Club Culture
Head coach Jim Montgomery spoke about how the team experienced a culture change, the significant role in their late-season and playoff successes, and the importance of building on it. He also highlighted a few key adjustments the team needs to make to improve by five percent.
“Training Camp”
Head coach Jim Montgomery noted the importance of a good training camp. Well, to have a good camp, there needs to be internal competition.
There's definitely competition as the following players hit the free agent market in 2026 - 2027;
- Unrestricted Free Agents (2026 – 2027) – Mathieu Joseph, Oskar Sundqvist, Alexey Toropchenko, Nathan Walker, Nick Leddy, and Cam Fowler.
- Restricted Free Agents (2026 – 2027) – Dylan Holloway, Philip Broberg, Alexandre Texier, Zack Bolduc, and Matthew Kessel.
“Start On Time”
The club was unable to reach a three-game winning streak until late February, compared to their successors, the Winnipeg Jets, who began their season with a dominating eight-game winning streak. Then, after losing only one game, the Jets would go on to win seven games in a row.
This is the type of start Monty is referring to. While the team made a valiant effort in the latter half of the season and could…should have advanced to the second round of the playoffs, the club may tell you it is more difficult on themselves.
“Hold On To Leads”
Overall, the data reveals the team performed well when leading after periods one and two. When leading after the first period, the club ranked 7th place in the league, and when leading after the second period, the club ranked 6th place in the league.
Does this mean that there’s no room for improvement? Absolutely not. At times, it seemed the team struggled when it mattered most…. The big moments.
“Handle The Big Moments”
Special teams is one of just a few areas where the team struggled to take advantage of game-changing moments. If the team expects to improve by five percent, special teams is an area the Blues will want to adjust.
When the regular season ended, the club's power play ranked 16th in the league at nearly 22 percent. And, the club’s penalty kill ranked 28th, at nearly 74 percent.
