St. Louis Blues: Is it time to panic??
I like to start by saying it has only been eight games into the St. Louis Blues season. We do not need to sound all the alarms just yet.
We do not need to fire the coach, do not need to fire the management and we do not need to trade everyone. This idea can be revisited in 10-15 games, but as of right now, we should not be asking for a dumpster fire.
We have been through worse and were still able to turn it around. Just a couple weeks ago, the St. Louis Blues were 3-0, and everything was alright.
One bad losing streak does not cause the end of the season in November. But, if we are to turn it around, key players need to turn their play around and be leaders.
Ryan O’Reilly
It starts with the Captain. Through the first eight games of the season, Ryan O’Reilly has just a single point and is minus-11.
The latter is not just second worse on the team, but second worst in the league. If this team is going to turn it around, it starts with him being the leader of the hockey team.
He is on pace for just over 10 points this season. History will tell us that he will most likely turn it around though.
He has not finished a season with less than 50 points since his fourth season in the league, and that was because he only played 29 games. Let us pump the breaks on demanding a trade because he will be an unrestricted free agent after the season.
Jordan Kyrou
The new big-money man has been the scapegoat for most during this five-game losing streak. As of right now, and rightfully so, the team needs more out of him.
The playmaker has 0 assists on the season to go with his three goals. Before, I talked about how O’Reilly was second worse in the league for plus/minus. Well, the player who leads the way for the best golf score is Kyrou, with a minus-13.
He is not playing like an $8-million dollar player right now. He is not someone when their production is down that he can impact the game with his physical presence or defensive game.
If he is not creating in the offensive department, his game does not offer anything else. Many were hoping that with Perron gone Kyrou would pick up the slack.
Kyrou needs to pick up his game if the Blues have a chance to turn their season around. But let us not label this contract a bust eight games into it.
Torey Krug/Colton Parayko
The final one is a combination of two players. They are two of the highest-paid defensemen on the team. Their play has not been up to what the fans expect of them, nor their coaches.
The Blues signed Torey Krug to replace former captain Alex Pietrangelo(who should have been locked down long-term before he had a chance to leave in free agency). Krug has been decent so far since signing as a Blue, but he has not been as good as he was in Boston.
I still believe the team should have given Pietrangelo whatever he wanted. But that is a story for another day.
Colton Parayko was thought of by the Blues as the team’s next number-one defenseman when they allowed Pietrangelo to leave after the 2019-20 season. He has not been able to live up to those expectations.
Parayko has been either first or second in minutes played the last three seasons. His goal totals have gone down.
His point totals have not made the jump most would have thought would happen with the boost in ice time. The Blues need him to eclipse his career high of points of 35, but he hasn’t.
Next. Blues best American players of all time. dark
Parayko and Krug combine for a minus-16 so far, which can not be happening with two of your better defensemen. Their point total has not been what is expected of them, especially for Krug being primarily an offensive guy.
The team’s defensive group as a whole, barring Justin Faulk, needs to be better. It has to start with these two guys.