Are the St. Louis Blues Built to be Competitive in the Long-Term?

The St. Louis Blues have dished out a lot of money this offseason.

On Tuesday, the Blues handed out their second eight-year contract extension of the summer. The first one went to forward Robert Thomas, paying him a total of $65 million. Now, forward Jordan Kyrou has joined the party.

The 24-year-old will also make $65 million over the course of his extension, which is set to kick in following the 2022-2023 season.  Kyrou’s deal comes after he recorded 75 points (27 goals and 48 assists) in 74 games last season.

With the signing, the Blues now have seven players that will be under contract through at least the 2026-2027 campaign. There’s no doubt that St. Louis has its core of the future, but is this team, led by that core, built to be a perennial championship contender?

The Blues’ long-term success hinges upon one key player.

Kyrou and Thomas are by far the youngest players in the group that is locked up long-term. Most of the others are within a year or two of their age 30 seasons.

That makes the Blues a formidable team for probably the first half of these deals, but there’s one player that can extend that window.

Goaltender Jordan Binnington, who is 29 years old and has five years left on his contract, will be the player that determines whether or not the Blues’ spending spree is worth it. With a solid group in place at forward and on defense, the 2019 Stanley Cup champion in goal will be the x-factor.

Last season, Binnington went 18-14-4 with a 3.13 goals against average (GAA) and a .901 save percentage. In the postseason, however, he went 4-1 with a 1.72 GAA and a .949 save percentage.

If St. Louis gets the goalie that it saw in the playoffs, the other pieces in place will make the Blues one of the biggest threats in the Western Conference for the better part of the next decade.

However, if the Jordan Binnington from the regular season shows up again, it won’t matter who the Blues extended.

A goalie certainly can’t win the Cup on his own, but if St. Louis gets strong play in net from #50, the rest of the team’s core will be capable of succeeding for a long time.

The Blues will begin their 2022-2023 season on October 15 when they host the Columbus Blue Jackets.