Blues 2025-26 line combos? Adam Jiricek injury update? Trade for Trent Frederic? Mailbag, part 2

ST. LOUIS — When I solicited questions from subscribers to The Athletic for this mailbag, the one I got most was for an update on St. Louis Blues prospect Adam Jiricek.

The Blues drafted Jiricek in the first round (No. 16) last summer despite the fact that he was sidelined with an ACL tear that was suffered while playing with Czechia at the World Junior Championships. Jiricek, a 6-foot-3, 180-pound right-shot defenseman, missed the team’s training camp because he was rehabbing his right knee and was eventually assigned to OHL Brantford.

Well, Jiricek played just four games with Brantford before being sidelined again. On Nov. 6, playing in the Bulldogs’ top defensive pair against Guelph, he absorbed an open-ice hit and fell back awkwardly.

The nature of the injury hasn’t been disclosed, but after missing Brantford’s last 13 games, Jiricek is skating and could play as soon as this week. The Bulldogs play at Brampton on Wednesday, but a more likely return date is Friday when the club hosts Barrie or Sunday at home against Kingston.

Before the injury, Jiricek had no points and two penalty minutes for Brantford, which is coached by former Blues defenseman Jay McKee.

Czechia has the defenseman on its roster for the 2025 world juniors in Ottawa, the Blues’ feelings about his recovery may play a part in whether he participates.

Go behind the scenes to hear why the Blues scouts decided to draft defenseman Adam Jiricek with their first-round pick at No. 16 overall.#NHLDraft x #stlblues pic.twitter.com/PSNFNTOXsj

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) June 29, 2024

That wasn’t the only popular request in this mailbag for more updates and coverage on Blues prospects. Admittedly, I leave a lot of that up to The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler and Corey Pronman, who do an outstanding job with our prospect coverage. But with a heavier emphasis on the team’s retool and future, I can provide more than I have in the past.

We’ll start with some more updates on prospects below in part 2 of our Blues mailbag. (Here’s part 1 if you missed it.)

Note: Some questions have been edited lightly for length and clarity.

The Blues won their first Stanley Cup the same season they fired their coach and hired a new one who led them all the way. What are the similarities and differences to the 2019 team that could lead to that strange success? — Craig R.

Nothing like opening up a mailbag with the possibility of the Blues winning the Stanley Cup this season!

I get it, I get it. They went 4-0-1 in their first five games under Jim Montgomery, and there’s reason to be excited. I would just caution that before the 2018-19 season, the Blues were predicted by some to win the Cup. Their roster was that good, and it took a while for it to come together. This season’s roster may be better than we thought it was the first couple of months, but it’s nowhere near what it was five years ago.

Aside from a few holdover players from 2019, I don’t believe there are too many similarities. That group had a known identity that fans are still fondly familiar with, and this season’s Blues are still searching for theirs. But it’s understood that the organization is in a different stage now, and while the team may not win the Cup or even make the playoffs, the confidence created by Montgomery in the locker room and the fan base could get the franchise back there sooner rather than later.

Has a coach who worked for two different teams in the same season ever won the Jack Adams Award? Could this happen this year with Montgomery? — Nathan S.

Nothing like continuing the mailbag with the possibility of Montgomery winning the coach of the year award after just three weeks on the job.

I’m kidding, although I do think the Washington Capitals’ Spencer Carbery, Minnesota Wild’s John Hynes, Winnipeg Jets’ Scott Arniel and New Jersey Devils’ Sheldon Keefe might have something to say about it.

According to extensive research (Googling it), three coaches have won the award after being hired in-season: Bill Barber (2001, Philadelphia Flyers), Bruce Boudreau (2008, Washington Capitals) and Ken Hitchcock (2012, St. Louis Blues). None of them came from other teams that season, so Montgomery would be the first.

If the Blues keep winning under Montgomery and are in the playoff picture before the NHL trade deadline, will management make a push or sell assets for the future? — Justin M.

Blues general manager Doug Armstrong has said a few times that the team will tell him what to do, meaning if it’s playing like a club that can make the playoffs, he’ll do his part to help the players. But while Armstrong wants badly to be back in the postseason, he’s also been clear that he’s not going to give up top assets to make it happen. So if the Blues put themselves in a good position, I think Armstrong will make a push, but he’ll be somewhat prudent.

Where does The Athletic’s Dom Luszczyszyn get his formulas and algorithms? I don’t expect the Blues to make the playoffs, but to say they have only a four percent chance with 54 games left (before Tuesday’s game in Vancouver) is ridiculous. Thoughts? — Bill T.

I’ve been at The Athletic for eight years, and I get asked more about Dom and his model than anything else, ha!

Unfortunately, I’ve never been great at math, so I can’t elaborate on the formulas. Dom says they’re “based on 50,000 simulations of the remainder of the season which factors in each team’s projected strength, current health and strength of schedule.” He also details his methodology at the bottom of that story.

What’s the Blues’ backup plan for Dalibor Dvorsky? I would love for him to be the team’s No. 2 center next season, but what happens if he isn’t? — Kyle H.

