The St. Louis Blues and Chicago Blackhawks are poised to reignite their fierce Central Division rivalry in the 2025-26 NHL season. With Chicago rebuilding around young star Connor Bedard and the Blues chasing a playoff berth behind Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou, this season’s series will test Chicago’s youth against St. Louis’ veteran depth.
Here’s a deep dive into the Blackhawks’ roster changes, key matchups, and how the Blues can dominate this historic showdown.
Blackhawks Roster: What’s Changed for 2025-26?
Key Additions
- Andre Burakovsky (F): Acquired from the Seattle Kraken, the 30-year-old forward should help bolster the top-six alongside Bedard.
- Sam Lafferty (F): Returning to Chicago, the 30-year-old (6-2, 205 lbs) adds physicality and penalty-killing prowess to the bottom-six.
- Dominic Toninato (F): The 31-year-old depth forward brings energy and defensive reliability to the fourth line.
Note: Goaltender Laurent Brossoit, signed as a free agent ahead of the 2024-25 season, missed the entire season and it is uncertain what his future for the Blackhawks looks like at this time. However, his potential return could see him make a Blackhawks debut, adding experience to the crease.
Key Subtractions
Chicago parted ways with several veterans, reshaping their roster:
- Seth Jones (D): A top-pairing defenseman (27 points in 42 games in 2024-25), his departure leaves a gap in offensive production and power-play quarterbacking.
- Taylor Hall (F): The veteran winger (24 points in 46 games) is gone, opening spots for prospects like Frank Nazar and Oliver Moore.
- Pat Maroon (F) and Craig Smith (F), and Petr Mrázek (G)
Returning Core
Chicago’s 2025-26 roster blends veterans and young talent:
- Forwards: Connor Bedard (20, 67 points in 2024-25), Teuvo Teräväinen (58 points), Ryan Donato (31 goals), Tyler Bertuzzi, and captain Nick Foligno (38, +200 hits) lead the offense. Youth and prospect options consisting of Frank Nazar, Lukas Reichel, and Oliver Moore bring extra layers of speed and skill.
- Defensemen: Alex Vlasic (23:16 ATOI, 157 blocks) anchors the blue line, joined by Connor Murphy, Wyatt Kaiser, are joined by players like Sam Rinzel and Artyom Levshunov.
- Goaltenders: Spencer Knight (24, 95 career NHL games, .904 SV%, 2.83 GAA) will carry the bulk of the workload after a 2024-25 season with 15 games with the Blackhawks (.893 SV%, 3.18 GAA). Arvid Söderblom (86 games, .889 SV%, 3.55 GAA career; .898 SV%, 3.18 GAA in 2024-25) likely suits up in a backup role.
Chicago’s Strengths and Weaknesses
Strengths
- Top-End Offense: Bedard, coming off a 23-goal, 67-point sophomore season, is a dynamic playmaker. Paired with Burakovsky, the top-six can create high-danger chances.
- Emerging Defense: Vlasic’s shutdown ability (157 blocks) and the mobility of Rinzel and Levshunov provide a solid foundation, despite their youth.
- Physical Presence: Foligno (+200 hits), Jason Dickinson (+102 hits), and Lafferty bring grit, making Chicago tough in physical battles.
Weaknesses
- Defensive Gaps: Losing Seth Jones certainly weakens their top-pairing minutes and power-play production. Young defensemen like Levshunov will likely struggle against NHL veterans forcing the team to rely heavily upon their veterans.
- Thin Scoring Depth: Beyond the top-six, the bottom lines (e.g., Landon Slaggert, Toninato) lack consistent scoring, experience, and this will be putting pressure once again on Bedard and company.
- Rebuild Inconsistency: Chicago’s youth-heavy roster showed its defensive lapses in 2024-25 (e.g., Bedard’s -36 plus/minus), which could continue this coming season against more seasoned teams like the Blues.
- Goaltending Concerns: Knight is expected to handle most starts and posted a .893 SV% in 15 games last season behind a very professional experienced Chicago squad. While the club is hoping to take further strides in 2025-26, even their backup option in Söderblom, who posted a .898 SV% in 2024-25 and career .889 SV% show Chicago’s goaltending remains a question mark, especially behind a young defense.
Blues vs. Blackhawks: Key Matchups and Series Outlook
The Blues and Blackhawks are set to square off four times in the coming season with the first matchup coming in the Blues fourth game of the season on Oct. 18th, and with games spread across the season. Here’s how the key matchups shape up:
1. Bedard vs. Blues’ Top Line
Connor Bedard’s playmaking will test the Blues’ top line of Robert Thomas, Pavel Buchnevich, and one of Jimmy Snuggerud or Jordan Kyrou. Thomas’s two-way game and Kyrou’s speed and Snuggerud’s shot should counter Bedard, giving the Blues an edge. The new addition of Burakovsky could make things interesting though.
2. Vlasic/Murphy vs. Blues’ Depth
Chicago’s projected top defensive pair of Alex Vlasic and Connor Murphy will see plenty of time against Blues top-six forwards including breakout forward Dylan Holloway and Snuggerud. However, the Blues’ depth of Jake Neighbours, Pius Suter, and Brayden Schenn can exploit Chicago’s younger defensemen (Levshunov, Rinzel) through aggressive forechecking.
3. Goaltending Battle
The Blues’ tandem of Jordan Binnington and Joel Hofer holds a significant statistical advantage over Chicago’s Knight and Söderblom. Binnington’s clutch performances and Hofer’s reliability currently outshine Knight’s inconsistent .893 SV% and Söderblom’s .898 SV% from last season. The Blues should be anble to exploit Chicago’s goaltending with sustained offensive pressure.
4. Special Teams
Chicago’s power play units featuring Bedard, Burakovsky, Nazar, Moore is dangerous, but the Blues’ penalty kill, bolstered by Suter and Nick Bjugstad, should be able to neutralize it more times than not. The Blues’ power play, led by Thomas and Kyrou, should capitalize on Chicago’s depleted defense without Jones with offensive threats from Snuggerud, Holloway, Fowler, and Broberg.
Series Prediction
The Blues, with their veteran core and (on paper) superior goaltending, are poised to win two to three of the four games against Chicago. The Blackhawks’ speed and top-end talent will keep games close, but St. Louis’ depth and experience should dominate. Early-season games could see the Blues set the tone with physical play, while late-season matchups may be pivotal for their wild card push.
How the Blues Can Win the Series
To outmatch the Blackhawks, the Blues should:
- Exploit Young Defensemen: Use forechecking from Neighbours and Holloway to force turnovers from Chicago’s inexperienced blue-liners.
- Neutralize Bedard: Deploy a checking line (e.g., Dickinson or Sundqvist) to shadow Bedard should help but it will likely be one of the top two lines against the Bedard line each game in an efforts of limiting his playmaking.
- Leverage Depth: The Blues’ bottom-six, including Snuggerud and Suter, can outwork Chicago’s thinner depth, especially in back-to-back games.
- Attack the Crease: Pepper Knight and Söderblom with shots, capitalizing on their inconsistent save percentages to create scoring opportunities.