The St. Louis Blues have finally found their groove in the 2023-24 season, but it appears that the groove is inconsistency. While a gritty overtime win on Dec. 4 against the defending Stanley Cup Champion Vegas Golden Knights showed what this team is capable of at its best, the stretch following that victory has been one of the worst of the team’s season. They allowed the Golden Knights to come from behind dramatically on Dec. 6, before dropping back-to-back games against two of the worst teams in the league: the Columbus Blue Jackets and Chicago Blackhawks.
Those kinds of results have become the hallmarks of a team in sixth place in their division, with a 13-13-1 record and 27 points. That puts the Blues on an 82-point pace — a very slight improvement over last season’s 81-point finish, but not a playoff result. Sure, there have been some improvements over last season, but inconsistency remains at the forefront of the Blues’ identity. So, what’s behind the team’s mixed results? Let’s take a closer look at some key factors.
Schenn and Other Veterans Not Delivering
The Blues appointed Brayden Schenn as their captain this summer, choosing him over a younger candidate like Robert Thomas. But early in the season, that decision has not been justified by results. Thomas is tearing it up, leading the team in points with 25 in 25 games. But Schenn started slow. Though he currently has eight goals and seven assists in 25 games, he is also a minus-9, and his metrics reflect a defensive liability. At 32, a downturn was somewhat predictable, but it’s not the example that the team likely hoped a new captain would set.
Schenn is not alone, though. Defensive veterans Nick Leddy and Marco Scandella have been far from reliable, though that probably was to be expected. Jakub Vrána has been a ghost and a shadow of the promising upstart he was after arriving with the Blues last season. The Blues were hoping for a big bounceback season from their veteran stars in 2023-24, and so far, in most cases, they haven’t gotten it.
Kyrou Not Playing Like a Superstar
Jordan Kyrou has experienced intense scrutiny this season and with good reason. In the first season on an eight-year, $65 million contract that ties him with Thomas for the highest salary on the team, he has not played like the superstar the Blues need him to be. Sure, he is third on the team in points, with 17. But he is a minus-6, in a tie for sixth in goals, with five, and he has just 1.1 point shares (PS), which ranks 12th on the Blues. PS measures a player’s contribution to his team’s place in the standings. While it isn’t a perfect measurement, it indicates that Kyrou’s impact is not where his contract suggests it should be.
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Kyrou is now 25 and paid like a star. It is time for him to step up and deliver for the Blues. Though some fans over-emphasize Kyrou’s negative impact on the team, there’s no question he needs to play better. Thomas is performing at the level fans expect of the pair. But if the Blues’ retool is going to succeed, Kyrou will need to get there, too, so that the pair can be the cornerstones of the franchise’s next generation.
Binnington, Hofer Inconsistent
Coming into the season, Jordan Binnington had a lot to prove. And to his credit, he got off to a fantastic start, even sparking trade rumors with the Edmonton Oilers. Overall, his numbers on the season are still very good: his 2.99 goals-against average (GAA) is high, but his .912 save percentage (SV%) and 5.3 goals saved above average (GSAA) are in line with some of the best goalies in the game. But Binnington has started to slip in recent weeks. Over the last eight games, he has gone 3-3-0, with an .889 SV%. That isn’t exclusively on him, but it is a worrying sign, as the Blues are not doing enough in other facets of the game to offset poor goaltending.
And Joel Hofer is not yet a realistic alternative should Binnington falter. The Blues needed a big season from the 23-year-old rookie, and there’s been nothing wrong with his performance so far. In fact, for a young netminder, his .901 SV%, 3.04 GAA, and minus-0.6 GSAA are well within the realm of “acceptable.” But they aren’t good enough to spell Binnington if he begins to play like he did in 2022-23 again. Right now, goaltending is the least of the Blues’ concerns, and arguably the biggest bright spot of the team’s season so far. But if Binnington continues to slide, the team could be in major trouble.
Critical Stretch in December
The Blues are entering a critical stretch of the season, playing most of their games this month against either fringe playoff teams or division rivals. If they are going to stand any chance at a playoff finish to the season, they’ll have to make up ground over the next three weeks. Right now, their performance doesn’t promise great things. But if we’ve learned anything this season, it’s that the Blues can pull an unexpected performance, good or bad, out of nowhere.