What We Know About The St. Louis Blues Halfway Through 2024-25 Season

The St. Louis Blues are at the midpoint of the 2024-25 season, and if they are to end their modest two-year non-playoff run, they will have some work to do.

At 19-18-4, the Blues have 42 points and are on pace for 84 on the season, and judging by recent history, that will fall well short of reaching for sure the top three in the Central Division, as well as one of two Western Conference wild card spots.

Last year at the halfway point, the Blues were 21-18-2 (44 points), so they’re two shy of where they were then, and they finished 22-15-2 in the second half, good for 43-33-6, which gave them 92 points. That was six points shy of the Vegas Golden Knights, who held the second wild card.

So it’s obvious the Blues have plenty of work to do. But the silver lining: of their remaining 41 games, 23 of them are at home. But is that a good thing? The Blues’ home record is nowhere near where a playoff team should be (8-9-1) and needs to drastically be way better if they want to make a push.

As of Tuesday, when the Blues play another road game against the Minnesota Wild (25-11-4), they are three points behind the Vancouver Canucks for the second wild card. But the Blues also have the Calgary Flames a point in front of them, and the Canucks and Flames have each played two fewer games. Again, work needs to be done and the players know it, as Ryan Suter and Pavel Buchnevich indicated prior to Saturday’s game against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

So what do we make of the Blues? Well, they can’t put together three wins in a row. That we know. They’ve tried seven times and seven times, they’ve failed (0-6-1).

This team is 24th in scoring (2.76 goals per game) but as of late, they’ve really picked it up, which they will need to attempt at going on some sort of big run (27 goals the past six games, 4.5 per game). The Blues allow an average of 3.00 goals per game, which is 14th in the league and OK, but also needs to improve.

We know the power play isn’t nearly good enough (24th, 17.2 percent) and the penalty kill is also woeful (28th, 73.3 percent, including seven power-play goals allowed the past five games).

The coaching change from Drew Bannister to Jim Montgomery on Nov. 24 almost seemed inevitable when Montgomery was fired by the Boston Bruins just five days prior. He was Doug Armstrong’s guy all along. The circumstances stunk for Bannister, who went 30-19-5 as the interim after taking over for Craig Berube last season, but the 9-12-1 start this season almost gave Armstrong an easy excuse to make the change. But something tells me Bannister could have been 22-0-0 and the change would have been made. Montgomery was simply his guy. And he will produce results at some point. When? Time will tell.

The additions of Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway to offer sheets Aug. 20 has proved to be a stroke of genius. Each is a first-round selection for a reason, and Armstrong identified two young players as ones that can grow with the youth movement the Blues are experiencing.

Broberg opened his Blues career with a six-game point streak, which is a franchise record to begin his Blues career and had a point in nine of his first 11 games; the 23-year-old has 14 points (three goals, 11 assists) in 28 games and is a team-best plus-12 despite missing a month with a right knee injury. Broberg’s averaging 20:39 per game and is playing like the top four defenseman the Blues envisioned.

As for Holloway, the Blues are finding out quickly that the 23-year-old may be more than a third-line forward; his 14 goals are second on the Blues to Jordan Kyrou (17), and his 29 points (14 goals, 15 assists) in 41 games is third behind Kyrou (35) and Robert Thomas (30); he is tied with Brayden Schenn with four-game winning goals. Holloway is also a plus-9 and is projected for 28 goals and 30 assists. What an addition he has been.

As for player performances, Jordan Binnington’s numbers are a mixed bag to me. His goals-against average (2.79) is not bad at all. In fact, it’s right there with the two goalies that made the Stanley Cup Final last season (Sergei Bobrovsky of the Florida Panthers at 2.79 and Stuart Skinner of the Edmonton Oilers at 2.78) but the save percentage is way below average (.899). Binnington’s had his moments, he’s had his no-so-good moments. But of late, he’s been on again (3-1-0, 1.53 GAA, .929 save percentage). The Blues will need more wins (11-14-3 in the first half) than losses in the second half, since Binnington will get the vast majority of the net, as he should. … Joel Hofer has been a capable backup (8-4-1, 2.92 GAA, .901 save percentage). He went through a 5-0-1 stretch before losing against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday. He’s been a very capable backup, and he has shown signs of improvement with more experience, but for all the recent comments I’ve received on ‘X’ of late that Hofer should replace Binnington as the No. 1: stop. Just a hard stop. If the Blues are going to make a second-half push, No. 50 will be the backstop to do it.

Defensively, Armstrong made this group better. Let’s start with the way things began when the Blues learned that Torey Krug would miss the season after having left ankle fusion surgery that could be career-threatening. So what did he do as an insurance policy, he signed the recently bought-out Ryan Suter to a league minimum contract with incentives worth up to $3 million, and what an addition the soon-to-be 40-year-old has been. Suter was brought in as a veteran third-pair D-man to play behind Colton Parayko, Justin Faulk, Broberg and Nick Leddy, but when Leddy went down with a lower-body injury – he hasn’t played since Oct. 15 – Suter has stepped in and averaged 21:28 per game, which is the most since he averaged 23:39 with the Dallas Stars in 2021-22.

Speaking of Parayko, he’s projected for career highs in goals (14), assists (32) and points (46) after picking up his seventh goal on Saturday. He’s already matched his assist total (16) in half the games from last season and is averaging a career-high 24:32 per game. It’s been another strong start to a season for No. 55.

