The 10-game marker is typically a good place to gauge a team in an 82-game season, to get a pretty good idea of who they are, what they’re about and how good or bad one thinks they can be.
Now, the 2018-19 St. Louis Blues were the exception to the rule, because who really thought — myself included — they would turn out to be THAT? Especially after how much they underachieved for the first three months of the season.
But the 2024-25 Blues are currently sitting at 5-5-0, and the old saying of, ‘You are what your record says you are’ is pretty spot-on when it comes to the Blues, a .500 club, and truth be told, they’re fortunate to be .500 considering they’ve already trailed by multiple goals in an astounding — and absurd — eight of the 10 games played, winning three of them. Realistically, they could be 2-8-0 and near the bottom of the league if not for the come-from-behind wins.
But starting from a positive standpoint, there is some show of resiliency there when you’re able to overcome three multi-goal deficits (2-0 against the Seattle Kraken on Oct. 8; 4-1 against the San Jose Sharks on Oct. 10, and 3-1 against the Carolina Hurricanes on Oct. 19) and win hockey games, but we all know over the course of a season or even a stretch of games, that’s not sustainable for success.
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Individually as far as standouts, it’s been an impressive start for defenseman Philip Broberg. Coming from the Edmonton Oilers via offer sheet (two years, $9.16 million, $4,58 average annual value), it could be a steal of a deal, and from the small sample size (let’s judge through the longevity of it), it’s an incredible deal for a player that’s showing obvious top-pairing defenseman with his play.
Broberg is off to a terrific start with eight points (two goals, six assists in 10 games), leading the defensemen in points, and is a team-leading plus-5. Broberg set a Blues record for most consecutive games with a point (six) to begin a season playing for his new team. The trajectory lends one to believe Blues fans will love this player, a smooth-skating d-man who makes few mistakes, continuing to grow as a 23-year-old.
Broberg, who’s been a steady partner with Justin Faulk (one goal, four assists in 10 games), have been a steady tandem and one that could and should stick for the time being. Speaking of Faulk, he looks healthy again and his play has been favorable for the majority of the season thus far.
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In one sense, it’s been a solid start for Jordan Kyrou points-wise (nine in 10 games), but he hasn’t scored in nine straight since scoring twice in a season-opening 3-2 win against the Kraken. Kyrou has cut down on the mistakes and has been more mindful on the defensive side, but let’s face it, he should be and needs to be scoring goals.
As for Pavel Buchnevich, who has six points (three goals, three assists) in 10 games, he’s a team-first player and the Blues’ insistence of using him as a center, the player was willing to do as long as there’s no flip-flopping going on, and although it hasn’t really affected his plus-minus (plus-4), after winning just one of nine face-offs in that dreadful 8-1 loss against the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday, Buchnevich is a paltry 35.3 percent on the dot (36-for-138). It doesn’t work for him and his production has slipped playing down the middle (no goals in seven games). He seems to be much more effective on the wing, and it’s a telltale that the Blues have a glaring hole down the middle of the ice as a result.
It’s unfortunate that Robert Thomas was injured (fractured right ankle Oct. 22 vs. the Winnipeg Jets blocking a shot) because the Blues’ true No. 1 center was near a point per game (one goal, five assists in seven games) and at the time he was injured, second in the NHL (behind Edmonton Oilers’ Leon Draisaitl) in face-off percentage at 62.6 percent.
Dylan Holloway and Jake Neighbours each lead the Blues with four goals and each has picked it up of late (Neighbours four in six and Holloway with four in five).
D-partners Colton Parayko and Ryan Suter have seemingly really connected since being paired together the past five games. In fact, Suter has probably exceeded expectations thus far and is among the team leaders at plus-4 and at 39, once again playing big minutes in the absence of the injured Nick Leddy (lower-body injury).
Brandon Saad has been OK with four points (two goals, two assists) in seven games but scoring in just one of seven, the Blues will need more if he is going to play in a top six role.
The additions of Mathieu Joseph and Radek Faksa have been solid finds, each acquired from the Senators and Dallas Stars, respectively, for future considerations was worth trading for. Joseph (two goals, two assists in nine games, currently sidelined with a lower-body injury) has been a motor/engine type of player on the third line and Faksa (one goal, 10 games) has anchored the fourth line with physicality and effort.
As for Brayden Schenn, who has one goal and four assists in 10 games, from a leadership standpoint, no issues whatsoever. From a production standpoint, the Blues need more — way more. He hasn’t scored in eight games and with Thomas out, he’s playing in the top six. The production just isn’t good enough.
The jury is still out on Alexandre Texier, who has played in just five games (one goal, two assists) and Zack Bolduc (two assists) in eight games. Texier has shown some good flashes and is someone who can play in the top six when needed, and for Bolduc, who is a plus-2, he needs to just shoot the puck more. It’s starting to get a bit worrisome that he isn’t putting pucks in the net. You have to wonder if the Blues, when/if healthy, would consider sending him to Springfield if the production isn’t there just to gain some more minutes/production down there.
Kasperi Kapanen, Nathan Walker and Alexey Toropchenko are who they are and will give what’s needed. Walker and Toropchenko particularly are effort-based players each time they play.
Matthew Kessel has played in seven games and has to get his consistency level to where it was when he first came up.
P.O. Joseph (one assist in seven games) has been serviceable as a bottom-pairing defenseman when called upon; Scott Perunovich has played in just two games but one has to wonder how long the leash is there; Oskar Sundqvist (three games) is just coming back from a torn ACL and Leddy (four games) wasn’t up to the level he’s been at and the injury had to play a factor there.
When it comes to the goaltending, Jordan Binnington and Joel Hofer each have had their moments of good play and each has had some not-so-good moments, and their numbers reflect it.
Binnington is 2-4-0 with a 3.12 goals-against average and .895 save percentage and those need a boost for the Blues to have any kind of chance of staying relevant, as do Hofer’s, who lost his first game Tuesday and is now 3-1-0 with a 3.39 GAA and .903 save percentage; he’s had two really good starts and two that weren’t up to par. As a whole, the Blues goaltending, which was a staple last season, could use an uptick moving forward.
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Where this group has really lagged is on special teams, where the power play is 21st in the league at 16.7 percent (30th at net front at 8.3 percent) and 28th on the penalty kill (70.4 percent) and 29th on net front PK (also 70.4 percent).
There’s already been games where the power play could have made a difference between winning and losing or at least getting a point (Oct. 11 at Vegas, Oct. 15 vs. Minnesota, Oct. 22 vs. Winnipeg, Oct. 26 at Montreal), or at the very least, gain momentum, and simply didn’t happen.
The top power-play unit hasn’t scored in seven games. That has to change, and change fast.
Last year, the Blues started 5-4-1, so not much of a difference. This year’s squad was supposed to be bigger and faster, and although there have been glimpses — a 5-1 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Oct. 24 the greatest example — there just hasn’t been enough of it consistently, hence the 5-5-0 record.
The last two games haven’t been good results, probably elevating the lack of consistency level here. But this team is not going to out-skill its opponent. If this team doesn’t work, it doesn’t win, simple as that. We’ll see where this goes in the next 10.
It would help to get some of these injured guys back, although they will have to plod along while Thomas is out.
