The 2026-27 St. Louis Blues may be a surprisingly good team, and one that is fueled by their youth instead of hindered by it. There are some good hockey players in that under-25 group, and one of them is starting to really come into his own.Â
Jake Neighbours, who is 24 years old and plays the perfect representation of Blues hockey, still has an unknown ceiling entering his sixth season in the NHL. Is this the year that we finally see just how far he can reach?Â
30-goal scorer in the making?Â
Neighbours is a bruiser, but can he score the puck as well? The 2025-26 run saw him hit a wall due to an injury bug, but he got out of the gate rather fast with six goals in the first eight games of the season. He finished with 15 goals on the season in 69 games.Â
Just a short while ago, he had reached 27 goals during his breakout year of 2023-24. With some new pieces added to the top six in Connor McMichael and Mason McTavish, Neighbours may be a part of a rather interesting third -line group. But if Pavel Buchnevich cannot get it together with his new potential line mates in the second line, Neighbours may be the perfect fit.Â
Should that happen, there is no telling how well Neighbours would fit in. A 30-goal season may be on the horizon for No.63.Â
Captain material?Â
There is an interesting story here that many Blues fans believe Neighbours should be the next captain. He fits the same narrative that Brayden Schenn did during his tenure, and that could be a seamless transition. Not to mention that he is a part of this youth movement of players under 25.Â
A captaincy nomination also increases his ceiling just a bit. Everything that was just individual stats and figures now gets a team aspect added on. His ceiling is also how far he can take the Blues from being a lottery team to a contender.Â
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