{"id":452581,"date":"2026-02-09T21:41:16","date_gmt":"2026-02-09T21:41:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/452581\/"},"modified":"2026-02-09T21:41:16","modified_gmt":"2026-02-09T21:41:16","slug":"st-louis-blues-week-ahead-schedule-storylines-olympic-break-edition-the-hockey-writers-st-louis-blues","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/452581\/","title":{"rendered":"St. Louis Blues Week Ahead: Schedule & Storylines \u2013 Olympic Break Edition – The Hockey Writers – St Louis Blues"},"content":{"rendered":"

The NHL is currently paused for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina, Italy, until Feb. 25.<\/p>\n

While the St. Louis Blues as a team are off, several of their key players are competing for their national teams. Here are the key storylines during the break and the Olympic schedule for Blues players this week.<\/p>\n

\u201cSeller\u201d Mode Activated<\/p>\n

Following a disappointing stretch before the break, general manager Doug Armstrong has reportedly shifted into \u201cseller\u201d mode ahead of the March 6 trade deadline. The recent trade<\/a> of Nick Bjugstad to the New Jersey Devils (for Thomas Bordeleau and a draft pick) signals the start of this sell-off.<\/p>\n

Robert Thomas Trade Rumors<\/p>\n

Despite being a franchise cornerstone, rumors are swirling<\/a> around center Robert Thomas. He is currently sidelined with a minor leg procedure but is expected back after the Olympic break. Reports suggest the asking price for him is \u201castronomical,\u201d likely requiring a return similar to or higher than recent blockbusters.<\/p>\n

Jordan Kyrou\u2019s Hot Streak<\/p>\n

Winger Jordan Kyrou entered the break on a high note. This production has complicated the narrative; while he remains a trade candidate<\/a>, his recent play reminds the league of his elite offensive talent.<\/p>\n

Evaluation Period<\/p>\n

The Olympic break serves as a critical evaluation window. Management is reportedly listening to offers on veterans like Brayden Schenn and Justin Faulk, looking to acquire high draft capital<\/a> or young prospects to accelerate a \u201cretool.\u201d<\/p>\n

2026 Winter Olympics: Blues Player Watch<\/p>\n

These five Blues players are representing their countries in Milan:<\/p>\n

Canada: Jordan Binnington (G), Colton Parayko (D)<\/p>\n

Sweden: Philip Broberg (D)<\/p>\n

Switzerland: Pius Suter (F)<\/p>\n

Slovakia: Dalibor Dvorsky (F)<\/p>\n

The Goalie Battle: Jordan Binnington is fighting for the starting netminder job for Team Canada. His performance in the preliminary round games (vs. Czechia and France) will likely determine if he starts in the medal rounds.<\/p>\n

Dvorsky on the Big Stage: Top prospect Dalibor Dvorsky is representing Slovakia. This is a massive opportunity for Blues fans to see him play against elite NHL competition (like facing Broberg and Sweden on Feb. 14).<\/p>\n

Related \u2013 Guide to the 2026 Winter Olympics Men\u2019s Hockey Tournament<\/a><\/p>\n

Blues Olympic Schedule This Week<\/p>\n

DateMatchupBlues Players InvolvedWed, Feb. 11Sweden vs. ItalyPhilip Broberg (SWE)Thu, Feb. 12Canada vs. CzechiaBinnington\/Parayko (CAN)Fri, Feb. 13Sweden vs. FinlandPhilip Broberg (SWE)Fri, Feb. 13Switzerland vs. CzechiaPius Suter (SUI)Sat, Feb. 14Slovakia vs. SwedenDvorsky (SVK) vs. Broberg (SWE)Sun, Feb. 15Canada vs. FranceBinnington\/Parayko (CAN)<\/p>\n

AI tools were used to support the creation or distribution of this content, however, it has been carefully edited and fact-checked by a member of The Hockey Writers editorial team. For more information on our use of AI, please visit our Editorial Standards<\/a> page.<\/p>\n

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<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The NHL is currently paused for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina, Italy, until Feb. 25. While the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":452582,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5120],"tags":[3189,71,5,1268,1479,4,1482,534,84,5285,5284],"class_list":{"0":"post-452581","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-st-louis-blues","8":"tag-2026-winter-olympics","9":"tag-blues","10":"tag-hockey","11":"tag-jordan-binnington","12":"tag-jordan-kyrou","13":"tag-nhl","14":"tag-robert-thomas","15":"tag-st-louis","16":"tag-st-louis-blues","17":"tag-stlouis","18":"tag-stlouisblues"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nhl\/116042851706012756","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/452581","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=452581"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/452581\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/452582"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=452581"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=452581"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=452581"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}