At 28 years old, Mathieu Joseph is what he is: a bottom six winger with speed who can get in on the forecheck and has enough skill to make some plays. Unfortunately, the 2024-25 season did not highlight any of Joseph's strengths. There were flashes early in the season where it appeared Joseph would comprise part of a strong third line alongside Zack Bolduc and Oskar Sundqvist but, by the time spring rolled around, Joseph often found himself a healthy scratch. He finished the season with only 60 games played, four goals and 14 points, and under 12 minutes average time on ice for the first time since his time with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
2024-25 Season Grade for Joseph
Grade: D+
It's difficult to ask a lot from a player in Joseph's role, but 14 points in 60 games is not going to cut it--especially when considering his prior years. Joseph's all-situations 1.2 points per 60 is the second lowest of his career; his 43.48 goals-for percentage was second worst on the team, with only Brandon Saad below him.
Interestingly, Joseph's 51.96 expected Goals-for percentage was seventh best on the Blues, which means the team should've been scoring more with Joseph on the ice. So, where were the points? The lack of scoring has two possibilities: the second worst shooting percentage of his career (5.8), and the second worst 5-on-5 PDO on the Blues (0.967, again only better than Saad). Bad puck luck is a contributing factor to Joseph's down season, but it certainly isn't the only cause.
What to Expect from Joseph in 2025-26
With only a year left on his contract, the 2025-26 season will likely be Joseph's last with the St. Louis Blues (if he isn't traded first). If the 2024-25 season is what we can expect from Joseph going forward, his cap hit is a little rich at $2.95-million AAV, though the cap increase this summer should make it manageable.
There's always the chance Joseph bounces back, too. As mentioned earlier, his expected Goals-for percentage was positive enough to believe he can give more; he's only one season removed from putting up 35 points too, after all. If he doesn't return to form, it's not the end of the world for the Blues, either: his contract will be up, and they have some prospects who could be pushing for ice time in the next year or so anyway.
Stats courtesy Natural Stat Trick