St. Louis Blues fans: Remain calm, the 2024-25 season has the potential to be a success

St. Louis Blues GM Doug Armstrong is betting on his current roster and is confident in Drew Bannister’s ability to lead the team.

Bannister did exceptionally well in taking over the Blues after Craig Berube was fired. In season wrap-up interviews, players such as Robert Thomas and Jordan Binnington praised Bannister’s performance, noting strong play centered around the coaching change.

Hence, the upcoming season under Bannister is the reason for optimism and great potential. Bannister has formed his coaching staff with proven coaches and veteran leaders.

Give Bannister time to show the league his approach and coaching style.

The St. Louis Blues are better than most pundits think

The Central Division is perhaps the most talented in the league.

Finishing fifth in the division with 92 points is a success. If the Blues were in any other division, a convincing argument could be made that they would’ve made the playoffs in 2023-24.

Blues fans know the talent of the Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, and Winnipeg Jets is exceptional. With the recent additions and existing roster of the Nashville Predators, the Blues rivals are good, if not elite.

But this shouldn’t scare Blues fans or exclude their team from great roster conversations.

Several variables will prove whether the Blues are a good team, or one headed toward a downward spiral.

If Jordan Binnington and Joel Hofer play similarly or even better as they did in 2023-24, the Blues might have the best goaltending pair in the league. This is a win for the Blues.

If Robert Thomas and, yes, Jordan Kyrou shine as they did in their previous All-Star years, this will be another win for the Blues.

And the Blues youth might be the team’s biggest wild card. Will Jake Neighbours emerge further? Will fans see more Zack Bolduc or Dalibor Dvorsky? Perhaps both. If these events were to occur, watch out. This signals more scoring.

Pavel Buchnevich is another underrated and undervalued offensive threat. At 29 years old, he can still improve, and I think he will. He’s been a top-three goal scorer the past three seasons in St. Louis. Nothing more needs to be said, he can score.

We often overlook the talent of players such as Brandon Saad and Colton Parayko, who are both exceptional in their respective positions.

Sure, there are defensive woes that won’t be addressed in significant acquisitions. But the defense isn’t horrible, and with Binnington and Hofer playing well, this can offset this weakness.

Remain calm. The Blues have a legitimate chance to improve and contend in the division; they already have proven this, especially at the end of the year in 2023-24.