5 St. Louis Blues players who may not be back for 2025-26 season feat. Ryan Suter

The St. Louis Blues got an early start to their offseason after dropping a thrilling Game 7 to the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday night at the Canada Life Centre.

With their elimination, the Blues will look to build on the success from this season. As such, the Blues’ offseason could involve any number of players not returning for the 2025-26 season. While it’s unclear who might not make the cut at this point, some names stand out as candidates.

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So, let’s take a look at five St. Louis Blues players who may not be back for the 2025-26 season.

5 St. Louis Blues players who may not be back for 2025-26 season

#5 Joel Hofer

The St. Louis Blues backup goalie will be an RFA this summer. While Joel Hofer made $775K this season, he might be compelled to test free agency to see if he could snatch a more lucrative contract.

If that’s the case, the Blues may either trade his rights or fail to qualify him, making Hofer a UFA. The likeliest outcome would be Hofer re-signing in St. Louis. But there’s always a possibility that Hofer might be on the move.

#4 Nick Leddy

The Blues will hopefully get top-pairing blue liner Torey Krug back from injury next season. With Krug, comes his $6.5 million cap hit. If that’s the case, the Blues may face a cap crunch, forcing someone out.

That someone could be 34-year-old Nick Leddy. While Leddy has been a steady defenseman, he’s got one year left on his contract at $4 million. Leddy’s deal has a modified 16-team no-trade clause. That makes him a trade target if the Blues are hard-pressed against the cap.

#3 Cam Fowler

It’s tough to imagine the St. Louis Blues moving Cam Fowler after his play in this postseason. But like Leddy, Fowler could become a cap casualty.

Fowler also comes with one more year at $4 million. At this point, it’s likely the Blues will want to re-sign him. But if a contract extension seems unlikely, the Blues may feel compelled to recoup some assets by moving Fowler.

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Moving Fowler might be easier than Leddy as Fowler has a four-team no-trade clause.

#2 Radek Faksa

The 31-year-old Radek Faksa will be a UFA this summer. This season, Faksa counted for $3.25 million against the cap. However, Faksa produced 15 points in 70 games this season. That sort of production may not be enough to convince the Blues he’s worth $3 million or so per season.

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If the Blues feel that way, they could let Faksa walk and better allocate that cap space on another bottom-six center.

#1 Ryan Suter

At 40, Ryan Suter had a solid season. He wasn’t part of the Blues’ original plans this season. St. Louis signed him following the devastating injury news the team got regarding Krug.

With Krug back in the fold, Suter could become expendable. While Suter signed for league minimum this season, Suter might be on the outs as the Blues look to utilize his roster spot for another depth blue liner.

About the author

Nestor is an NHL and MLB writer at Sportskeeda with over 10 years of experience. Growing up in Toronto, he became an avid Maple Leafs and Blue Jays fan, but also admires the New York Islanders and Los Angeles Dodgers for their dominance in the 80s. Holding an Economics and Education major, Nestor’s passion for writing and sporting events led him to take up reporting about the sport professionally.

Nestor credits the Leafs’ playoff runs in the early '90s as having a lasting impact on him. His favorite players are Doug Gilmour and Mike Bossy, as he feels they were tough, talented leaders, while Pat Burns is his favorite coach of all time for always preaching a fast-paced game.

Growing up in Canada, it was natural for Nestor to become interested in ice hockey and he played Minor Hockey as a teenager, which has given him a unique perspective on the sport. Nestor has mastered the art of how to best present facts and he also has a knack for knowing which sources can be trusted, and which can't for stories.

When he is not writing about Canada’s national passion, Nestor enjoys running and hiking.

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Edited by Nestor Quixtan