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Blues Trades Already Paying Big Dividends
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- Blues Trades Already Paying Big Dividends
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The St. Louis Blues intended to be and are a much different team than a season ago. And a summer of Blues trades and talk is already paying handsome dividends.
The changes were swift for the flagging Blues organization. Not only did Doug Armstrong hand over the general manager duties to Alexander Steen, but some long-time Blues players found new homes. The Blues traded Justin Faulk and Brayden Schenn before last season's trade deadline. After more than a year of trade rumors, over the summer the team dealt Jordan Kyrou to the Washington Capitals in exchange for a package centered around Connor McMichael. A few days later, the Blues acquired Mason McTavish from the Anaheim Ducks.
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In the first days of the 2026-27 season, McMichael and McTavish are already the faces of the Blues' new-look second line and are off to a hot start with a combined 13 points through the team's first six games.
Outcasts to Integral Pieces
Both McMichael and McTavish found success with the teams that drafted them, but last season both also saw their roles reduced.
McTavish was highly touted coming into the NHL. The former third overall pick showed what he was capable of during the 2022 World Junior Championship, when he led Team Canada to a gold medal. He recorded 17 points in just seven games, led the tournament in scoring and was named tournament MVP. That type of production has not translated to the NHL just yet, but he has seen steady progression over his first three seasons.
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McTavish set career highs during the 2024-25 season in goals (22), assists (30), and points (52), but with the Ducks having an influx of young players last season, he saw his usage plummet. His ice time dropped from 16:53 to 15:19, with his stats also dropping across the board. He was healthy-scratched twice during the regular season, and the residue from a nasty contract fight in the summer of 2025 made it very clear that a change of scenery was on the horizon.
McMichael's path to St. Louis is very similar. While he was not a third overall pick like McTavish, McMichael was a first-round pick (25th overall). He had 102 points in his final season in the OHL with the London Knights and also won a gold medal at the World Junior Championship in 2020 with Team Canada, recording seven points in seven games. It took him a couple of seasons to acclimate to the NHL, bouncing up and down from the AHL in his first couple of pro seasons.
Like McTavish, McMichael had a breakout season in 2024-25, setting career highs in goals (26), assists (31), and points (57). McMichael dropped lower in the lineup in the 2025-26 season, and his production suffered. His assists did jump to 32, but his goal totals fell to 14. The Capitals revamped their forwards group this offseason, and McMichael was one of the players sent the other way.
McMichael and McTavish Hot Starts
Through six games this season, McMichael and McTavish have formed a partnership, giving the team another line to depend upon for offensive production. McTavish leads the team in goals (4) and points (7), while McMichael is tied for the team lead in assists (4) and second in points (6).
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The chemistry between the two has been immediate, and McMichael has acknowledged it.
"I think (the chemistry's) been really good. It's been easy for me, to be honest. Coming to the Blues at the same time as (McTavish), it's been like a breath of fresh air having another guy in the same scenario as me. We've been bouncing a lot of things off of each other and just looking to keep that rolling," said McMichael following the overtime loss to the San Jose Sharks on Oct 8.
Their games complement each other. McTavish has driven the offense for the Blues' second line and has a quick trigger, firing shots on net whenever he finds an opportunity. He has 23 shots on goal this season, averaging nearly four per game. Despite shooting more than in previous seasons, McTavish is also converting at a career-best pace, scoring on 17.4 percent of his shots. McMichael has done a great job finding open space, especially around the net, and finding loose pucks to create secondary scoring opportunities.
The chemistry between the two was on full display in the Blues' 7-2 win against the Ottawa Senators on Oct. 13. McMichael took an outlet pass from Colton Parayko, skated to the open space in front of him, and connected with McTavish streaking into the offensive zone. McTavish then worked a give-and-go with Jonatan Berggren, who sent it back as McTavish for his third goal of the season. The two connected again in the third period on the power play. McMichael found McTavish wide open at the top of the circle, setting up the one-timer that he fired into the back of the net for his second of the game.
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The Blues took a chance on two young players coming off down years, betting that the years were aberrations rather than reality. Opportunity is everything, and while McMichael and McTavish saw their roles change with their former teams, in St. Louis they have now become an important part of the team's future.
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