After a long offseason, Blues hockey is finally making its way back to the Gateway City. Coming off of back-to-back seasons of missing the playoffs, the front office continued its “re-tool,” hoping to be more competitive this year. Even with numerous signings and roster moves, I still believe consistent success is not coming to the franchise anytime soon. With an underwhelming roster and inconsistent key players, I believe the Blues will ultimately finish with yet another mediocre season.
First of all, I would like to say Doug Armstrong has far exceeded my expectations for a General Manager stepping down in two years. I commend his aggressive offer sheets when signing young stars Philip Brobeg and Dylan Holloway. Being the first GM to send an offer sheet since 2021 is something to be proud of, especially to one of the most disliked executives in the league, Stan Bowman. Armstrong continued to bring in depth with the additions of Alexandre Texier, Radek Faksa, Ryan Suter, and brothers Pierre-Olivier and Mathieu Joseph. Alongside trades and free agent signings came multiple contract extensions; depth winger Kasperi Kapanen received a one-year extension while top forward Pavel Buchnevich received a six-year deal.
Although off-season moves can move a team in the right direction, we must still look at the projected opening night roster that will hit the ice on Oct. 8 in Seattle. At the moment, the Top 6 remains unchanged as both lines look to build on the promising showing last season. Aside from Jordan Kyrou’s spotty work ethic, I have full confidence in Robert Thomas and Jake Neighbours to take command of our first line, as they have proved to be one of the most dynamic and efficient groups in the entire league at certain points. However, questions are raised when looking at the bottom lines, as there is still too much doubt regarding many of the incoming players. While Alexei Toropchenko and Oskar Sundqvist have grinded their way to consistent roles throughout the past, many fans question which spots will quickly open up for incoming call-ups, including Zach Dean, Otto Stenberg, and most notably 2023 10th Overall pick Dalibor Dvorsky.
While the forward situation is overall in a decent position, the same cannot necessarily be said for the defense. With almost every half-decent defenseman locked into a terrible contract, the announcement of Torey Krug’s season ending injury will open up space on a top pairing. While Krug’s ankle injury is truly awful to hear, it ultimately frees up over $6 Million in salary cap space, money that was spent bringing in Philip Broberg and veteran Ryan Suter. Even with these additions, the Blues defense will most likely once more be the weak point in the team as Justin Faulk, Colton Parayko, and Nick Leddy continue to fall short of their expectations.
Lastly, the goaltending will be one of the few things to look forward to this upcoming season, as Jordan Binnington is coming off his best season in years, matching his performances from his pre-Covid run. Binnington was once again one of the best goalies in the league when measuring advanced stats such as xGA (Expected Goals Allowed) or xGSAA (Expected Goals Saved Above Average). With Joel Hofer continuing to develop, I would expect to see a similar 65/35 split when it comes to starting nods.
Overall, with exciting moves and more development, the St. Louis Blues are definitely headed in the right direction. Unfortunately, playing in the hardest division and a severe lack of strong depth will set them up for another average season, as they will most likely miss the playoffs for three consecutive seasons for only the second time in franchise history. For anyone just getting into the team, there is still light at the end of the tunnel as the Blues hold one of the best prospect pools with future stars such as Jimmy Snuggerud or Adam Jecho. With that being said, I will still be watching every game this season as the brief “re-tool” marches onward.
