. Yeah. And he does get this chance to just be a hockey player now and not have that hanging around him for his whole career. Couple of other notes terms of their resignings. RFA Joel Hoffer stays on for the next couple of years at just under three and a half million a year as the backup to Jordan Bennington. Terms of their drops, Radic Foxa, who we’d mentioned earlier in the show goes to Dallas and Nick Ley claimed off waiverss by the San Jose Sharks. And final note, Nan Luchi, 37 years old, hasn’t played since the 2324 season when he played just four games for the Bruins in his second stint in Beantown. He’s going to try out and try to make this club and he’s also recently completed the NHL player assistance program. So, as we start to look at this team, I think Doug Armstrong, Jim Montgomery have to be pretty comfortable with how this team advanced, the moves that they’ve made, and I believe this is going to be a very difficult team to play for the entire season, 2526. I think it is going to be too. I think it’s going to be they’re going to pick up where they left off last year and Jim Montgomery is still the same coach and he’s going to coach them the same way and certain things are going to be unacceptable to him. So, they’re going to be fighting with the same teams, Minnesota, Utah, and the rest because there’s definitely two classes of teams in this division. The elite, that’s of course Winnipeg, Dallas, and Colorado. And then there’s the rest that are not elite. I’m not saying they’re bad. They’re just not in the same class as those Stanley Cup contending top three teams. If, again, we say this so often that if you can see improvement in their younger players, then they’ll have a better season. They’ve got some real good players. Braden Shen is still a good captain of the team. Jordan Kyu can score goals. Robert Thomas is good. Pavle Bush Nevich has still got a lot of life left in him and you mentioned Sudter. You mentioned Neighbors and the backline Cam Fowler who came over from Anaheim seemed to have a new life once he got to St. Louis. Colton Pereo played for team Canada in the four nations and was very good. Broberg is a young developing player and so if they can get them to continue to develop their young guys, they’re going to have a pretty good year in my opinion. Also have to remember two things. That Dylan missed the entire playoff against the Winnipeg Jets. He was injured. Lower body injury on the 3rd of April. So, he’s expected to be ready for camp. And I also think Jimmy Snugroot, who we saw a little bit up front in that series against the Jets, he’s got some potential also to crack this lineup. So when you take their forward group, it’s not overly dynamic, but they’re solid. Their defense is solid. Their goalending is solid. And it goes back to what I said just a few moments ago. This is going to be a hard team to play against. It is. And of course, I don’t think they have the greatest of depth on this team, meaning who’s waiting to get into an injury spot. So, they got to stay healthy in order for them to maximize their potential. But I think the Blues, let me say this, I think the Blues are better starting 25 26 than they were starting 24 25. Before we leave the Blues, we talked about their drops a short while ago, but probably the most notable loss for the team in the off season had nothing to do with anything going on the ice because John Kelly was let go after 21 seasons with the team and because we have had so many great guests on NHL wraparound. We had Sam Rosen on the night before his final game. We’ve had Kenny Albert and playby-play guys are as identifiable with a club as many of the players are. And Kelly was certainly such a fixture in St. Louis, followed in the footsteps of his dad, the great Dan Kelly. and he’s going to be lost because both he and JB Rivers who is his analyst he’s now being moved over to the pre and the postgame shows their radio guys Chris Kerber and Joey Vitali will now simoc cast the games and I think when you read that you texted me right away and it was like what’s the team doing here? It’s unbelievable to me that you could have a legacy playbyplay man like John Kelly whose legacy is he’s following his Hall of Fame father Dan Kelly who was the voice of the blues. John has a similar voice like Kenny Albert and Marv Albert. They have similar voices to their dad. His call was good and yet they took the voice the voice of the team that everyone has grown up listening to, tossed it aside. And from what I understand, John Kelly is probably going to do some of the LA Kings games this year. And I hope he gets back on his feet and gets a team and goes again because I don’t understand how you ever let go of John Kelly in the St. Louis Blues. He is St. Louis Blues, but we don’t know what’s going on inside the inside headquarters of the team, but it it doesn’t look good on the outside. And it’s sure going to sound a lot different this year, for sure.
