ST. LOUIS BLUES NEWS

Slated for No. 2 duties this season Hofer is expected to begin the season as Jordan Binnington's backup goaltender, Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic reports.

Impact This news was expected after Hofer signed a one-way contract extension in January. The 23-year-old showed some upside through six appearances during the 2022-23 campaign, as he posted a 3-1-1 record with a .905 save percentage, a 3.22 GAA and a shutout. Making the leap to the NHL level full time won't be easy, and he'll need to continue to prove himself to hold off Malcolm Subban, who the Blues signed to a one-year deal this summer. There's a wide range of outcomes for Hofer this year, including becoming the 1B behind Binnington, so he's worthy of a late-round flier in fantasy drafts.

OCTOBER 5, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Blues goaltender Joel Hofer 'growing up' as he assumes backup duty in the NHL At certain times in his career, Joel Hofer has been a topical name in the hockey world.

OCTOBER 4, 2023 • NEWSOBSERVER.COM

HockeyBuzz.com - Zak MacMillan - CBJ P5 v St Louis Blues NHL Hockey Trade Rumors

OCTOBER 2, 2023 • HOCKEYBUZZ.COM

Read to return Faulk (lower body) is expected to be in the lineup for Monday's preseason contest against the Blue Jackets, per Matthew DeFranks of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Impact Faulk sat out two preseason games after suffering an injury last Tuesday in a 3-2 win over Columbus. He is slated to play alongside Torey Krug (foot) and work on the second power-play combination in Monday's contest. The 31-year-old Faulk accounted for 11 goals, 50 points, 196 shots on net, 140 blocked shots and 112 hits in 82 games last campaign.

OCTOBER 2, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Set to return Kapanen (upper body) is expected to play in Monday's preseason matchup versus Columbus, according to Matthew DeFranks of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Impact Kapanen didn't play last week because of an upper-body issue. As a member of the Blues last season, he supplied eight goals, 14 points, 47 shots on net and 23 hits in 23 outings. Kapanen could see time on the second line and second power-play unit this campaign.

OCTOBER 2, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Ready to rock Krug (foot) is expected to play in Monday's preseason game against Columbus, per Matthew DeFranks of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Impact Krug is poised to make his first appearance of the 2023 exhibition schedule after suffering a foot injury while training this past summer. In Monday's contest is projected to play alongside Justin Faulk (lower body) and see time on the top power-play unit. The 32-year-old Krug produced seven goals, 32 points, 126 shots on net and 87 blocked shots in 63 games last season.

OCTOBER 2, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Dropped to AHL Bitten was reassigned to AHL Springfield on Sunday.

Impact Bitten signed a PTO with the Blues this offseason and it appears he'll join their AHL squad to begin the year. The 23-year-old has not yet played at the AHL or NHL levels in his career.

OCTOBER 1, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Waived Sunday Peca was waived by the Blues on Sunday, Chris Johnston of TSN reports.

Impact Peca has 83 games of NHL experience but hasn't appeared in more than 10 NHL contests since the 2018-19 campaign. The 30-year-old forward scored nine goals and 35 points with AHL Springfield last year.

OCTOBER 1, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Lands on waivers Bitten was placed on waivers Sunday, per Chris Johnston of TSN.

Impact Bitten notched 22 goals and 45 points in 65 games with AHL Springfield last season. He also picked up one assist and 10 hits in four appearances with St. Louis in 2022-23. Bitten will probably spend most of this campaign in the minors.

OCTOBER 1, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Waived by Blues St. Louis placed Kalynuk on waivers Sunday, Chris Johnston of TSN reports.

Impact Kalynuk scored 19 points in 61 games between AHL Abbotsford and Hartford during the 2022-23 season. He landed a two-way deal with the Blues this offseason and is expected to spend most of the year at the AHL level again.

OCTOBER 1, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Playing Saturday Kyrou (lower body) is in the lineup for Saturday's preseason matchup with the Stars, per Jeremy Rutherford of the Athletic.

