This summer, the St. Louis Blues traded for veteran defenseman Brandon Carlo.
He was acquired from the Toronto Maple Leafs for two third-round picks. They were the 73rd and 76th picks in this summer’s draft.
Carlo was a guest on the Cam & Strick Podcast this week and talked about the move to the Blues. He also discussed various chapters of his career.
He understands that his role with the Blues will be one of a true veteran with insights to offer.
“Going forward, I want to learn what I took from Zdeno Chara and be as helpful as possible. Not be afraid to give someone a pointer or ask for some help as well,” Carlo said on the podcast.
“In Toronto, there were guys that made me feel comfortable as well. It was a great learning experience. I look back on my time with Toronto and think about what I learned from that and what I can bring stepping forward.”
Carlo is also coming off his final season with the Leafs, where he only played 55 games. He missed two months of the 2025-26 campaign after playing in a game against the Los Angeles Kings on November 13, 2025.
“Last year I had a fluky injury. It ended up taking longer than I would have thought to recover,” Carlo said. “I blocked a shot on my ankle that I had surgery on in the past. It ended up getting infected, and then we couldn’t figure that out. We had to get the plate out that had nothing to do with the injury.”
Jumping around rival organizations
As Carlo enters his 11th season of being in the NHL, he has now played for three different teams. The first two teams he played for have a storied rivalry.
During his time as a Bruin, Carlo faced off against the Maple Leafs in 29 regular-season games and 14 postseason games. He’s familiar with the fan bases and on-ice play being set to an extreme level.
“It’s weird when you flip-flop teams, especially with rivals and whatnot. I found it to be kind of fun,” Carlo said.
The shutdown defenseman has a lot to glean from his time in Boston and Toronto. During his time as a Maple Leaf, he tried not to take criticism too hard. He also relished having an opportunity to play in that market.
“Overall, as an experience as a whole, being able to play in one of the biggest markets in all of hockey, I tried to embrace that a little bit,” Carlo said.
He liked playing for former Leafs head coach Craig Berube as well who helped the Blues win a Stanley Cup in 2019.
“I think at times he could tell it was a weird transition going from one team to another. He did a nice job of letting me do my own thing at times too. He has a good read on his players, and I enjoyed my time playing for Berube,” Carlo said.
Helping St. Louis shine in Central Division
While the Blues may have lost star forward Jordan Kyrou this summer, they still have the likes of Robert Thomas, Pavel Buchnevich, Dylan Holloway and new addition Mason McTavish.
Carlo may not get to play alongside former Bruins teammate Torey Krug, but the odds are he may be lined up with Philip Broberg or Cam Fowler.
The 29-year-old has one more year left on his current contract and may catch the eye of General Manager Alex Steen. The defensive pipeline would be able to benefit from anything Carlo has to say or teach.
It’ll be a big year for the Blues’ best players to shine, or should they falter, more changes could be on the horizon.
Follow Nick Kieser on Twitter/X: @KieserNick
Brandon Carlo Excited to join St. Louis Blues in veteran role