An early look at the St. Louis Blues needs for the 2024 NHL Draft
Armstrong has got to find multiple goaltenders in late June
Finally, there was only one goaltender listed for the Blues in Wheeler’s rankings this past season, and with Joel Hofer taking the next step and exceeding expectations, Armstrong needs to refill the void he left.
While Vadim Zherenko has been serviceable with the Springfield Thunderbirds, he would ideally make quite a few more appearances at the AHL level before the organization crowns him either as Jordan Binnington’s eventual successor or as the undisputed goaltender topping organizational depth - that’s if the former seventh-round pick sticks around following his contract season in 2024-25.
Anyway, there isn’t a top-tier prospect in this draft class, so Armstrong’s best bet would be to draft based on potential this season. If it doesn’t look like he snagged anyone he feels would be NHL-ready within the next few seasons, he can always try again in 2025.
The good news regarding the goaltender position is that it’s locked down with Binnington and Hofer. That said, if Armstrong wanted to spend his first few picks on the blue line and also at forward (hey, why not?), he shouldn’t be too worried for at least the foreseeable future in filling organizational depth in the crease.
But if he sees a potential NHLer in this draft class, even in the late rounds, take the flier and add them to the organizational depth chart.
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(Statistics provided by Elite Prospects and Tankathon)