Who Makes The St. Louis Blues Naughty And Nice Lists
Jordan Binnington: The Naughty List
It almost seems unfair to put Jordan Binnington on the naughty list after the season he has had. He recently completed a stint on the COVID protocol list and recently returned to action in a 4-2 loss to the Winnipeg Jets.
However, his numbers this season are nothing to put on your list to Santa. They are aggressively average and is primarily why he landed on the naughty list this Christmas.
In 17 games this season, Binnington has an 8-6-3 record, a .910 save percentage, and has allowed 2.87 goals per game.
You can make the case that Binnington has been the Blues’ third-best goalie this season behind Charlie Lindgren and Ville Husso. The discussion that St. Louis’ defense plays better in front of Lindgren or Husso is absurd, but sometimes it does appear that way when he is in the net.
Binnington is still the best goalie on the Blues roster, and he shouldn’t be in any danger of losing his starting spot once the season resumes. However, it will be interesting to see how Craig Berube balances Binnington and the combination of Husso and Lindgren.
Husso seems close to a return, which may mean the departure of Lindgren back to the AHL. Husso, this season has been great with a 3-2-1 record, and a .927 save percentage, and a 2.46 goals allowed average.
It should be Binnington’s net when the Blues return to action, but as of now, he remains on the naughty list for the 2021-22 season.
Springfield Thunderbirds: The Nice List
The Springfield Thunderbirds have been the Blues saving grace this season. However, much of the credit is mainly due to general manager Doug Armstrong for assembling the depth to withstand a season like this.
St. Louis has gotten contributions from all over their minor leagues. From Scott Perunovich, Matthew Peca, Dakota Joshua, to Alexey Toropchenko, Lindgren, and Blues legend Jon Gillies, the Thunderbirds have saved the Blues season.
Possibly the most famous callup this season in St. Louis was the arrival of Australian sensation Nathan Walker. After scoring a hat trick in his first game this year against the Red Wings, he has posted five points in six games and will make it difficult for Berube to take him out of the lineup when the Blues get back to full strength.
St. Louis has had 39 different players play in an NHL game this season, and 29 of those players have registered a point. Toropchenko is the only skater who has played this season not to register a point.
Every team’s depth has been tested this season, and so far, for the Blues, the Springfield Thunderbirds are one of the main reasons why the Blues are sitting pretty on Christmas day.
The Russians: The Nice List
Do you want to see an underrated trade this season? Look no further than July 23, 2021, when Armstrong acquired Pavel Buchnevich from the New York Rangers for Sammy Blais and a second-round pick.
Buchnevich has been one of the best and most balanced forwards the Blues have had this season. His game in his own end looks incredibly similar to that of Ryan O’Reilly‘s, but his offensive potential is greater than the Blues’ captain.
He was even placed on a line with O’Reilly and David Perron when the season started. Still, after headbutting an Arizona Coyote early in the year, Buchnevich has found his niche in St. Louis with two countrymen.
Vladimir Tarasenko made headlines this summer after requesting a trade from the Blues due to his displeasure with how his shoulder surgeries were handled. Now, it seems like the Blues would not be where they are today without him.
He still has not returned to the former Trasenko that netted him this big contract that still has one year left on it, but he has been a very productive player for St. Louis this season.
He is tied for the team lead in points with Buchnevich with 29 and is the team leader in goals with 12. Of course, most of his production came early in the season, but at the moment, he is almost a point per game player, and no one should complain about that.
Remember when the Blues left Vince Dunn unprotected in the expansion draft this summer? It turns out that was one of the best decisions made by Armstrong this offseason.
Dunn’s unprotection allowed for Ivan Barbashev to remain on the team, and it has paid off big time for St. Louis.
For years, Barbashev has been one of the best players on the Blues roster, and he has done it quietly. He played a huge role in the Blues’ Stanley Cup run, and it has carried over in the two years since.
This season he has the points to prove his worth. After playing with his countrymen for the past few weeks, he has soared to third on the team in points with 25, and he is tied with Buchnevich for second on the team in goals with 11.
The only thing that should break up this line of Russians is injuries or sickness because, at the moment, it is one of the best lines in the entire NHL.
Klim Kostin: The Naughty List
Klim Kostin has been a strange player to monitor in the St. Louis Blues organization. Coaches and scouts talk so highly of the Russian winger, but he has yet to put it together a the NHL level.
He just completed a conditioning assignment with the Springfield Thunderbirds, where he recorded two points in three games, but he hasn’t completed his games with the Blues at the same pace.
Kostin is 22 years old and is a former first-round pick by the Blues in 2017. However, he has three goals, four assists, and seven points in 24 games in three different stints with the Blues in his career.
The lack of production may result from the roles he is playing on the team. He has not received significant time on the top lines for the Blues, but players like Jordan Kyrou and Robert Thomas have adapted well to similar situations.
This year has not been kind to Kostin. He scored both of his goals this season in one game and only has five points on the year in 18 games.
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We’ll see if he cracks the lineup when the Blues come back to action, but it appears as though many of the injured forwards are close to returning, and that doesn’t bode well for the Russian winger’s return to the lineup.