Nobody expected this from the St. Louis Blues. When the 2025-26 season started, optimism was sky-high, and the Blues looked like a group on the verge of making annual playoff runs.
Then came a 5-0 loss to the Minnesota Wild to open the season, and the Blues have yet to look the same.
They have so many problems right now that it has become apparent that they're not even close to a one-year fix. Now, they have officially gone into panic mode, and it became official when it was revealed that the Blues are scratching Jordan Kyrou, who is supposed to be one of their star players and better scorers.
Kyrou, like the rest of the team, has been inconsistent, but he's still tied for second on the team with eight points in 14 contests. He has been a staple in the team's top six for a while now, and to scratch him, despite his inconsistent play at times, is a surefire sign that the Blues are frantically looking for a way to provide a spark, even if it's hard to logically point out how benching a productive player like Kyrou would help.
The Blues list of problems keeps on growing as the 2025-26 season progresses
Defensive breakdowns at the worst times, goaltending, and veteran players putting up below-average play are some of the reasons why the Blues are more than just struggling. Now that it seems teams like the Utah Mammoth, Chicago Blackhawks, and Nashville Predators have passed the Blues, who were supposed to be better than all three of them, rash decisions like what you saw with Kyrou, may only be the beginning.
The goaltending has been a mess, and in Wednesday's loss to the Washington Capitals, neither Jordan Binnington nor Joel Hofer looked comfortable in the net. Once again, Binnington allowed at least four goals with opponents taking 27 or fewer shots against him, the fourth time it has happened this season. Binnington looked rattled early, and he further embarrassed himself when he tried pocketing Alex Ovechkin's 900th goal.
The more the 2025-26 season wears on, the less confident the entire group looks and the more mistake-prone they get. It takes an effort, when you're a team that had high expectations this year, to go 1-6-2 in your last nine games, while allowing 41 goals (4.6 per game) and scoring just 23 times (2.6 per game) in that span. In five of those nine games, the Blues allowed five or more goals, further showing how out of sync they are.
There is still time for the Blues to get back on track
Before anything else, the Blues need to act like they're 0-0 again. That might sound counterintuitive, but the best way to ease the panic when a team is playing this badly is to push the reset button right now. The Blues may be 4-8-2, but it's still early enough in the season that they can bounce back from it.
Saying that, it also means they can't make questionable lineup decisions by scratching one of their most productive players. It could send a message to the team that anyone can be scratched at any time, and for them to step up their respective game, or they will be the next one to watch from the press box. But team chemistry that needs to rebuild itself can also take a hit, and that's the last thing the Blues need.
It's also time to consider a 50-50 split at goaltender. Jordan Binnington and Joel Hofer have proven to be an effective tandem in the past, but giving Binnington more rest between games instead of making him a number-one goaltender on pace for 50-plus starts would take pressure off his shoulders. It would also give Joel Hofer a chance to find his rhythm with more time in the crease.
Right now, all trends point to a team in panic mode. The Blues are scratching productive players while some of their most seasoned veterans like Brayden Schenn and Cam Fowler are struggling with some of the worst starts of their career. Until the Blues at least push the reset button on the season, expect more rash decisions and poor play from those who are supposed to be leaders.
And that could push them closer to the top pick in the 2026 draft instead of the eventual playoff race.