51ºÚÁÏ

They were trying to fill a hole left by the retirement of Jay Bouwmeester, trying to re-create a pairing that helped guide the Blues to a Stanley Cup in 2019. But they didn’t quite find it.

The Blues tried Marco Scandella, Torey Krug, Jake Walman and Vince Dunn in 2021. The next season brought an experiment with Niko Mikkola. For two seasons, Parayko was nearly inseparable from Nick Leddy, who was miscast in a shutdown role. Even when Leddy got injured last season, it was Ryan Suter who rode shotgun with Parayko on the top pair.

Perhaps the Blues have finally landed on a solution: Cam Fowler.

When the Blues acquired Fowler from Anaheim in mid-December, they took a shot on a defenseman who had lost ice time to younger players on the Ducks. They traded an ECHL defenseman (Jeremie Biakabutuka) and a 2027 second-round pick for Fowler and a 2027 fourth-rounder, plus Anaheim retained $2.5 million of Fowler’s $6.5 million salary-cap hit.

What Fowler gave them was much more than that.

From when the Blues acquired him on Dec. 14 through the end of the regular season, Fowler had 36 points in 51 games. That tied him with Adam Fox and Thomas Harley for the ninth-most points among NHL defensemen. Twenty-eight of those points came at even strength, which meant only Zach Werenski, Rasmus Dahlin, Cale Makar and Devon Toews had more than Fowler in the final four months of the season.

In the playoffs, Fowler posted two goals and eight assists. Despite the Blues’ first-round exit against the Jets, Fowler’s 10 points was for fifth-most among defensemen in last season’s Stanley Cup playoffs. The four players above him advanced to either the Stanley Cup Final or conference finals, as did the four players beneath him.

Fowler also gave the Blues memorable moments.

In the Winter Classic at Chicago’s Wrigley Field, while celebrating his 1,000th NHL game, Fowler scored two goals. With the Blues’ nine-game win streak in jeopardy, Fowler had the game-tying assist late in the third period and the game-winning overtime goal in a win over the Red Wings. Then, his five-point night in Game 3 vs. the Jets was the most for a Blues defenseman in a postseason game.

Fowler and Parayko formed a balanced, mobile pair at the top of the Blues lineup. Both players skated pucks out of trouble, with Parayko bringing the defensive prowess and Fowler posting the gaudy offensive numbers.

From when Fowler joined the Blues until Parayko injured his knee in early March, they logged nearly 458 minutes together at five on five, ninth-most in the NHL. Overall last season, the Blues outscored opponents 31-18 with the pair on the ice, and owned 54.1% of the expected goals and 54.8% of the shots on goal, according to Natural Stat Trick.

They took on the hardest matchups, and both still delivered on the other side of the ice.

This season, where does that growth go? Can they still produce the tilted possession numbers they did a season ago? Will Fowler take on more penalty-killing minutes with Suter and Leddy gone?

Of course, the overarching question surrounding Fowler is his contract situation. He will be an unrestricted free agent in the summer and will be 34 years old when he hits the market.

Blues general manager Doug Armstrong said earlier this summer that signing Fowler to an extension was not a priority for the Blues, but should he depart, he will likely leave an offensive hole on the blue line.

The prospects will also practice at Centene Community Ice Center on Sept. 11 and 12, with both sessions beginning at 10 a.m.

Carbonneau, Adam Jirieck (2024), Dalibor Dvorsky (2023), Otto Stenberg (2023) and Theo Lindstein (2023) were all taken in the first round by the Blues, and all of them will play in the tournament. Zach Dean (2021 first-round pick by Vegas) will also be on the roster after missing most of last season with an injury.

Carbonneau wowed Blues management and onlookers during development camp in July with his snarl on pucks and stick-handling, and will play this season for Blainville-Boisbriand in the QMJHL. He turned down the opportunity to play collegiately for Boston College.

Jiricek, Stenberg and Lindstein will also be making their prospect tournament debuts. Jiricek missed last year's because of a knee injury, and Stenberg and Lindstein will both begin the season in North America for the first times in their careers.

Jimmy Snuggerud (2022 first-rounder) was not included on the roster. Snuggerud, 21, made his NHL debut in the spring, and is expected to play a role in the Blues top-six forward group this season.

