From 2019 Stanley Cup to 2025: Tracking Tarasenko, O’Reilly, and Blues Champions (Part 2)

The St. Louis Blues’ 2019 Stanley Cup triumph was a defining moment, powered by a blend of star forwards and gritty role players who delivered the franchise’s first championship. While Part 1 of the three-part series explored depth forwards like Ivan Barbashev and Patrick Maroon, this second installment dives into the post-Cup careers of key forwards like Vladimir Tarasenko and Ryan O’Reilly. 

From blockbuster trades and multiple Cup wins to retirements and resurgences, these players’ journeys through the 2024-25 season reflect the dynamic nature of the NHL. Join us as we trace their paths since that historic 2019 victory.

Vladimir Tarasenko

Vladimir Tarasenko, a cornerstone of the St. Louis Blues’ 2019 Stanley Cup victory with 11 goals and six assists in 26 playoff games, saw his career take several turns after the championship. In 2018-19, he recorded 68 points in 76 games, showcasing his elite scoring ability. However, injuries plagued his 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons, limiting him to 34 games combined due to shoulder surgeries. In 2022-23, Tarasenko was traded to the New York Rangers, posting 21 points in 31 games. He then signed with the Ottawa Senators for 2023-24, scoring 41 points in 57 games before being traded to the Florida Panthers, where he won his second Stanley Cup in 2024, contributing nine points in 24 playoff games. 

In 2024-25, Tarasenko played 80 games for the Detroit Red Wings, tallying 33 points. During the offseason, Tarasenko was traded to the Minnesota Wild in June 2025 for future considerations. Now 33, with one year left on his $9.5 million contract, Tarasenko remains a scoring threat and could be a trade candidate for a contending team in 2025-26.

Ryan O’Reilly

Ryan O’Reilly, the 2019 Conn Smythe Trophy winner for his 23 playoff points (eight goals) during the Blues’ Stanley Cup run, was a linchpin with 77 points in 82 games that season. As the eventual Blues captain, he maintained strong two-way play, posting 54 points in 2020-21 and 58 in 2021-22. 

In 2022-23, a broken foot sidelined him for six weeks, and he was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs, where he recorded 20 points in 29 games. O’Reilly signed a four-year, $18 million deal with the Nashville Predators in 2023, serving as captain and producing 69 points in 2023-24 and 53 in 2024-25. Injuries, including a 2023 foot injury, slightly hampered his consistency, but he remains a top-six center and faceoff specialist (55.7% career win rate). In 2024-25, O’Reilly’s leadership and defensive reliability kept Nashville competitive, though trade rumors persist as his contract nears its final year in 2025-26, with fans still lamenting his departure from St. Louis.

David Perron

Perron was a key contributor to the Blues’ 2019 Stanley Cup with 16 playoff points, including seven goals, continued to be a reliable offensive forward post-championship. In 2018-19, he scored 46 points in 57 games. He remained with St. Louis through 2021-22, peaking with 58 points in 56 games in 2020-21 (1.04 points per game), but was left unprotected in the 2021 expansion draft, though Seattle did not select him. In 2022, Perron signed with the Detroit Red Wings, where he played two seasons, recording 56 points in 2022-23 and 47 in 2023-24. 

During the 2024-25 season, he signed with the Ottawa Senators on a two-year, $8 million deal, contributing 16 points in 43 games as a top-nine winger. Now 37, Perron’s veteran presence remains valuable, though his ice time has decreased to just over 14 minutes per game. 

Zach Sanford

Zach Sanford, a depth forward in the Blues’ 2019 Stanley Cup run with four points in eight playoff games, saw his role diminish after the championship. In 2018-19, he recorded 20 points in 60 games, playing a gritty bottom-six role. In 2019-20, he posted 30 points in 58 games, but his production waned, leading to a trade to the Ottawa Senators in 2021 as part of the Logan Brown deal. 

Sanford struggled in Ottawa, managing 17 points in 62 games in 2021-22, and bounced between the NHL and AHL in 2022-23 with the Nashville Predators’ affiliate. In 2023-24, he played for the Arizona Coyotes and Chicago Blackhawks, scoring six points in 29 games, and in 2024-25, he signed with the Chicago Blackhawks, where he has been an AHL forward producing 19 goals and 43 points in 70 games. 

Brayden Schenn

Brayden Schenn, a versatile forward and current Blues captain, was a cornerstone of the 2019 Stanley Cup team, recording 54 points in 72 games and 12 playoff points. Post-2019, Schenn remained a consistent top-six forward, signing an eight-year, $52 million extension in Oct. 2019. He posted 36 points in 2020-21 and a massive bounce-back season in 2022-23 with 65 points in 82 games. 

In 2024-25, Schenn played 82 games for the third consecutive season, scoring 50 points, and continues to lead the Blues’ forward group alongside Robert Thomas. His faceoff prowess (48.1% win rate) and physicality (over 150 hits annually over the past two season) make him a linchpin, though his offensive production has slightly declined at age nearly 34. As one of the few remaining 2019 champions on the roster, Schenn’s leadership has been crucial during the Blues’ playoff pushes, including their 2024-25 Conference Quarterfinal loss, and he remains a fan favorite with three years left on his contract.

Jaden Schwartz

Jaden Schwartz, the leading goal scorer in the 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs with 12 goals, including a hat trick in Game 6 against San Jose, was a key offensive driver with 36 points in 69 regular season games, and with 57 points in 71 games during the 2019-20 season. After 2019, he continued with the Blues in 2020, but injuries, including a shoulder issue in 2020-21, limited his output (21 points in 40 games). 

In 2021, Schwartz left St. Louis to sign with the Seattle Kraken, joining Seattle as an alternate captain. He posted 23 points in 2021-22 and 40 in 2022-23, but a dip to 30 points in 2023-24 decreased trade speculation. However, his return to a 26-goal scoring forward with 49 points in 81 games during the 2024-25 season brings back some trade value and optimism. Schwartz’s two-way play and playoff experience remain valuable, but his scoring has not matched his 2019 peak, and he faces an uncertain future as his contract nears its end in 2025-26.

Oskar Sundqvist

Oskar Sundqvist, the beloved, gritty depth forward in the 2019 Stanley Cup run put together nine playoff points and played a key role with 31 points in 74 games that season. Post-2019, he remained with the Blues until 2022, when he was traded to the Detroit Red Wings. Sundqvist returned to St. Louis on a one-year contract in 2023 scoring six goals and 21 points in 71 games. For 2024-25, he re-signed with the Blues on a two-year, $3 million deal, contributing 21 points in 71 games as a checking-line forward. Now 31, Sundqvist’s physicality and penalty-kill reliability keep him valuable, though his offensive ceiling remains limited. 

Robert Thomas

Robert Thomas, a rising star during the 2019 Stanley Cup run with six playoff points as a rookie, has emerged as one of the Blues’ top players. In 2018-19, he recorded 33 points in 70 games, showing playmaking promise, often on the wing as he acclimated to the NHL. Post-Cup, Thomas blossomed, signing an eight-year, $65 million extension in 2022. He achieved career highs of 86 points in 2023-24 and 81 in 70 games during the 2024-25 season, becoming the Blues’ top-line center. His speed and vision have made him a cornerstone alongside Jordan Kyrou, and at age 26, he’s poised for further growth. Thomas’s development since 2019 marks him as a success story from the Cup roster, with Blues fans optimistic about his leadership in future playoff runs.