Jake Neighbours' Next Contract Hinges on a Bounce-Back Season for the Blues

Jake Neighbours has quietly become one of the longest-tenured Blues on the roster. His recent naming as an alternate captain, alongside Colton Parayko, Philip Broberg, and Dylan Holloway under new captain Robert Thomas, reflects how much the organization values him beyond the scoresheet.

That trust will be tested. With 27 goals scored in the 2023-24 season, followed by 46 points in the 2024-25 season, Neighbours has proved that he can get the points production going. But an injury ended up costing him that dream 20-goal, 50-point breakout season after he missed 13 games. Since then he has never managed to get back to that level of play with 15 goals and 36 points being his best last season. This upcoming season he needs to change that.

A Contract Year With Real Stakes

Neighbours enters the 2026-27 season in the final year of the two-year, $3.75 million AAV extension he signed in 2024. Once the year ends, he'll become a restricted free agent, and how he performs now will shape the size of his next deal. 

A strong bounce-back season could push him toward the long-term, higher-value contract the Blues front office has reportedly discussed, with some reports suggesting a deal worth up to $8 million annually over as many as seven years.

Complicating matters is his projected role. Rather than locking down a top-six spot, Neighbours is expected to anchor a middle-six, possibly a third-line role at 5-on-5, to open the season. Fewer minutes typically mean fewer chances to pad point totals, which could limit his leverage at the negotiating table even if his underlying game improves.

Leadership as a Differentiator for Neighbours

That's where Neighbours may set himself apart from forwards who rely solely on ice time to make an impact. His alternate captaincy signals the coaching staff sees value in his physical, relentless net-front presence and the intangibles he brings on a nightly basis, regardless of what line he's centering. 

At just 24, he's already built a reputation as a heart-and-soul player, someone coaches and teammates trust in critical moments. The Blues will need him to be both a north-south scorer and a reliable two-way presence this season. 

President of Hockey Operations Doug Armstrong and the front office have shown patience with Neighbours before, but with his next contract on the horizon, trust alone won't be enough. Consistency, particularly the kind that eluded him for stretches last season, is what will determine whether St. Louis views him as a core piece worth locking up long-term or a player better suited to a shorter bridge deal.

Neighbours represents continuity for a franchise that is still finding its identity after trading longtime captain Brayden Schenn and undergoing a leadership transition. Whether that continuity comes with a big new contract attached depends largely on what he does over the next several months. 

If he rediscovers his 2023-24 form while embracing his expanded leadership role, the Blues front office will likely be eager to make him a long-term fixture in St. Louis rather than risk losing him to term uncertainty down the road.