The St. Louis Blues finished in fifth place last season in the tough Central Division. They finished short of a wild card spot and general manager Doug Armstrong knew there had to be changes. Unsurprisingly, there were many, and a fresh, new Blues roster is looking to make the playoffs this season.
The Blues roster is improved, younger
The Blues and Armstrong made many changes since last season, improving depth and getting younger. Although none of the moves were for elite players, the transactions did make them better with secondary scoring added. St. Louis did make headlines over the summer, grabbing young stars Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg from the Edmonton Oilers after Edmonton did not match the offer sheets to both players. Armstrong also added Mathieu Joseph, Pierre-Olivier Joseph, and Alexandre Texier.
Holloway has four goals and two assists for six points in 12 games plying in the middle six. Broberg has two goals and seven assists for nine points in 12 games to give the defense some much needed offensive punch. These two give St. Louis two players to focus on helping them down the stretch, The Blues will have to be without Broberg for 4-6 weeks with a lower-body injury it was revealed today.
Mathieu Joseph has two goals and two assists for four points. P.O. Joseph has one assist, and Texier has one goal and two assists for three points so far this season. All three players give the roster a fresh, younger feel and a new energy that they missed last season. These additions can certainly be an asset during playoff time as scoring is at a premium.
However, the Blues still have forward Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou making waves at forward. These two players have been key performers since day one in the organization and have been consistent in their performance this season. Thomas has one goal and five assists for six points in seven games and Kyrou has three goals and seven assists for 10 points in 12 games. St. Louis is depending on these two to play a key role in the second half of the season.
Between the pipes is the duo of Jordan Binnington and Joel Hofer. Binnington (3-5, a 2.87 goals-against-average, and a .903 save percentage) and Hofer (3-1, 3.39, .903) give the Blues a solid tandem that can steal games and play a pivotal role during the season.
The Blues are currently in fifth place in the Central Division with a 6-6 record for 12 points. They have been outscored 38-32, are 3-2 at home and 3-4 on the road.
While Armstrong did make some additions this off-season, they are committed to build a winner from within. Nine players on the current roster were drafted by the Blues and have been with the team sicne they were drafted. Those players are Alexey Torpochenko, Scott Perunovich, Matthew Kessel, Jake Neighbours, Colton Parayko, Kyrou, Hofer, Binnington, and Zack Bolduc. The players above give the Blues a solid core of players who could help them build this into a Stanley Cup winning team. While the average age of this team is 28, there is plenty of youth to take them forward.