Ross Johnston is headed to the St. Louis Blues on a three-year, $6 million contract. The move gives the Blues a $2 million AAV and an immediate fourth-line physical piece after Johnston logged 192 hits and 107 penalty minutes in 62 games last season.
Steen's first move
Alexander Steen made the signing his first official move after taking the top chair as general manager on Tuesday. The Blues confirmed the deal on July 1, 2026, turning Johnston into the first roster addition of Steen's tenure.
Lou Korac reported the three-year, $6 million terms before the announcement. That contract locks in a player St. Louis will use as a bruising depth forward, not as a scoring driver.
Johnston's heavy game
Johnston's 2025-26 line shows why. He finished with 14 points, 107 penalty minutes and a team-leading 192 hits, all while averaging less than 10 minutes of ice time each game.
The fit is clearer when his Ducks track record is set beside his Islanders years. He put up 117 penalty minutes and 139 hits in his first season with the Ducks, then totaled 296 penalty minutes and 465 hits in 173 games with Anaheim and 283 penalty minutes and 355 hits in seven seasons and 134 games with the New York Islanders.
That profile gives St. Louis a straightforward answer after trading captain Brayden Schenn to the New York Islanders at the Trade Deadline. Nathan Walker led the Blues with 179 hits last season, after 281 in 2024-25, and Johnston now joins the same group of forwards asked to win space and absorb contact without needing top-six minutes.
What happens next is simpler than the paperwork. Johnston arrives as a fourth-line bruiser, and the real test is how much of that role the Blues want him to carry once training starts and the lineup is set around him.
St. Louis Blues roster fit
For St. Louis, the value lies in the balance of size, hits and short-term cost. A $2 million AAV on a three-year deal keeps the commitment manageable while adding a forward who has already shown he can pile up contact even in limited ice time.
