The St.Louis Blues are back to the drawing board, working on what they need to fix to make the playoffs in the next two to three seasons. It will take a lot of time and consideration, but if they stick to what went right this season, they should be on the right track.
Effectively handling free agency and the 2024 NHL Draft in June and July will be the goal and building on what worked. Here are three things the Blues did right this season.
Blues Shorthanded Scoring Was On Fire
This season, the Blues scored 11 shorthanded goals despite being ranked 18th on the penalty kill. They finished sixth in the league in shorthanded goals, all thanks to their ability to steal the puck, finishing first in takeaways (723). They also had the most offensive leaders on their penalty-killing units, with Robert Thomas and Pavel Buchnevich as the top two forwards in shorthanded minutes. Thomas ranked first, with 148 minutes on the ice while the team was shorthanded, and Buchnevich played 136:10; however, both played on different units.
For the first time, we saw Thomas earning significant minutes on the penalty kill, mostly given to Ryan O’Reilly and Buchnevich in the last two seasons. However, now that the roster has been refined with crucial options, Thomas has become a reliable choice. As for Buchnevich, playing him on the second penalty-killing unit with NHL veteran and captain Brayden Schenn benefited the team offensively while a man down. Schenn and Buchnveich combined for three goals on the power play this season.
Also in front, with a combined three goals this season, is the first power-play unit with forwards Thomas and Alexey Toropchenko. Toropchenko is not a player anyone would expect to be paired with Thomas on the first unit, but he does a great job of scanning the play for any loose puck opportunities to counterattack. Toropchenko tied with Buchnevich this season for the most shorthanded goals on the team.
A Great Counter Attacking Offense
As mentioned, part of their shorthanded goal-scoring success was their incredible ability to read where the opposing team was passing or playing the puck and taking it away. They finished in the top 10 in the league in takeaways per 60 minutes (8.16) and have one player in the top 10 in takeaways (Thomas) and two in the top 50 (Schenn and Kyrou). I think most of it has to do with the fact that they are in the defensive end about 41.8 percent of the time. As they experimented with different line combinations after firing head coach Craig Berube, the Blues had some great lines they should stick with on offense, mainly because Kyrou started to find his game after Berube was gone, scoring 50 points in 55 games.
Of the combinations with the most minutes together, the Brandon Saad-Schenn-Jake Neighbours line was by far the most impactful playing off the rush, with nine rushes in 19 games. A rush attempt is significant, as it gives the number of shots or goals on the net, and takeaways usually cause these. This line had an excellent eye for the puck.
Heading into the offseason, getting more forwards who can take the puck and transition properly would be great for the Blues’ offense and should make them a contender. Prospects Jimmy Snuggerud and Otto Stenberg are on the rise, and they both have a tremendous mindset for the counter-attack, manipulating the play to make a solid rush. Having a few players coming up will help management save on cap space and not worry about signing players to useless contracts.
Blues Called up Prospects at the Right Time
As much as Blues fans expected Snuggerud to join the NHL team after his college season ended, he never did, instead confirming that he will play one more year with the Minnesota Golden Gophers. It’s not a bad decision, as it should give more time to work on improving parts of his game before he transitions to the Blues’ lineup, maybe even as soon as the closing months of next season. In the meantime, the Blues have done a great job of focusing on other prospects like Zachary Bolduc, Zach Dean, Tyler Tucker, and Matthew Kessel.
Bolduc was one of the best prospects the Blues called up this season. Although he adapted slowly into the season, he eventually picked up his pace and played top-line minutes. Through 25 games, he scored nine points, including five goals, and had a nice run near the end, scoring four points in his last five games. His game still needs improvement, but he’s on the right track to becoming a reliable offensive contributor. Between Feb. 22 and April 17, he was fourth on the Blues in takeaways, bringing many two-way skills to an already aggressive team.
Dean only played nine games with the Blues and did not score any points, but playing with the AHL’s (American Hockey League) Springfield Thunderbirds will give him the time to build his confidence until he’s ready to be called back up. This was only his first season in the AHL and NHL levels. He scored 14 points through 49 games with the Thunderbirds until he was called up to the Blues in March.
Tucker and Kessel, on the other hand, were great on defense. They played under 40 games and did well in hits and blocks. Kessel was in the top five on the team in blocked shots (65), while Tucker was in the top 10 in hits (64). Kessel, in particular, was great on the second penalty-kill unit and ended with 21:34 played. If the Blues opt to not re-sign Marco Scandella over the offseason, maybe giving Tucker or Kessel a full ride on the bottom or middle pairing would be great.
How Can Blues Improve?
If the team can remain consistent with these positive traits, it should be able to focus on improving its many other flaws, including finding a head coach who will work best for them. Interim head coach Drew Bannister didn’t do too badly, but he has a lot more to learn, and one season won’t make him suitable for the job; however, it’s a start.
With the playoffs in motion, the Blues should keep an eye on pending free agents in the coming months to see who would fit their system and help them make a potential postseason run. The most important goal is to move the players who take up the most cap space to make room for prospects and new players.