ST. LOUIS — On his first official day on the job, new St. Louis Blues general manager Alexander Steen added a player the club had long been lacking.

Someone who can help prevent the Blues from getting pushed around.

The free-agent signing of left winger Ross Johnston, 32, to a three-year, $6 million contract ($2 million average annual value) may draw criticism in some circles. But at 6-foot-5 and 232 pounds, he’s an enforcer who can take on all comers around the NHL — and he has the toughness Steen was seeking.

“He’s an element we haven’t had in St. Louis for a long time,” Steen said. “He brings a presence. That presence is both on and off the ice. He brings it in the locker room. He holds players accountable.”

The #stlblues signed 32 y/o F Ross Johnston to a 3 year $2M cap hit contract

Yr 1: $2.25M
Yr 2: $2M
Yr 3: $1.75M

Deal is all salary

Rep’d by Doug Shepherd @dougshepherd14 https://t.co/HeppSUEkcc

— PuckPedia (@PuckPedia) July 1, 2026

Johnston has played 10 seasons in the league, breaking in with the New York Islanders and playing the past three with the Anaheim Ducks. In 307 career games, he has 14 goals, 47 points and 579 penalty minutes, including a career-high 117 in 2023-24 and 107 last season.

A player’s penalty minutes, of course, aren’t the end-all, be-all illustration, but typically those stem from a lot of fighting majors, of which Johnston had 22 the past three seasons.

For comparison, the Blues’ penalty minutes leader last season was Tyler Tucker with 81, and, in fact, the team hasn’t had anyone eclipse 100 since Ryan Reaves in 2016-17 (104). Since Reaves, the year-by-year leaders over the past nine seasons have been Tucker (81), Nathan Walker (63), Brayden Schenn (56), Schenn (50), Niko Mikkola (55), Robert Bortuzzo (47), David Perron (52), Joel Edmundson (68) and Chris Thorburn (60).

There are a few in that bunch who can throw a punch, but overall, the Blues haven’t struck much fear in anyone for a while.

Johnston may change that. In 2025-26, his fight card featured several of the top enforcers in the game: Dylan McIlrath, Liam O’Brien, A.J. Greer, Tanner Jeannot, Michael McCarron and Reaves.

“It’s that element — that’s something that excited us — but we were excited about the overall package,” Steen said. “It’s a move that offensively we’re trying to get more on the inside and create a net-front presence. Defensively, he’s very organized. He competes two-way on the puck. We’re looking forward to adding him.”

Johnston had three goals and 14 points in 62 games last season, generating assists off his forecheck and finding teammates in front of the net. Defensively, he was on the ice for 27 five-on-five goals for and 25 against, according to Natural Stat Trick.

So in a span of a week, the Blues have added three players who average 6-foot-3 and 226 pounds — trading for the Ducks’ Mason McTavish (6-1, 219), Toronto Maple Leafs’ Brandon Carlo (6-5, 227) and signing Johnston (6-5, 232).

Was that a point of emphasis?

“We do want to be an uncomfortable team to play against,” Steen said. “We want to have a certain identity to our team. What I like about where we’re positioned now is the roster allows us to have an identity but also supplies the coaching staff different options game to game. We could have different looks but still with the same identity. We did want to build a little bit more of the physicality and size.”

The Blues added to those options at forward on Wednesday with the signing of Jonatan Berggren and Dillon Dube to one-year contracts.

Berggren, 25, was claimed off waivers from the Detroit Red Wings last season. He agreed to a one-year, $2 million contract. He had been a restricted free agent, but the club elected not to make him a qualifying offer earlier in the week because it would’ve allowed him to elect for salary arbitration. He became an unrestricted agent, but the two sides remained in contact, resulting in the return of the winger, who had six goals and 16 points in 36 games last season.

Dube agreed to a one-year, $850,000 contract, and it’s a one-way deal, meaning he’ll be paid an NHL salary whether he’s with the Blues or AHL Springfield.

Last December, after Dube was found not guilty in the Hockey Canada sexual assault trial, the Blues brought the 27-year-old into the organization on a professional tryout with Springfield. A veteran of 325 NHL games with the Calgary Flames before stepping away from the league, he had 20 goals and 37 points in 46 games with the Thunderbirds.

“Dillon came into our organization last year, and we’ve gotten to know him a lot better throughout that timeframe,” Steen said. “We’re well aware of (trial). The thing that’s impressed us with Dillon is his openness toward that. He approaches it with a sincerity and humility. His teammates and coaching staff have shared what their experiences with him were. He wants to be a positive influence. He’s had a positive impact on (Springfield).

“When you get to know him more and more, his interactions with his teammates, he wants to bring out the best version of himself on a daily basis, and he actively tries to bring out the best version of his teammates as well. Since I got here in St. Louis, the organization has always been a second-chance organization, and this is Dillon’s opportunity, and we feel confident in giving it to him — to fight for a spot on our team next year.”

The arrivals of Johnston and Dube and the return of Berggren create increased competition for spots among the bottom-six forwards. There’s also Pius Suter, Alexey Toropchenko, Jack Finley, Nathan Walker and Otto Stenberg.

“This is going to be a hard (training) camp,” Steen said. “This internal competition is going to be good for us, and it’s something I look forward to observing.”

After Wednesday’s moves, the Blues have a salary cap hit of $93.8 million, according to PuckPedia, leaving them $10.2 million under the NHL’s $104 million cap ceiling. That does not include Connor McMichael, whom the Blues received in the trade with the Washington Capitals for Jordan Kyrou. McMichael is a restricted free agent, so the club controls his rights.

Excluding McMichael, that cap hit accounts for 14 forwards, seven defensemen and two goalies.

“I like where we’re positioned right now,” Steen said. “We finished up for the day. I’ll go home and stay close to my phone. Today’s been enjoyable. We’ve had a good day. I’m excited about where our team is, and we’ll see what tomorrow brings.”

Roster projection 3.0

In Wednesday’s article, I provided roster projection 2.0 for 2026-27, knowing full well that I’d be updating it on Wednesday after the first day of free agency.

So, with the addition of Johnston, along with Berggren, who was still unsigned Tuesday, let’s take another run at it.

LWCRW

Holloway

Thomas

Snuggerud

McMichael

McTavish

Buchnevich

Neighbours

Dvorsky

Berggren

Johnston

Suter

Toropchenko

Extras: Finley, Walker, Dube, Stenberg
LDRD

Broberg

Mailloux

Lindstein

Parayko

Fowler

Carlo

Extra: Tucker