The St. Louis Blues enter the offseason in a position that most teams envy: They’re younger, and they’ve already proven they can win, even if they may not be completely immune to growing pains.
But the Blues will be competitive, with many of its youngsters on the cusp of earning more ice time when the puck drops in October. That also means a few players will see their ice time backslide and start diminishing.
While that will happen to more than a few players, the three biggest names I’m looking at are as follows. Check them out.
Jordan Binnington
Yes, Jordan Binnington will make way for Joel Hofer in 2025-26, like it or not. Now, this doesn’t mean Hofer will supersede Binnington in the crease, as that probably won’t happen until 2026-27 at the earliest, if not 2027-28.
But Hofer’s proven over the past two seasons that he can handle a backup role well. That said, expect the 54-28 starts ratio to decline to somewhere around 47-35, bringing Hofer into something closer to a 1B than a No. 2. By 2026-27, the two should find themselves in a timeshare as the Blues look to take control of the Central.
This doesn’t mean Binnington’s going into a decline anytime soon, and as he ages, lesser ice time will benefit, not hurt him. If he makes more leeway for Hofer, expect to see an even more consistent version of Jordan Binnington, starting this season.
Pavel Buchnevich
Pavel Buchnevich averaged just over 19 minutes of average total ice time this season, but up-and-comers like Dylan Holloway, Jake Neighbours, and Zack Bolduc, have shown they can handle more than what they got last season.
Buchnevich, like Binnington, can still put up solid numbers and deliver consistent production, and that won’t change soon. That said, don’t be surprised if his average total ice time per game drops to something around 16 to 16:30 while Holloway, Neighbours, and Bolduc see more.
As with Binnington, this would put younger, fresher, and just as talented legs on the ice while Buchnevich doesn’t need to give the Blues 19 minutes per contest. It may also bring even more consistent production from the veteran winger.
Colton Parayko
Colton Parayko is one of the first players you think of when you hear the name ‘St. Louis Blues,’ but as is the case with the two players listed above, he too will see a backslide in ice time. No, it won’t be a gargantuan amount, but he’s not averaging 23:45 again.
Instead, look for Philip Broberg to cut into Parayko’s (and potentially others’) ice time, going from 20:30 to something around 22:30, or between 22 and 23 minutes per game. But it’s not just Broberg, as players like Tyler Tucker have proven their worth.
Parayko will also head into his age-32 season, and he’s part of a group of 30-something defensemen that includes Nick Leddy, Cam Fowler, Justin Faulk, and Torey Krug (if he makes it back). So, expect them all to backslide at some point while the likes of Broberg and Tucker see the ice even more.
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