Blues prospect tournament roster

Forwards

No. 28 Otto Stenberg (2023 first)

No. 48 Dylan Peterson (2020 third)

No. 52 Zach Dean (trade from Vegas)

No. 54 Dalibor Dvorsky (2023 first)

No. 65 Aleksanteri Kaskimaki (2022 third)

No. 68 Justin Carbonneau (2025 first)

No. 76 Sam Stange (invite)

No. 80 Simon Robertsson (2021 third)

No. 84 Adam Jecho (2024 third)

No. 85 Juraj Pekarcik (2023 third)

No. 86 Antoine Dorion (2024 seventh)

No. 93 Jakub Stancl (2023 fourth)

Defensemen

No. 37 Adam Jiricek (2024 first)

No. 41 Theo Lindstein (2023 first)

No. 62 Michael Buchinger (2022 third)

No. 73 Marc-Andre Gaudet (2022 fifth)

No. 75 Anthony Kehrer (invite)

No. 87 Will McIsaac (2024 fifth)

No. 92 Quinton Burns (2023 third)

No. 94 Lukas Fischer (2024 second)

Goaltenders

No. 31 Will Cranley (2020 sixth)

No. 45 Matthew Koprowski (invite)

Prospect tournament schedule

Sept. 11: Prospects practice, 10 a.m. (Centene Community Ice Center)

Sept. 12: Prospect practice, 10 a.m. (Centene Community Ice Center)

Sept. 12: Blues vs. Wild, 7 p.m. (TRIA Rink, St. Paul, Minn.)

Sept. 13: Blues vs. Blackhawks, 6 p.m. (TRIA Rink, St. Paul, Minn.)

He’s now in control of his future.

After years of being included in trade rumors, and even a few weeks this summer of his name surfacing as a trade chip, Kyrou now knows he’s the one who decides the fate of his career. When his no-trade clause kicked in on July 1, the power shifted to Kyrou.

This upcoming campaign is the first season he was eligible for a no-trade clause (because he has now reached an age that would have qualified him for unrestricted free agency), and it is included across the next five seasons of the contract extension he signed two years ago. In 2030-31, that will drop to a 15-team no-trade list, and at that point, Kyrou will be 32 years old.

With that presumably handled, next up is Kyrou’s on-ice game.

In 2024-25, Kyrou took a larger step toward becoming a more complete player with a more concerted effort in the defensive zone, more tracking back for pucks in the neutral zone, harder board play and even a couple of hits. (Remember the one in overtime against Detroit that helped run the Blues’ win streak to 10?)

When Kyrou was on the ice at five on five, the Blues allowed 1.81 goals per 60 minutes, the lowest figure in his career. 51ºÚÁÏ also gave up 25.76 shots and 9.02 high-danger chances per hour with Kyrou on the ice, both also new career bests for Kyrou.

On the offensive side, Kyrou scored 36 goals, one away from tying his career high of 37, set in 2022-23. For many in 51ºÚÁÏ, though, his 37 goals in 2022-23 was overshadowed by his minus-38 rating.

Last year? He led the Blues at plus-23.

The 40-goal plateau has been an attainable target for Kyrou, who remains one of the best shooters in the league.

It’s also possible Kyrou returns this season as part of a line that was one of the most successful in the NHL last season. Playing right wing with Brayden Schenn at center and Dylan Holloway at left wing, Kyrou helped the line outscore opponents 29-14 at five on five. According to Natural Stat Trick, the Blues held a 56.29% edge in expected goals with them on the ice. Perhaps a full year with Schenn and Holloway could boost Kyrou’s numbers.

Analytics site MoneyPuck ranked Kyrou as the 13th-best shooter in the league last year, based on how often he converts his chances relative to the expected goal value around the league. Of the 12 players above him, seven have notched 40-goal seasons at some point in their career: Leon Draisaitl, Artemi Panarin, Jason Robertson, David Pastrnak, Mikko Rantanen, Patrik Laine and Alex DeBrincat. Elias Pettersson (39), Andrei Kuzmenko (39) and Cole Caufield (37) have come close. Trevor Zegras (23) and Daniel Sprong (21) have not.

If Kyrou reaches 40 goals, he would become the first Blues player to hit that mark since Vladimir Tarasenko in 2015-16 and the second since Brad Boyes in 2007-07. Since Tarasenko potted 40 in 2015-16, 23 teams have had a 40-goal scorer, including both expansion franchises.

