When it’s bold predictions season, there may be a few big takes out there that you would like to see transform into a reality. After reading plenty of those St. Louis Blues takes, I’m holding out hope that a strong contingent of them occur at some point this year. Most won’t, but if I had to choose something, it’s one that Jared Brown of The Hockey News wrote.
Brown gave Blues fans not one but three bold predictions, and if there’s one a lot of fans may want to see, it involves Philip Broberg forging a one-two combo with Colton Parayko on the first pairing. But I’m calling that one the honorable mention since his second bold prediction of the Blues power play unit breaking into the top 10 this year is one every fan should want to see.
And wow, it’s bold indeed, considering how terrible the Blues man advantage was last year. In 2023-24, the Blues ended the season with a horrific 18.00 power play percentage, which was the eighth-worst in hockey. No, that’s not motivating any fans to believe that Brown’s projection will be even remotely near to the real deal this year, but it doesn’t mean that won’t be close to the case.
Brown shared numbers of the Blues power play performances under former coach Craig Berube and current coach Drew Bannister. The latter had the team operating at a 22.4 power play percentage from the time he took over as the bench boss, so if you take that number and place it into last season’s rankings, the Blues man advantage ranked in the middle of the league.
St. Louis Blues power play in 2024-25 at least has potential
They also have the talent to be at least a top-15 unit, so even if Brown’s take falls short, it doesn’t mean the Blues won’t have a terrible power play overall like they did last season. Or at least, that was the illusion under Berube until Bannister came in and fixed it.
Jake Neighbours is heading into his second full season, Pavel Buchnevich doesn’t need to worry about his future in the Lou, Jordan Kyrou should be out to prove critics wrong, and Robert Thomas should be an elite forward.
Expect to see all four players mentioned above in the game at 5-on-4 often, and since the obstacles and distractions should be minimized this season, more production should emerge. No, it may not be the case early but don’t act surprised if they get better as the season wears on.
And again, this is something everyone rooting for the Blues this season wants to see happen: A power play unit to snag a spot in the top 10. It may be wishful thinking right now, but Drew Bannister figured a few things out, and there is enough talent to at least threaten to turn a bold prediction into a reality.