The St. Louis Blues have just turned the page on 2025 and entered 2026 with a nice 4-3 win against the Vegas Golden Knights. Before they compete in the second half of a back-to-back with Montreal, they just pushed themselves over the tipping point of the season.
Vegas' game was the 42nd of the season, meaning Montreal will be No. 43. With that out of the way, what grade would you give the Blues' first half of the season? Let's talk about it.
This would be an F if it were not for their current standing. With the win against Vegas, the Blues are still within earshot of a playoff spot, but it is a contested group. This team has a current record of 16-18-8 for 40 points. Ahead of them are Nashville, Calgary, Utah, and Los Angeles, in that order. Each team is within three points of the two wildcard spots, which are presently held by Seattle and San Jose at 43 points.
This is going to go on for the rest of the season, and all of those teams still have a lot of games against each other. But, looking back on the past 42 games of the Blues' season paints an ugly picture.
They are led by a defenseman that the fans never wanted on this team to start the season, Justin Faulk, with 11 goals. Injuries have been a consistent pain in the side for this team, and outside of the first week of the season, this roster has not been at full strength. Goaltending, which was the best-kept secret in the Western Conference last season, has been unreliable and embarrassing at times.
The players that were supposed to help this team exceed a high expectation following the surprise Stanley Cup Playoff appearance last season have not shown up this season.
What improves their grading?
With the second half underway with a nice win against Vegas, and another big tilt at home against Montreal, the tide could be turning. As they have a D+ on the year, it is really easy for them to go up in their grading, and really hard to get any worse. In the words of the late Al Davis, the famous owner of the Oakland Raiders, "Just win, baby".
That is the only thing the Blues need to worry about at this point. They have to string together wins and beat teams that are in contention with them. With three members of their squad heading to the Olympics in a month and change, there is another opportunity for a late charge to happen again. But another 12-game franchise-record win streak should not be relied upon. There is time right now to right the ship, and it starts with just winning.