Alright, who else needs convincing that the St. Louis Blues are for real? This is one of those few teams in the NHL in 2024-25 that have defied all the odds, but here they are, in control of their own destiny. Yeah, this wasn’t supposed to happen until at least next season, but this scrappy mix of youngsters and veterans has shown otherwise.
But what’s been the driving force behind this team’s renaissance? Head coach Jim Montgomery? Yeah, you can put him there, but I’m not thinking of Montgomery at the moment. No, I’m not even thinking of some of those well-to-do restricted free agents general manager Doug Armstrong brought over from the Edmonton Oilers.
Yeah, Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway have played a part. Ditto for Jordan Kyrou, who’s been one of the hottest players league-wide in recent weeks. And it would be an outright fib to claim that the above names haven’t been part of this renaissance - they most certainly have been.
What’s really fueling the St. Louis Blues through this recent renaissance?
Lou Korac’s post-game piece at NHL.com mentioned Alexey Toropchenko and Nathan Walker and the game they had. Both logged two points - one goal and one assist each - and it’s so telling of why this Blues team has gone from above-average to good-to-great lately. It’s because they’ve been playing like a deep hockey team.
Toropchenko has been flying under the radar for a while now, and he’s now up to 17 points and four goals on the year. Like Kyrou, few can claim to be as hot as Toropchenko, who has five points and two goals in his last six contests.
Nate Walker also isn’t someone you think of when you hear the phrase ‘offensive production.’ Walker now has eight goals and 14 points in 62 games on the season, and he’s been the team’s sledgehammer all year, logging 227 hits heading into today’s win. And in case you’re curious, Toropchenko is in second place on the team with 176 prior to puck drop.
A deep St. Louis Blues team could be peaking at the right time
It’s one thing for a hockey team to be figuring things out and peaking as we tumble into late March. But add in the fact that the Blues have been playing like one of the league’s deeper hockey teams, then it wouldn’t surprise me if this crew ends up making the playoffs and sticking around a little longer than anticipated.
Why can’t they pull off an upset should they hang onto that second wild card spot? Sometimes a team may not boast elite talent, but when momentum is on their side, they’ll be hard to stop regardless of who they play. But, we still have roughly another month to go, and the last thing the Blues need is to get ahead of themselves.
Right now, that’s far from the case, with players all over the ice pitching in and scoring goals. This will ultimately be a tough team to stop should they keep trending north at a lightning-quick rate. Just keep taking it one game at a time, one day at a time, and magic might just happen.