The 2022-23 season has been disappointing for the St. Louis Blues. However, there are still a number of players that have surprised people with their performance.
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One interesting part of this season for the Blues has been the large number of lineups that head coach Craig Berube has had. Whether it’s been injuries or trades, they have had many different players suit up. A few of them stand out over the others, though. Let’s get into the most surprising performers for the Blues in 2022-23.
Brayden Schenn
There are some defensive stats that don’t look good for Brayden Schenn, but he’s been solid overall this season. One of the most surprising things about Schenn in 2022-23 is that he’s played all 78 games. With the trade of captain Ryan O’Reilly, Schenn is expected to step up and be the team leader, and he’s excelled in that role since the trade, as I’ve been impressed with his attitude and play all season.
There was some uncertainty with Schenn after getting injured and missing 19 games last season. His production in 2021-22 was better than this season, but it didn’t feel that way. That’s likely because he was overshadowed by the other eight 20-goal scorers that the Blues had a year ago. He’s been noticeable this season, and his leadership is only becoming more prevalent. In 78 games, he’s tallied 21 goals and 42 assists for 63 points. As I said earlier, his defensive metrics aren’t good, but he’s given the Blues a lot outside of that. His versatility to play on any of the top three lines as a center or winger is important.
I expect him to be named the next captain of the Blues before the 2023-24 season. He’s been a terrific leader and embodies much of what Berube wants in a player. He has five years left on his contract after this season, so he’s around for the long haul.
Sammy Blais
I get that Sammy Blais has only been back with the Blues for 27 games this season, but he’s been surprisingly great. It was a brutal run for Blais with the New York Rangers over the past season and a half. He suffered a torn ACL in 2021-22 and wasn’t fitting in with them this season when he returned from it. So, the Rangers did right by him and sent him back to the Blues in the Vladimir Tarasenko trade. Blais was great for the Blues in their 2019 Stanley Cup win, and he’s always been comfortable in St. Louis, but I didn’t expect him to be this good. He looks like a completely different player than he did in New York.
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In 54 games over the past two seasons for the Rangers, he had zero goals and nine assists in just over 10 minutes of ice time. Since returning to the Blues, he has scored eight goals, 11 assists, and 19 points in under 15 minutes of ice time. The difference has been noticeable. He’s done most of his damage at 5-on-5 with zero goals and one assist on the power play. He looks confident and much more assertive with the puck than he did with the Rangers or even during his first stint over four seasons with the Blues. He earned himself a one-year extension for next season at $1 million. I’ve been both surprised and impressed with him.
Calle Rosen
One of Berube’s biggest mistakes this season has been not playing Calle Rosen enough. He’s been the Blues’ best offensive punch from the blue line when he’s out there. Outside of Justin Faulk’s recent hot streak, Rosen was their leader in goals from defensemen. Choosing to play the likes of Robert Bortuzzo, Marco Scandella, and others over him has made zero sense. The Blues extended Rosen’s contract into next season with a salary cap hit of $762,500, though I’m not sure how much of a chance he will get next season, with the Blues likely attempting to overhaul their blue line.
In just 45 games this season, despite being healthy, Rosen has eight goals and 10 assists for 18 points. He hasn’t slowed down that much, either. In his last 13 games played, he has three goals and five points. He also has a plus/minus of plus-21, which is extremely rare for Blues defensemen this season. Only Rosen and Pavel Buchnevich have positive double-digit positive plus/minuses in 2022-23. Only two other Blues defenders with over 40 games played have positive plus/minuses as well. The bottom line is that Rosen should have played more than 50 games this season.
It’s been a tough 2022-23 for the Blues, but they still have some positives to hang their hat on. Outside of my selections here, I’ve been both surprised and impressed by Jakub Vrana and Kasperi Kapanen’s play since coming to the Blues. I’m not sure if the team will be good next season, but they’ll return plenty of surprise performers and young talent to their 2023-24 roster.