Blues Acquire Julien Gauthier from Islanders for Matt Luff in AHL Swap

The St. Louis Blues announced today that the team has acquired forward Julien Gauthier from the New York Islanders in exchange for forward Matt Luff. The swap is classified as an AHL trade and was reported across multiple outlets on Feb. 24, 2026.

Both players were on AHL assignments at the time of the deal and "will report to their new affiliates without needing to re-clear waivers," ProHockeyRumors noted. The Blues’ official release says Gauthier will report to Springfield, while TSN and EyesOnIsles report Luff is expected to be sent to the Bridgeport Islanders in the coming days.

Julien Gauthier, 28, arrives in St. Louis as a former first-round pick whose recent availability has been limited. This season with Bridgeport he has dressed in 14 games and recorded seven points - five goals and two assists - along with six penalty minutes, per the Blues release and TSN. Gauthier’s AHL career totals listed by the Blues are 130 points (86 goals, 44 assists) and 131 penalty minutes in 228 regular-season games; his NHL totals are 41 points (19 goals, 22 assists) in 181 games across stops with Carolina, the New York Rangers, Ottawa and the Islanders. ProHockeyRumors adds that "Gauthier can be a similarly impactful AHL producer when healthy, but that’s been a rarity since he first signed with the Islanders in 2023," and reports he was set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer.

Matt Luff, also 28 and listed at 6'3", heads to the Islanders after a strong season with Springfield. Luff has 39 points in 42 games for the Thunderbirds this year - 14 goals and 25 assists with 29 penalty minutes - and the Blues release cites his AHL career totals as 251 points (101 goals, 150 assists) in 321 games. ProHockeyRumors framed Luff as an AHL mainstay, writing, "In the interim, the 6’3" Luff has been an exceptional minor-league producer. He’s appeared in 321 AHL games over the last 10 seasons ... recording 0.78 points per game." Luff has also appeared in five NHL games this season, recording one goal and a -2 rating; EyesOnIsles and ProHockeyRumors note he has 111 career NHL games and has served in fourth-line NHL roles when called up.

The trade is being treated as a depth move on both sides. Brian Germinaro of EyesOnIsles framed the timing around post-Olympics roster activity, writing, "With the Olympics over and the roster freeze ending, Mathieu Darche and the New York Islanders wasted no time improving the team." Germinaro added, "This is solely a move for depth, and the kind of moves we see many times over an NHL season. It's someone you can have in your minors that can play well in the AHL, while also being able to play NHL minutes if needed."

With the trade deadline approaching, Springfield gains a veteran scorer in Gauthier who brings 86 career AHL goals but carries recent health questions, while Bridgeport picks up Luff, whose 39 points in 42 games make him an immediate offensive upgrade and call-up insurance. The swap reshuffles AHL rosters ahead of the season’s final weeks and leaves both organizations with veteran options ready to report to Springfield and Bridgeport without waiver complications.