The 2025-26 season was a complete failure for the St. Louis Blues, and the momentum gained from the season prior was completely grounded. There were a bunch of different factors that played into why it was such an underwhelming year, but it all falls on the players.
There are three players in particular who really stand out as the main culprits. If they had not been as abysmal as they were last season, the end result might have been different. We have already discussed who is to be praised, but now, who is to blame?
Let's get into it.
Jordan Binnington
This past season had so much promise following the monumental 2024-25 campaign that Jordan Binnington had. He helped the Blues reach the playoffs as a main catalyst of their 12-game winning streak, and prior to that, he helped Team Canada win the Four Nations Face-off in dramatic fashion.
But 2025-26 was a disaster, and No. 50 is the top reason. Binnington never found any kind of rhythm, and each loss stacked on top of the last with no way to alleviate the weight of it. If not for Joel Hofer, the Blues would have switched places with Vancouver for the bottom team in the NHL Standings.
Cam Fowler
Another top player from 2024-25, Cam Fowler, was acquired from the Anaheim Ducks and was the best d-man of the group, almost immediately. He was fantastic in the playoff series against Winnipeg, registering 10 points in the seven-game series. But he reverted to the reason why he was traded in the first place.
He is known for a 200-foot game, and Fowler was a liability for all of that real estate. Offensively and defensively, No. 17 was not up to standard, and the Blues were hurt more often than not because of it.
Logan Mailloux
After being sought out and traded for by the Blues, Logan Mailloux was given a more serious chance of playing time than he had in Montreal. The change allowed him a role in the defensive core, and it was up to him to learn the game fast.
It was clear that he needed more time in the AHL, as the growing pains were painfully obvious. Mailloux took nearly the entire season of healthy scratches, and shuffling partners to figure it out, and at that point, it was already too late.
The only thing that happens now is that the 2026-27 season is going to have a new set of expectations for him, and they will be more extreme than before.
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