And I’ve got to tell you, it’s a small sample size, but the addition of Cam Fowler on Dec. 14 for a pick and prospect from the Anaheim Ducks has been a stroke of genius that will most certainly keep the Blues – barring a complete nosedive – in the playoff race for the season. Since joining the Blues, Fowler has 11 points (four goals, seven assists) and is a plus-5 and has been a terrific partner for Parayko and most recently, with Broberg with Faulk (upper-body injury) missing the past two games. Fowler, who is signed through the 2025-26 season, has solidified the blue line with his poise and calming presence that makes the smart but subtle play on the ice.

As for Kyrou, the body of work may not have looked like it offensively earlier in the season but he’s on pace for 34 goals and 70 points while also improving his 200-foot game by a lot. Yes, there were a few instances earlier in the season where a pair of mistakes against the Philadelphia Flyers and Utah Hockey Club cost the Blues at least a point, if not two, but the stick-handling turnovers have cut down quite a bit and he is a plus-8, which is in stark quite the contrast better than the combined minus-50 the previous two seasons, an indicator that he’s committed to the other side of the puck more this year.

Thomas is the only Blue averaging more than a point-per-game (30 on eight goals, 22 assists in 29 games) after missing 12 games with a fractured right ankle as a result of a blocked shot. He’s still on pace for 72 points (19 goals, 53 assists) in 70 games after putting up 86 points (26 goals, 50 assists) last season. His face-off percentage (56.4) is among the league leaders (15th for those with 400 or more)and he is the all-around No. 1 center the Blues can ill-afford to be without, considering how thin the team is down the middle.

As for Pavel Buchnevich, who the Blues invested in with a six-year, $48 million ($8 million average annual value) prior to last season, it’s been a bit of a disappointment offensively. His 26 points (nine goals, 17 assists) in 39 games would project him at 53 points (18 goals, 35 assists) for the season, another drop-off. He’d be projected in his four seasons to go from 76 to 67 to 63 to 53 points, not the decline the Blues want after making the hefty investment for someone that’s a top-six mainstay. The plus-7 is good and the defensive numbers stack up, which is one of the attractions the Blues have always loved but they need more production in the second half from the 29-year-old to stay in the race.

Schenn has picked his production up (22 points on eight goals, 14 assists in 41 games) after starting the season with just two goals the first 17 games; Jake Neighbours, after an impressive 27 goals a season ago, his goal production is down (10) but his assist total (10) is up after finishing with 11 last season; he’s actually on pace for 40 points, which would top last season’s 38. He continues to grow.

Brandon Saad has been a steady 20-plus goal scorer throughout his career, but up until he scored a hat trick against the Ottawa Senators last Friday, Saad had just four goals and they were scored in two games, so he’s scored in just three of 35 games this season; that needs to improve, but his play has been a lot more noticeable of late, which is why Montgomery has him on the top line.

Zack Bolduc is a plus-8 in his first full season and has five goals and seven assists in 34 games; his production has also come of late. That depth scoring will have to stay afloat and Bolduc is a part of that. Forget the offensive numbers when it comes to Nathan Walker. How can you not love the way this guy plays and the intensity he brings? He’s the perfect fourth-line player, as is Alexey Toropchenko, although you’s like to see a little more than a goal in 39 games.

Alexandre Texier (three goals, five assists in 22 games) has shown flashes of what he can bring after the Blues acquired him from the Blue Jackets June 29, but needs to be more consistent in the second half of the season. Injuries/illness has derailed the momentum he seemed to gain when playing decent.

Unfortunately, Radek Faksa took a skate cut near the groin area Dec. 10 against the Vancouver Canucks because his leadership on that fourth line, his physicality and face-off capabilities have been valuable when he’s in the lineup. He’s been a nice addition when the Blues acquired him from the Dallas Stars for future considerations.

Oskar Sundqvist was never a speed burner, and has he lost a bit of his skating too? Probably, but consider he’s coming off another major ACL injury that likely won’t see him back to his full self until next season. He’s a reliable fill-in as a third- or fourth-line skater and the coaches trust utilizing him as a net front player on the power play and a reliable penalty killer.

I think the Blues were hoping for a bit more from Mathieu Joseph, who was acquired from the Ottawa Senators for future considerations, which is why the veteran has been in and out of the lineup, playing in just 26 games (two goals, two assists). And as far as Scott Perunovich is concerned, when he’s played (24 games), he’s been decent; not great but decent. I still feel like the Blues don’t trust him defensively, and to use him in strictly as an offensive/power-play specialist hasn’t been an option.

If Armstrong were to look to boost the roster between now and the March 7 trade deadline, a top-six center would be the best option. Could the Blues use another scoring winger? Of course. If Nick Leddy is able to play at some point, a defensive six with Parayko, Fowler, Broberg, Faulk, Leddy and Suter would be hard to argue against.

The Blues do have some cap space, just under $3.6 million from LTIR cap pool, so there is money to play with, but likely, there would have to be some money out if money comes in.

For them to make the playoffs, they’ll have to get to around 95-98 points in order to do so, so with 41 games, you’re looking at 25-12-4, 24-11-6, something like that, which will be arduous to accomplish.