Penalty Box: Check out the top 5 penalty kings from the St. Louis Blues in 2023-24
It might not be a statistic worth boasting—it isn't. However, the top-five penalty minutes leaders in 2023-24 for the St. Louis Blues give fans an indication of several factors.
Why even share penalty minute leaders?
This is a valid question, but checking the penalty minutes helps fans and analysts see who's playing aggressive hockey and whether the players' PIM are hurting the team in crucial game moments.
The top-five penalty minute leaders for the St. Louis Blues in 2023-24
PIM=Penalty Infraction Minutes
While some fans might be concerned about 56 PIMs for Schenn, St. Louis hometown hero Brady Tkachuk (Ottawa Senators) had 134 PIMs in 2023-24, and his brother Matthew Tkachuk had 88 PIMs.
As a total team, the St. Louis Blues ranked No. 27 with 608 total PIMs.
To put this in context, the No. 1 team in this category was the Anaheim Ducks with 1,108.
Overall, the St. Louis Blues stayed out of trouble. And the leader, Brayden Schenn, with his 56 PIMs, was nothing close to the leaders in the league in this statistic.
Penalties hurt the team. While there are sometimes bad or questionable calls, they do indicate several factors. First is rough-aggressive play, which isn't always a bad thing. However, PIMs can also underscore real problems, such as carelessness and poor defense.
This low ranking of the Blues in PIMs is something to build upon.
Of the Blues' top-five PIM leaders, the name that stands out is Tyler Tucker. Tucker, a 24-year-old defenseman, played in only 26 games, with an average ice time of 12:27. To tally up 42 PIMs is an issue. In total hits for 2023-24, Tucker had 64. Again, these are pretty high numbers for only 26 games.
This signals that he's aggressive, but it can also serve as a caution and further develop him into a more disciplined defender.
Overall, the Blues stayed out of trouble compared to other teams. However, Tucker's numbers underline his aggressiveness and need to play a more disciplined game.
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