Impact After missing Thursday's game with a lower-body injury, Kyrou appears good to go as he'll rejoin the Blues' first line against Dallas on Saturday. The 25-year-old winger is coming off his second consecutive 70-plus point season with 37 goals and 36 assists.

SEPTEMBER 30, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Blues goaltending depth chart: Joel Hofer now the backup, but there's competition The Blues are looking to turn to Hofer, 23, as the backup to Jordan Binnington in the net.

SEPTEMBER 30, 2023 • THEATHLETIC.COM

Skates on top pairing in preseason Perunovich recorded two blocked shots and a minus-1 rating in the 2-1 preseason loss to the Blackhawks on Thursday'. He logged a team-high 26:28 of ice time.

Impact With Justin Faulk (lower body) out, Perunovich skated with Colton Parayko on the top pairing and led the team in ice time. A dynamic playmaker in college, Perunovich has struggled with injuries through his professional career. He has impressed when healthy in the AHL, though. Through two seasons, he posted five goals and 42 points through 39 AHL games. It remains to be seen whether he sticks with the big club this year, however, as Parayko, Faulk, Nick Leddy and Torey Krug (foot) are locked into roster spots. Still, his upside alone makes him worth a flier in the late rounds of fantasy drafts.

SEPTEMBER 29, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Released by Blues Welinski was released from his professional tryout by the Blues on Friday, Lou Korac of NHL.com reports.

Impact The defenseman last played in the NHL during the 2020-21 season with the Ducks. He was unable to find the scoresheet in 13 games. Welinski split last season between Hartford and Rockford of the AHL, scoring four goals and adding 15 assists in 54 contests.

SEPTEMBER 29, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Primary helper Thursday Buchnevich recorded an assist and five shots on net in Thursday's 2-1 preseason loss to the Blackhawks.

Impact Buchnevich provided the lone helper on Robert Thomas' goal in the third period. The 28-year-old winger is expected to slot into the top six this season, and he has been rotating in with Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou (lower body) on the team's top line. As long as he's handling those responsibilities, Buchnevich has a good chance to match or exceed last year's output of 26 goals and 41 assists through 63 games.

SEPTEMBER 29, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Released from PTO Friday Ritchie was released from his professional tryout by the Blues on Friday, Lou Korac of NHL.com reports.

Impact Ritchie will look for a new home after playing 74 NHL games last season with Arizona and Calgary. The feisty forward had 13 goals, 13 assists, 53 PIM and 218 hits.

SEPTEMBER 29, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Scores in preseason loss Thomas scored a goal and fired five shots on net in Thursday's 2-1 preseason loss to the Blackhawks.

Impact Thomas led all Blues forwards with 21:25 of ice time. Now that Ryan O'Reilly has moved on, Thomas is expected to be the team's No. 1 center and should be handling similar ice time this season. After O'Reilly was traded last year, Thomas averaged 19:41 per game and posted five goals and 12 assists through 22 outings. We'd like to see him fire the puck on net more often -- he posted just 106 shots on goal through 73 games last year -- but his passing abilities along with the increased ice time will make him an intriguing fantasy option again this year.

SEPTEMBER 29, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Waived by Blues Gaudette was placed on waivers Friday, Chris Johnston of TSN reports.

Impact Gaudette is on a one-year, two-way contract with the Blues. He spent all of 2022-23 in the AHL, picking up 27 goals and 24 assists in 65 games split between Toronto and Springfield. Gaudette will head to the AHL should he clear waivers.

SEPTEMBER 29, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Practices Friday Krug (foot) was a full participant at practice Friday, Lou Korac of NHL.com reports.

Impact Krug suffered the injury before the start of training camp and is expected to be re-evaluated Sunday. Krug had seven goals, 25 assists, 126 shots on goal and 87 blocked shots in 63 games last season.

SEPTEMBER 29, 2023 • ROTOWIRE