Blues forced to break silence on Dillon Dube’s controversial signing

On Tuesday, it was reported that former NHL forward Dillon Dube is expected to sign an AHL contract with the Springfield Thunderbirds, the St. Louis Blues’ affiliate. The Blues confirmed the news on Wednesday and didn’t waste time making a statement regarding the controversial signing.

The response from Blues and Thunderbirds fans, however, was swift and overwhelmingly negative, forcing St. Louis to make the following statement:

It’s believed that if/when Dube can establish himself at the AHL level then the Blues will sign him to an NHL deal. Dube is now eligible to return to the NHL, after commissioner Gary Bettman officially reinstated him, Carter Hart, Michael McLeod, Cal Foote and Alex Formenton on December 1st following their acquittal in the high-profile 2018 WJC sexual assault case.

For now, Dube will report to Springfield upon receiving his work visa. So far, the only reinstated player to sign an NHL deal has been Hart with the Vegas Golden Knights. Foote signed an AHL contract with the Hurricanes’ affiliate earlier this month.

Fans have been quite frustrated with the Blues, seeing that, this summer, the team traded Zach Bolduc for defenseman Logan Mailloux, who had been convicted in 2020 in Sweden for distributing a non-consensual intimate photo of a woman. Earlier this fall, the Blues also explored giving veteran Milan Lucic a path back to the NHL following his arrest in 2023 related to a domestic incident with his wife.

However, the Blues seem confident that Dube has learned from the experience and can help the Blues’ organization in the near future, as they point out in their statement, which is now going viral.

Dube most recently played for Minsk Dynamo in the KHL, recording 11 points (four goals, seven assists) and 25 penalty minutes in 42 regular-season games during the 2024-25 season. The Golden, British Columbia native was originally drafted by the Calgary Flames in the second round, No. 56 overall, of the 2016 NHL Draft.

Over six seasons with the Flames, Dube totaled 57 goals and 127 points, along with 105 penalty minutes in 325 regular-season games.

Almost at the same time on Wednesday, it was announced that the Blues also signed unrestricted free agent Robby Fabbri for the remainder of the season, while Jordan Kyrou is week-to-week with a lower-body injury and has been placed on the team's injury reserve.