{"id":457876,"date":"2026-02-14T14:47:13","date_gmt":"2026-02-14T14:47:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/457876\/"},"modified":"2026-02-14T14:47:13","modified_gmt":"2026-02-14T14:47:13","slug":"3-post-olympic-predictions-for-the-st-louis-blues-the-hockey-writers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/457876\/","title":{"rendered":"3 Post-Olympic Predictions for the St. Louis Blues – The Hockey Writers –"},"content":{"rendered":"

Rosters are frozen while NHLers participate in the Winter Olympics for the first time since 2014. The 2025-26 season will resume on Feb. 25, and when it does, it will be business as usual with the March 6 trade deadline just over a week later. Here are three predictions for the St. Louis Blues<\/a> as they head into the final stretch of the season. <\/p>\n

Jordan Kyrou Is Traded<\/p>\n

This is a bold prediction. However, David Pagnotta seems to think both sides might be open to a trade<\/a>. At 27, Jordan Kyrou<\/a> has averaged 29 goals a season throughout his eight-year career. He would be a great addition for any contending team. Unfortunately, the Blues are still a few seasons away from being a real contender, and there may be a problem with the team\u2019s core.<\/p>\n

\"JordanNashville Predators goaltender Juuse Saros blocks the shot of St. Louis Blues center Jordan Kyrou (Steve Roberts-Imagn Images)<\/p>\n

We know the Blues are committed to selling at the deadline<\/a>, and the return on a Kyrou trade would certainly help the team\u2019s future. He does control where he ends up, with a full no-trade clause in his deal, but given that he is rumored to be open to a move, that might not be much of an obstacle.<\/p>\n

General manager (GM) Doug Armstrong has never been afraid to take a swing at a trade. In what is his last deadline as GM, I expect he\u2019ll try to shake things up: Kyrou goes to a contender, and the Blues bring in a nice return to help their future.<\/p>\n

Dylan Holloway Signs a Bridge Deal<\/p>\n

After a 26-goal season in 2024-25, Dylan Holloway<\/a> seemed primed for a long-term extension<\/a> at some point this season (from \u201cDylan Holloway, Philip Broberg Contract Projections: Market Value, Player Comps and More, The Athletic, 10\/13\/25). However, injuries have limited him to just eight goals in 34 games. A big payday for the Alberta native is not happening this season. However, I expect him to sign a bridge deal. At 24 years old, Holloway will still be a restricted free agent when his contract expires at the end of this season. <\/p>\n

When Holloway is healthy, the Blues know what he is capable of. They will want to continue to evaluate him and see if that 2024-25 season can be replicated consistently. With that in mind, I expect him to sign a two-year bridge contract before the end of this season. This will protect him from an offer sheet without committing a lot of money and term after an uncertain season. If he proves last season\u2019s production was the real deal, the Blues can sign him to a long-term contract. If not, they can move on without having invested too much.<\/p>\n

Joel Hofer Scores a Goal<\/p>\n

This is a fun one. Goaltender Joel Hofer<\/a> has come close to scoring into an empty net a few times, and I predict it will happen before the end of the season. He will likely get most of the starts moving forward, especially if Jordan Binnington is traded<\/a>. Hofer also handles the puck very well. It is only a matter of time before he plays a puck with just enough time to launch it down the ice into an open net.<\/p>\n

Related: Oilers Should Trade for Jordan Binnington<\/a><\/p>\n

The Blues have never had a goaltender score, either by shooting the puck or being credited as the last Blue to touch it before a goal. The franchise is due.<\/p>\n

Lost Season Can Still Have Important Moments<\/p>\n

The Blues are unlikely to make the playoffs, but the rest of the season will be worth watching. We are seeing the start of a youth movement, watching hopeful future stars like Jimmy Snuggerud and Dalibor Dvorsky perform. Should a shake-up trade happen, the team could look very different down the stretch. And who doesn\u2019t want to see a goalie goal? <\/p>\n

Be sure to continue to check in to The Hockey Writers for more Blues\u2019 content, as well as Olympic content<\/a>, as the tournament continues in Italy.<\/p>\n

\"SUBSCRIBE<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/a>
\n<\/p>\n

<\/a>
\n<\/p>\n

<\/a>
\n<\/p>\n

<\/a>
\n<\/p>\n

<\/a>
\n<\/p>\n

<\/a>
\n<\/p>\n

<\/a>
\n<\/p>\n

<\/a>
\n<\/p>\n

<\/a>
\n<\/p>\n

<\/a>
\n<\/p>\n

<\/a>
\n<\/p>\n

<\/a>
\n<\/p>\n

<\/a>
\n<\/p>\n

<\/a>
\n<\/p>\n

<\/a>
\n<\/p>\n

<\/a>
\n<\/p>\n

<\/a>
\n<\/p>\n

<\/a>
\n<\/p>\n

<\/a>
\n<\/p>\n

<\/a>
\n<\/p>\n

<\/a>
\n<\/p>\n

<\/a>
\n<\/p>\n

<\/a>
\n<\/p>\n

<\/a>
\n<\/p>\n

<\/a>
\n<\/p>\n

<\/a>
\n<\/p>\n

<\/a>
\n<\/p>\n

<\/a>
\n<\/p>\n

<\/a>
\n<\/p>\n

<\/a>
\n<\/p>\n

<\/a>
\n<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Rosters are frozen while NHLers participate in the Winter Olympics for the first time since 2014. The 2025-26…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":457877,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5120],"tags":[71,1296,5,1190,1479,4,534,84,5285,5284],"class_list":{"0":"post-457876","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-st-louis-blues","8":"tag-blues","9":"tag-dylan-holloway","10":"tag-hockey","11":"tag-joel-hofer","12":"tag-jordan-kyrou","13":"tag-nhl","14":"tag-st-louis","15":"tag-st-louis-blues","16":"tag-stlouis","17":"tag-stlouisblues"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nhl\/116069534905118165","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/457876","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=457876"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/457876\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/457877"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=457876"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=457876"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=457876"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}