In this Summer Coolers edition of NHL Wraparound, Neil Smith and Vic Morren spotlight one of the most resilient turnarounds of the 2024–25 season: the St. Louis Blues.
After a rough start under Drew Bannister, the Blues handed the reins to Jim Montgomery—and never looked back. A remarkable 35-18-7 run followed, including a 12-game winning streak that pushed them into the playoffs. Though their season ended in heartbreak—blowing a two-goal lead in the final minutes of Game 7 vs. Winnipeg—the Blues showed serious promise.
With savvy offseason additions, consistent goaltending, and a rock-solid system, the Blues are building a team that no one wants to play against. Montgomery’s influence is already turning heads.
🧊 IN THIS EPISODE:
[00:00] Recap: 96-point season, heartbreaking Game 7 playoff exit
[00:45] Coaching change: Jim Montgomery takes over, massive impact
[01:30] Key offseason additions: Pius Suter, Nic Dowd, Logan Mailloux
[02:15] The Mailloux move: Fresh start after off-ice controversy
[03:00] Goalie news: Joel Hofer re-signs as backup to Binnington
[03:30] Notable exits: Radek Faksa (DAL), Nick Leddy (SJS), Lucic tryout
[04:30] Youth watch: Dylan Holloway injury recovery, Snuggerud’s potential
[05:30] Offense by committee: Neighbors, Kyrou, Thomas, Blais
[06:30] Solid defense: Faulk, Parayko, Broberg, Fowler
[07:15] Where do the Blues fit in the Central?
[08:15] Tribute to John Kelly: Longtime play-by-play voice let go after 21 years
[09:00] Simulcast changes and legacy impacts
🔑 KEY TAKEAWAYS:
Jim Montgomery’s arrival changed everything. His system revived a stagnant team, sparking a massive second-half push that nearly took out the top-seeded Jets.
The Blues added smart depth in Pius Suter and Nic Dowd and traded for a big, talented defenseman in Logan Mailloux—giving him a fresh start away from the Montreal spotlight.
Their young core is growing. Holloway’s health and Snuggerud’s next step could determine the ceiling of this team.
Montgomery has the room, and players have bought in. The Blues aren’t elite—but they’re dangerous.
Off the ice, the loss of John Kelly is seismic. The longtime play-by-play voice is a legend in St. Louis, and his departure is as emotional as it is confusing.
🎯 FINAL WORD:
The Blues may not have made massive free-agent headlines, but they didn’t need to. They’re building on momentum, buying into Montgomery’s system, and shaping a team that can make life miserable for any opponent. If they stay healthy and young players step up, expect St. Louis to punch above their weight once again.
And as fans adjust to new voices in the broadcast booth, they can rest easy knowing Montgomery still has his on the bench.
🔗 RESOURCE LINKS:
🎥 YouTube: NHL Wraparound Channel
🐦 X (Twitter): @NHLWraparound
🎤 Neil Smith: @NYCNeil
📘 Vic Morren: Vic on LinkedIn
📸 Instagram: @NHLWraparound
🎵 TikTok: @NHLWraparound
👍 Facebook: NHL Wraparound on Facebook
🏒 HASHTAGS
#StLouisBlues #JimMontgomery #NHLWraparound #SummerCoolers #BluesHockey #DrewBannister #JimMontgomery #DougArmstrong #DylanHolloway #PhilipBroberg #PiusSuter #NickBjudstad #LoganMailloux #ZackBolduc #JoelHofer #JordanBinnington #NickLeddy #MilanLucic #BraydenSchenn #JordanKyrou #RobertThomas #PavelBuchnevich #JakeNeighbours #CamFowler #ColtonParayko #JohnKelly #JamieRivers #ChrisKerber #JoeyVitale
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division winners