Would he ease into the red-hot Blues as a healthy scratch as he learned the NHL life? Would he seamlessly transition from big minutes at the University of Minnesota to meaningful ones in 51ºÚÁÏ? What would he even be able to provide the Blues when he was on the ice as a 20-year-old fresh out of college?

As it turns out, Snuggerud was used in a way that no Blues rookie forward had been used in 16 years.

In seven regular-season games, Snuggerud averaged 15:28 of ice time, becoming the first Blues rookie forward to average at least 15 minutes of ice time since T.J. Oshie in 2008-09, although Oshie did so across 57 games. In the playoffs, Snuggerud averaged 17:05, also the most since Oshie in 2009.

Teenaged rookies like Robert Thomas (13:04 in 70 games in 2018-19) and Robby Fabbri (13:19 in 72 games in 2015-16) didn’t receive the minutes that Snuggerud did in his limited action in the spring. That has, of course, elevated expectations for Snuggerud entering the fall.

Snuggerud is expected to play in the Blues’ top-six forward group, potentially even on the top line with Thomas and Pavel Buchnevich, where he played most of the first-round series against the Jets. When that line was on the ice at 5 on 5, the Blues outshot Winnipeg 24-13 and outscored the Jets 5-0 while owning 54.4% of the expected goals.

Long-term, the forecast for Snuggerud is for him to be one of the young building blocks in 51ºÚÁÏ, to generate offense and help lead the Blues toward a new era of their franchise. His first-round pedigree and productive career as a Golden Gopher (66 goals and 69 assists in 119 games) give fans plenty of reason to believe he’ll become that player.

But in the short-term, it’s about how much can Snuggerud help a team that is looking to improve on a 96-point season from last year?

Since 2005, only one Blues rookie has scored 20 goals, and that was Patrik Berglund in 2008-09. Zack Bolduc scored 19 last season but then was traded to Montreal in exchange for defenseman Logan Mailloux. Berglund was the only Blues rookie in the last 20 years with a 40-point season, too.

How productive Snuggerud might be a key to the Blues developing more depth up front. They have proven commodities in Thomas, Buchnevich, Jordan Kyrou and Brayden Schenn. They’re hoping for a repeat of Dylan Holloway’s breakout season from a year ago. And Jake Neighbours has scored 49 goals across the last two seasons.

While Thomas is one of the league’s top players, the Blues lack another forward who can challenge to be at the top of their position. So, like always under Doug Armstrong, the Blues have built around their depth.

Last year, the Blues had five players score at least 20 goals, and only four NHL teams had more (led by Washington’s seven). Of course, in 2021-22, the Blues became the first team in almost 30 years with nine 20-goal scorers.

Should Snuggerud help the Blues in that cause, he could also pick up Calder Trophy attention. Barret Jackman is the only Blues player to ever win the trophy and he did so in 2002-03.

Calhoun, who has had on-air roles at KMOX (1120 AM) and KTRS (550 AM) among other stations, has made his biggest mark as the public address announcer for the Blues and Grizzlies. And what a run it has been.

He has not missed a Blues home game — exhibition, regular season or playoffs — since he was hired in January 1987. That’s 1,733 in a row and counting, as he’s set to return soon for his 38th season (one since he began was not played because of labor strife). To put that into perspective, the team is on its 15th head coach since Calhoun started. He delivers more than the U.S. Postal Service.

He doesn’t have a perfect attendance merit badge from the Grizzlies, but his doggedness there also is astounding as he estimates he has missed no more than five of the team’s approximately 1,100 home games over the past 23 seasons. And most of those were because they overlapped with his hockey commitments.

But unlike with the Blues, his association with the Sauget-based Frontier League baseball team is about to end. His regular-season finale is set for Sunday, when the Grizzlies entertain Evansville at 6:05 p.m. But he won’t be quite done yet. The Grizz have qualified for the playoffs, which begin next week, and he’ll do their home games.

“I’ve been lucky,� Calhoun, 74, said of his remarkable runs. “I’ve been real lucky with my health and that other things haven’t gotten in the way — funerals, weddings and that kind of stuff.�

His Blues streak almost was halted a few times by winter weather.

