Early Projections For The St. Louis Blues 2023-24 Lineup
Pavel Buchnevich, Robert Thomas, Jordan Kyrou
This one isn’t set in stone, but it is basically written down in pen. If all three have played, they generally played together in the 2023 preseason (at least through the month of September).
Until the Blues show they need scoring more spread out, this trio gives you your most potent attack. They were three of the top four scorers for the Blues in 2022-23.
Pavel Buchnevich missed 19 games and still finished second in goals and points. Kyrou led the team in goals and points and still has plenty of room to improve.
Thomas missed nine games and still managed 65 points. If he improves and stays healthy, he could very well reach 70 points too.
Kyrou and Thomas need to improve their defensive efforts if they’re going to play against opponents’ top lines consistently. Buchnevich is a good enough 200-foot player to cover them in most games though.
Oddly, the key to keeping this line together isn’t even their own play. They need the bottom nine guys to play well so they can stick together.
If the rest of your lineup struggles, they may break up this trio to spread the offensive wealth. To start the year, this will almost certainly be the top line.
Jakub Vrana, Brayden Schenn, Kasperi Kapanen
For me, this line was kind of tough. I am one of the few that maintains Brayden Schenn would be best served as a winger on the second or even third line.
Given the current makeup of the team, the Blues almost certainly have to use him as a center. Zachary Bolduc isn’t ready for the NHL yet, so the Blues don’t have much NHL ready depth in the middle.
So, the captain gets the nod as the second-line center. His wingers were kind of tough.
Schenn is a guy that plays better when he meshes well with the styles of the players around him. He didn’t quite get along with Vladimir Tarasenko early on because of just that.
Jakub Vrana and Kasperi Kapanen don’t have the high-end skill of Tarasenko and have all the defensive shortcomings too. However, they fit better on the second line than anyone else.
Schenn is more than capable of putting up points, so he can match their offensive abilities. The question for him is whether he will be able to lead them to some defensive efforts or will he get frustrated being the only one busting his rear to get back?
That’s a question we won’t have answered for awhile. Still, the pairing of Vrana and Kapanen is a tasty one for offense and Schenn still has the legs to fit with these two.
Brandon Saad, Kevin Hayes, Jake Neighbours
I really like the potential of this line. All three can grind and make life miserable for the opponent, but they also have skill that can outmatch your average third line.
Kevin Hayes could end up being the second-line center if the Blues feel he’s a fit there. He is coming off a 50-plus point season.
His overall style would fit better here though. Brandon Saad is on the downside of his career, but would benefit playing with guys that can still go and have some youth, in the case of Jake Neighbours.
Neighbours spot on this line, or the lineup in general, will be based on production. We saw in 2022-23 that the hunger is there and the work is there, but he needs to take that next step.
He is only 21 and entering his second pro season, but he has to find some consistency. I’m not even talking 20-plus goals, but 12-15 goals and consistent effort every night would be a welcome progression.
Hayes is an interesting X-factor. We know what we’re getting in Saad, which is flashes of his former self, but a player that is made for the third line right now in his career.
Hayes is an unknown and not just because he’s new to the Blues. He put up 54 points last year, but between covid years and inconsistencies, it’s just hard to tell what kind of production he’ll be able to provide. The big hope is that leaving media meccas like New York and Philadelphia will put him at ease to play his game.
Alexey Toropchenko, Oskar Sundqvist, Sammy Blais
What a fourth line this could be if the Blues could keep it together all season long. Of course, that won’t happen, whether due to injuries or just guys having slumps, but if it could happen – wow.
Every single player on this line is capable of playing further up the line card.
Sammy Blais went from five points in 40 games in New York to 20 points in 31 games in St. Louis. He often filled in for the top nine and sometimes top six.
He’s got speed, hands and is basically a human missile throwing 119 hits in those 31 games. The nice thing about Blais is he can still give you those numbers in a fourth line role. Maybe he drops a goal or something, but in 70-80 games in St. Louis, he can easily get you 25 points and close to 10 goals. That’s fantastic for a fourth-line player.
I’m still shocked Oskar Sundqvist is back. I thought for sure he would get a $3-4 million offer from some team.
He’s only 29 and would be a worthy third-line player on most teams. His point totals have fluctuated, but he has had double-digit goals in three of his last five seasons. The ones he did not he was injured and still scored eight and the other was the covid year, which also had games missed for injury.
Sundqvist won’t throw caution to the wind like Blais, but if healthy, he’ll get you between 60-70 hits and might even approach 100.
Last, but not least, Alexey Toropchenko is another guy that has more upside than your prototypical fourth-line player, but fits in this spot for now. He’s got some skill and we’ve seen brief flashes, but his tenacity is what impresses in his young career.
He is coming off a 10-goal season in 2022-23 and only played in 69 games. While he slid up and down the lineup, he was mostly in a third or fourth-line role already.
If he earns a place higher in the lineup, then fantastic. For now, he’s what you want in a fourth liner in 2023. He hits at the same rate as Blais, can score and possess the puck pretty well.
Torpo is not a blazer, but he has sneaky speed combined with the long stride of someone who is 6’6.
Any of these players can play on your second or third lines – perhaps not for a full season, but they can perform. Having them on the fourth line showcases depth and you’ve got at least two guys you can trust in late situations in a close game.
Top to bottom, this is a solid Blues lineup. There have been better and this one is still shaky in terms of guaranteed production.
If everyone performs at peak level, or close to it, this is a good team. If you have more than one or two with down years, you’re likely out of the playoffs again, so there isn’t much room for error.
Next. One Blues rumor that should stay a rumor. dark
Still, this group of 12 gives the Blues their best chance to win on most nights. We’ll see how accurate this lineup is, or how long it can stay together, when the Blues start the regular season on October 12.