Jake Neighbours was supposed to take a step forward in 2024-25, but four games into the season, he’s fallen back to reality more than anyone else wearing a St. Louis Blues uniform. While players like Philip Broberg have been revelations and should continue putting up solid performances, Neighbours hasn’t inspired in the slightest.
Through four games, he has zero points, six shots on goal, and four giveaways across 16:50 of average total ice time. While six shots on goal isn’t terrible, you’d think Neighbours would at least have put up an assist or two, but even that’s been hard to come by.
Plus, four giveaways puts the young winger on pace for an undesirable 82 in the category. If there’s been anything encouraging as far as basic stats go, it’s that Neighbours at least has nine hits on the year, so he’s maintained his physical play. But has it helped?
When you shift gears from basic stats to possession metrics, wow, it’s more painful than you may have otherwise thought.
St. Louis Blues forward is having a tough time out on the ice so far
Through four games, Neighbours has a minus-3 rating at even strength, and it should foreshadow what the rest of his numbers will look like in the same situation. His on-ice save percentage is a meager 77.3, and the Blues have only scored twice when he’s been in the game at even strength, giving him an on-ice shooting percentage of just 6.5 percent.
This means his PDO is an uninspiring 83.7, and all of this comes with an offensive zone starting percentage of 68.8. Clearly, more physical play is not translating into good numbers no matter where you look at them unless you count his 67.0 Corsi For Percentage.
It looks bleak, but let’s just thank fate that it’s still early in the year, and Neighbours can still turn around his poor play by stringing together a good game or two. If you’re reading this piece on Friday, October 18th, maybe Neighbours had put together a halfway decent outing vs. the New York Islanders, and this article will be one step closer to being considered ancient history.
Or, I might find myself writing a similar piece tomorrow if Neighbours again struggles. And to be frank, I’m much happier when I’m praising as opposed to critiquing, but I’ll let the players decide what I’ll do next.