“I live out here in the wilds of St. Clair County, rural Millstadt, and getting from my home to downtown 51ºÚÁÏ sometimes presents a challenge if there’s more than a couple of inches of snow,â€� he said. “I’ve had a neighbor loan me a car because he’s closer to the main road than I am, and there have been a couple other close calls.â€�

That includes his car being rear-ended once while he was on the way to a hockey game. But he always has made it on time.

A reluctant start

Calhoun not only didn’t seek to get into the PA business, he wasn’t even eager to do it at first. He only agreed to do so because the job was supposed to last for only the last few months of the 1986-87 season.

Blues assistant pubic relations director Charlie Hodges was behind that microphone before he left the club in January 1987, and the team needed immediate help. Calhoun was working at KXOK (630 AM), which then was the team’s radio home, and he said legendary Blues broadcaster Dan Kelly discussed the situation with colleague Ron Jacober.

“Ron called me in and said (Blues Vice President) Susie Mathieu was looking for someone to do PA for rest of the rest of the season and asked, ‘Are you interested?’ I said, ‘Well, I don’t know.’ I wasn’t all that excited about it, to be truthful, because I was more interested in my radio career and doing sports play-by-play. But I met with Susie, and she asked if I’d do it as a favor for the rest of the season and we’ll see if we can find someone else after that.�

So he agreed, saying the pay was “practically nothing� in the post-Harry Ornest, tight-fisted ownership days. That “practically nothing�: $25 a game.

Calhoun said late in that season, Mathieu approached him about returning the next year.

“I’ve got young sons; I’ve got all kinds of other things going on, and I’d rather not do that,� he said he told her. “Then this is the thing that has been key to my rest of my time with the Blues. She said, ‘We will make it worth your time.’ They did. And have ever since. That turned into the 1,700-plus games I’ve had with them.�

Blues vice president Trevor Nickerson, who oversees the team’s in-house presentations as executive producer of Blue Note Productions, said Calhoun long has been a valuable asset to enhancing the fans’ experience.

“Tom Calhoun has set the standard for professionalism and consistency as the in-arena voice of Blues hockey for� nearly four decades, Nickerson said. “His steady presence and exceptional work ethic have been an integral part of the game-day experience for generations of fans. We’re grateful for his continued dedication and proud to have him continuing to represent the Blues into the future.�

The PA duties have sparked a popular podcast Calhoun does about key figures in the team’s past: .

“It’s been great going down memory lane with those guys,� he said. “Most are really happy to talk about their career and their life now because sometimes they get a little far in rearview mirror for the fan base and I like to remind people there were people in the 20th century and early 21st century who are kind of important� in Blues lore.

His role with the Blues also led to the Grizzlies gig, as Calhoun was offered the job because club officials enjoyed his work with the hockey team.

“I wasn’t doing anything in the summertime that would prevent me from doing that,� he said. “Their ballpark is only about 10 minutes from where I live. So I said, ‘Let’s do it for a season and see how it goes.’�

It’s still going, although the finish line is approaching fast.

“It’s been a fun ride ever since,� he said. “They let me freelance and have fun with the presentation.�

The future

Calhoun has decided to leave the Grizzlies because he has a couple of lengthy family summer family vacations in the plans for the next two summers, to his roots in Scotland, then to Hawaii to celebrate the wedding anniversary of a son who was married there 10 years earlier.

“That’s going to be a big hole in the Grizzlies’ schedule. ... It made sense to end it now,� he said, adding he’ll “make myself available� down the line for fill-in duties or for “big nights� if in town.

The Grizzlies honored him by putting his name on the outfield wall early this season and created a bobblehead in his likeness.

“They’ve made the exit path pretty comfortable for me,� he said. “I’ll always appreciate that.�

So he might become emotional when his final game arrives.

“A little bit melancholy I guess,� he said. “I’ve had so much fun with the Grizzlies over the years that seeing it go away and be in the rearview mirror — I might get a little misty-eyed near the end.�

But the end isn’t in sight for his Blues duties, as he is a fixture at their games with his excitable and elongated Blueessssss goal! proclamations when announcing the details after the home team scores.

“My voice still works pretty well and I’m still I think mentally sharp enough to do what I do and so I’m hoping that this goes on for a little while longer,� he said. “... They’ve always appreciated what I do, they’ve made me understand that I’m valuable to what they do presentation-wise. I’ve worked for five ownerships, and they’ve all made me feel like I’m part of the family. I’ve never thought about quitting there, not even for a second.