First, a quick update on Dvorsky for those who haven’t seen what he’s doing with AHL Springfield this season. He’s played in 22 games and leads the Thunderbirds in goals (10) and points (18). He’s on a seven-game point streak and has at least one point in 13 of his past 15 games.

The Blues have to have a plan, as you say, but they’re not going to rush him or pay someone to come in and take his spot. I think they’re going to play who they think is their best option — like they tried with Pavel Buchnevich — until Dvorsky is ready.

What position will Jimmy Snuggerud play when he joins the Blues? — Dominic Z.

Snuggerud plays right wing at the University of Minnesota, and there’s no reason to think he won’t play there in the NHL.

And since we’re providing updates on prospects, now’s a good time to mention that the Blues’ first-round pick in 2022 (No. 23) has nine goals and a team-high 22 points in 18 games for the Golden Gophers. He was the Big Ten’s first star of the week in mid-November.

If you had to project the Blues’ lines for the 2025-26 season, what would your guess be? — Jjgrimes2

Two notes on that: 1) I think Brandon Saad will be moved. 2) Mathieu Joseph and Alexandre Texier will have to play their way into the lineup.

Boston Bruins forward and St. Louis native Trent Frederic would look great in the Blue Note next year. Can you foresee that happening, or am I in a dream world? — Scott H.

It’s funny that you ask because — spoiler alert! — The Athletic recently asked its beat writers to name a player that their team should trade for to use in a future story, and I went with Frederic. No, not because he’s from St. Louis — because he could provide this team with some much-needed toughness. I know he’s struggling in Boston this season, but he performed well with the Bruins under Montgomery in the past.

What are the Blues going to do about their defensive corps? What is the plan with Nick Leddy and Justin Faulk? — Conor V.

With Leddy, it’s tough to say because he has one more year left on his contract ($4 million average annual value) and who knows when he’ll return from his lower-body injury. For those who didn’t hear, he went on the Blues’ road trip and appeared close to coming back, but then the injury flared up again and he flew back to St. Louis early. Either way, even if he’s back next season, I can’t see the team counting on him as anything more than a third-pair defenseman.

Faulk’s situation is different but also complicated. He’s got two more seasons left on his contract ($6.5 million AAV), and while he’s been a good leader and role model for some of the young Blues, he just hasn’t produced. He had one goal and seven points in 26 games heading into Tuesday’s matchup, and only two of those seven points (both assists) had come five-on-five. That’s not going to cut it for someone averaging the second-most ice time per game on the team (23:30), including 2:28 on the power play.

The Athletic’s James Mirtle wrote an article on NHL salary-cap situations for the 2025-26 seasons, and he ranked the Blues No. 31 in the NHL. How do you see the Blues figuring that out? — Pace E.

Mirtle’s story was one that some Blues fans disagreed with, as far as their ranking, and some were just frustrated to see that a retooling team has a bad salary-cap outlook. I know from experience that these lists are hard to put together. Maybe the team could be a few spots higher, but what would that matter in the big picture?

The bottom line is the Blues have about $4 million in projected cap space next season and a lot of contracts (Saad, Leddy, Faulk, Torey Krug) that may be hard to unload. Krug’s situation may work itself out, if his injury, in fact, ends his career. But if I’m Armstrong, who will have to get creative, I’m starting with that group of players.

Will Dylan Holloway and/or Philip Broberg get long-term contract extensions next summer, and, if so, any idea what those terms look like? — Daniel G.

These are difficult to project because their success has been in a small sample size and they’re under contract for 2025-26. So while they’re eligible for extensions next July, we’re still talking a year out on their value.

Assuming they continue to perform the way they have with the Blues, both being 23 years old, I’m assuming they’re going to want longer-term deals. The length could change the AAV, but I could see Holloway’s being in the neighborhood of $5 million per year and Broberg’s around $7 million or $8 million.

Don’t hold me to those. As I mentioned, they’re projections based on just a handful of games. And a growing salary cap could lead to bigger numbers, too.

Has there ever been talk of using one of the alternate jerseys for the playoffs? Maybe start a new tradition? — Chris W.

To borrow a phrase from my 15-year-old daughter, “No, yuk, eww!” Playoffs are about purity and tradition, so stick with the originals.

I saw the Blues posted an interview with Martin Brodeur about his time as a Blue, and I wondered: If there was a player such as Sidney Crosby or Alex Ovechkin that you would like to have for a brief period, who would it be? — Brandon M.

This is hard. I know you’re not limiting it to Crosby or Ovechkin, but those would be the two I’d narrow it down to. I want to say Crosby and I have a lot of respect for him, but I’m going with Ovechkin because, assuming he passes Wayne Gretzky, that would be pretty surreal covering the league’s all-time top goal scorer.

St. Louis was mentioned by your colleague at The Athletic, Hailey Salvian, as a city being eyed for Professional Women’s Hockey League expansion. Could St. Louis really be on the shortlist? — Brian K.

Hailey and I will have a story on this coming out soon. I think with the PWHL recently awarding St. Louis a neutral-site game, the league does have an eye on it as a potential expansion destination.

(Top photo of Trent Frederic: Maddie Meyer / Getty Images)