Expectations for the St. Louis Blues during the 2026-27 season are all over the place. It's unlikely that they'll be able to go up against the three top teams in the Central Division, but they're also too good to bottom out and rebuild (so long as everyone stays healthy).
Those expectations only apply to the team, though--each individual player deserves a breakdown, too. A team's success is important, but growth and consistency for players have merit, as well. Jake Neighbours is one of the players who needs to show that last year was an anomaly.
Impact in 2025-26
Neighbours had two strong seasons in a row, scoring 49 goals and 84 points in 159 games. Expectations were pretty high going into 2025-26 that Neighbours could, at the very least, replicate that success.
It was not to be. Neighbours' ice time didn't drop too much (15:14 per night was only half a minute less than previous seasons), but his scoring impact was far lower: he only tallied 15 goals, though his 36 points in 69 games weren't too shabby.
The good news is that Neighbours has become a real heart-and-soul player, a strong leader on the ice and in the room. Those leadership qualities continued to appear last season and were especially noticeable after Brayden Schenn and Justin Faulk were sent to the New York Islanders and Detroit Red Wings, respectively, at the trade deadline.
Expectations for 2026-27
Neighbours should be able to clear 20 goals again this season, so long as he's healthy. His career 17.1 shooting percentage makes him an extremely efficient goal scorer, and, over an 84 game season, he may even flirt with 30 goals.
In the wake of the aforementioned Faulk and Schenn trades, there are some openings in the leadership core. The Blues have yet to name a captain to replace Schenn, nor someone else to wear the "A" instead of Faulk; the only players wearing letters are Colton Parayko and Robert Thomas, both wearing an "A".
It would not be a surprise to see Neighbours given a letter next season; in fact, it should be the expectation. As the Blues transition to a newer, younger group, Neighbours is the clear emotional leader of the next generation of Blues players. Perhaps it's too soon to give him the "C", but he's earned a letter.
If the Blues have any hope of reaching the postseason in 2026-27, they'll need their depth scoring to step up. No one is more primed to do so than Neighbours.
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