“I enjoy doing it. As long as I can show up and do what they expect me to do and they want me to do it, I’ll keep doing it.�

But the bottom-six group? Well, there’s going to be some change there.

The Blues fortified their center depth in free agency by signing both Pius Suter and Nick Bjugstad. While it’s possible Bjugstad shifts to the wing, that the Blues have another option at center puts them in a different situation than they were across the past few seasons when they tried Holloway, Pavel Buchnevich, Nathan Walker and Kasperi Kapanen at center.

Gone are gritty fourth-line center Radek Faksa (signed with the Stars) and promising scoring winger Zack Bolduc (traded to Montreal for Logan Mailloux). The Blues will return Jake Neighbours, though he will at times, be playing top-six minutes, surely. Walker and Alexey Toropchenko are back to form the ethos of a physical fourth line, and Oskar Sundqvist will look forward to a healthy campaign.

Matheiu Joseph and Alexandre Texier will look for more regular playing time after being scratched frequently. Plus, the Blues brought in veteran winger Milan Lucic on a professional tryout to challenge for an unlikely roster spot.

So with the movement of bodies and the versatility of players, how exactly do the third and fourth lines shake themselves out?

The biggest question centers around who will fill the open winger spot on the third line. Presumably, Neighbours and Suter will play third-line minutes, but there’s a spot up for grabs. Bjugstad could shift to right wing and form a line that can bring elements of physicality (Neighbours), two-way play (Suter) and size (Bjugstad).

Sundqvist could fill a role there but could be better used as the fourth-line center between Toropchenko and Walker. Sundqvist, despite his slowed pace, plays a gritty, defensive game that could match what the fourth line brought to the Blues last season when Jim Montgomery continuously started them in the playoffs.

Then there’s Joseph and Texier.

The two players combined for 10 goals and 15 assists in 91 total games during their first seasons with the Blues in 2024-25. Each player was a healthy scratch four times in the seven-game, first-round series loss to the Winnipeg Jets. Now, they begin camp on the outside looking in despite costing a combined $5.05 million against the salary cap ($2.95 million for Joseph, $2.1 million for Texier).

While Lucic is a longshot to make the team, he’ll surely get his look in training camp. At 37 years old, Lucic hasn’t played professionally since Oct. 21, 2023, with Boston. He played just four games that season after he injured his ankle, then was put on an indefinite leave following a charge of assault and battery against a family or household member. The charges stemmed from a Nov. 18, 2023, incident but were dropped in February 2024, when Lucic’s wife declined to testify against him.

Prospect Dalibor Dvorsky is looking to make his first NHL roster out of training camp after a two-game cameo last season. Zach Dean missed most of last season with a knee injury. Justin Carbonneau, this summer’s first-rounder, will try to shock people with a training camp push for the NHL. Aleksanteri Kaskimaki and Dylan Peterson were constants in the AHL last season.

Detroit, Boston, Colorado and Washington lead the league at 17.

The Blues have not released their FanDuel Sports Network Midwest schedule.

Here are the nationally televised Blues games:

• Oct. 15 vs. Chicago (TNT)
• Nov. 5 at Washington (TNT)
• Dec. 12 vs. Chicago (ESPN+, Hulu)
• Jan. 7 at Chicago (TNT)
• Jan. 13 vs. Carolina (ESPN+, Hulu)
• Jan. 27 vs. Dallas (ESPN+, Hulu)
• Feb. 4 at Dallas (TNT)
• March 4 at Seattle (ESPN+, Hulu)
• March 10 vs. NY Islanders (TNT)
• March 13 vs. Edmonton (ESPN+, Hulu)
• April 1 at Los Angeles (TNT)
• April 5 at Colorado (ESPN)
• April 14 vs. Pittsburgh (ESPN)
• April 16 at Utah (ESPN)

Additionally, the NHL announced that four Blues games will have new start times.

• Dec. 9 vs. Boston, now 7 p.m., was 6 p.m.
• Jan. 13 vs. Carolina, now 6:30 p.m., was 7 p.m.
• Feb. 28 vs. New Jersey, now 4 p.m., was 6 p.m.
• March 1 at Minnesota, now 4 p.m., was 5:30 p.m.