ST. LOUIS — Another season, another slow start.
If you made a list of reasons why the St. Louis Blues missed the playoffs in 2025-26, atop that list would be their star players not producing. That was especially the case in October and November, and thus the team could never get going.
Some players turned it around in March and April, but for a few, that’s the second straight season that’s happened. So keep in mind when reading this report card that the grading is for the full seven months, not the end of the season when the club was all but out of the playoff race.
Others, though, never turned it around. Will they be back with the club? Or can they be moved?
Our first of two report cards this offseason has grades for the Blues forwards only. We’ll follow up soon with one for the defensemen, goalies, coach Jim Montgomery and general manager Doug Armstrong.
Players had to appear in a minimum of 20 games or finish the regular season on the roster to be assessed, and the grading is done on a curve based on their role. There are 17 forwards, and they are listed alphabetically.
Jonatan Berggren
36 games, 6 goals, 16 points, -2 plus/minus
Berggren, claimed off waivers from the Detroit Red Wings in December, became one of the Blues’ best waiver pickups in years. The 25-year-old winger, a second-round pick in 2018, showed a lot of skill offensively. On the ice for 20 five-on-five goals for and 20 against, he could become a regular if he wins more one-on-one battles.
Grade: B
Nick Bjugstad
35 games, 6 goals, 7 points, -7
Needing depth at center, the Blues’ decision to sign Bjugstad to a two-year, $3.5 million free-agent contract made sense. But in 35 games before being traded to the New Jersey Devils, the 33-year-old veteran was never a great fit. The team made the right move trading him and got a prospect back in the deal, Thomas Bordeleau, who’s contributing in AHL Springfield.
Grade: C
Pavel Buchnevich
81 games, 20 goals, 48 points, -10
With three goals in the final three games, Buchnevich reached the 20-goal plateau for the sixth straight season. But let’s not forget he had two goals in the first 24 games — both on the power play. He played a lot of games (81), logged a lot of minutes (17:56 per game), but it never felt like he was a factor most nights and made a real impact.
Grade: D-
Dalibor Dvorsky
71 games, 12 goals, 21 points, -6
Dvorsky was called up in late October and never looked back. In a season where a lot of rookies received a chance to play, he got the most opportunities and fared well. He scored 12 goals and shared the team lead in power-play goals (five) with Jimmy Snuggerud. His skating needs work, but he has a handle on how he can improve.
Grade: B-
Jack Finley
22 games, 0 goals, 2 points, even plus-minus
Finley, claimed off waivers from the Tampa Bay Lightning, joined the Blues during the Olympics. He played 22 of the final 25 games of the season and averaged 11 minutes of ice time per game. He didn’t add any offense, but won 52.7 percent of his faceoffs. He seems to be a replacement for Oskar Sundqvist at fourth-line center.
Grade: C+
Dylan Holloway
59 games, 22 goals, 51 points, +13
Holloway had a great training camp and looked like he was back after a torn oblique ended his 2025-26 season. As it turned out, he wasn’t fully healthy, and just when he started to play like himself again, he suffered a high-ankle sprain. If there were any concerns, however, he answered them with 34 points in the last 25 games.
Grade: B+
Mathieu Joseph
39 games, 2 goals, 11 points, -5
In his second season with the Blues, Joseph had a decent training camp but never earned the trust of the coaches during the regular season. He has some speed, but it never materialized into much offense, preventing him from finding a regular spot in the lineup. His contract was mutually terminated, leading to a one-year deal with Los Angeles.
Grade: C-
Jordan Kyrou had 18 fewer goals and 24 fewer points than last season, which the Blues missed severely. (Stacy Revere / Getty Images)
Jordan Kyrou
72 games, 18 goals, 46 points, -5
After a 36-goal, 70-point season in 2024-25, Kyrou went backward with another healthy scratch and less ice time (17:29 to 15:44). Though he played in 10 fewer games (nine due to injury), he took 66 fewer shots and his shooting percentage fell from 15.1 to 10.4. He had 18 fewer goals and 24 fewer points, which the team missed severely.
Grade: D-
Jake Neighbours
69 games, 15 goals, 36 points, -7
Neighbours netted six goals in the first eight games of the season, but it was a struggle after that, with nine goals in his last 61 games. He helped in other areas, finishing second on the team with 152 hits. But in a lineup lacking secondary scoring, he has to produce more, especially when he’s playing with top-line players.
Grade: C+
Brayden Schenn
61 games, 12 goals, 28 points, -23
Schenn’s numbers continued to drop before his trade to the New York Islanders in March. Part of that is age, as he turned 34 before the start of the season. Another part could be that the Blues collectively weren’t producing offensively. As captain, he was a good soldier, but at this stage of his career, there’s not much he could do to help the roster as it’s assembled.
Grade: C-
Jimmy Snuggerud
70 games, 21 goals, 51 points, +16
Snuggerud looked like he belonged in the NHL when he arrived at the end of the 2025-26 season. It took a little time for him to settle into his first full season — a wrist surgery sidelined him temporarily — but then he showed off the shot fans have been waiting for. His vision, passing and playmaking are major pluses, too.
Grade: B+
Otto Stenberg
32 games, 3 goals, 10 points, +3
After moving to North America from Sweden last season, Stenberg was making progress in AHL Springfield this season. His first call-up to the NHL in December was a sooner than expected, but he proved worthy. One of three first-round draft picks in 2023, his stick work and defensive play are impressive for a 20-year-old.
Grade: B+
Oskar Sundqvist
52 games, 5 goals, 17 points, -18
Sundqvist is a fan favorite and solidified that status when he said recently that St. Louis will be his forever home. He’s a heart-and-soul player who gives it everything he’s got, but the wear and tear is catching up to him. He’s an unrestricted free agent this summer, and it’s possible the Blues will part ways with the popular 2019 Stanley Cup winner.
Grade: C-
Pius Suter
64 games, 13 goals, 29 points, +13
Suter was exactly what the Blues expected when they signed him to a two-year, $8.25 million free-agent contract. He played up and down the lineup, at center and wing, and was a mainstay on the penalty kill. He’s an excellent complementary player when the team’s top players are fulfilling their roles. But while he played his part, others didn’t.
Grade: B+
Robert Thomas
64 games, 25 goals, 64 points, +22
In his first 42 games of the season, Thomas had 11 goals, 33 points and was minus-3. In 22 games after his return from injury, he had 14 goals, 31 points and was plus-25. He wasn’t driving play at the start of the season, and a nagging knee injury was part of the reason. But this is the second straight season he’s had a second-half surge, and he has to show more consistency.
Grade: B+
Alexey Toropchenko
65 games, 4 goals, 11 points, -11
Toropchenko remains one of the Blues’ best forecheckers, but he wasn’t as good defensively and played on a penalty-kill unit that struggled much of the season. And while it might be unfair to keep referencing his 14-goal season from 2023-24, with four goals this season and eight combined the last two years, he has to convert more of his scoring chances.
Grade: C-
Nathan Walker
46 games, 4 goals, 11 points, -9
As with Sundqvist and Toropchenko, Walker was part of a fourth line that didn’t establish itself. He provided his usual energy and physicality, but had a few uncharacteristic turnovers and untimely penalties. When looking at the Blues’ issues, Walker isn’t a problem, but as someone under contract in 2026-27, the fourth line has to be part of the solution.
Grade: C