The St. Louis Blues are pretty good, but not amazing yet.
Being called great doesn't come easy; you have to earn it. Just because you have great players doesn't mean the team is automatically great. The Toronto Maple Leafs represent a prime example of this over the past several years.
The St. Louis Blues can build upon their strength and achieve greatness
Why couldn't they? Robert Thomas earned his first All-Star appearance, concluding the season with a career-high 86 points.
Jordan Kyrou earned his first (and hopefully more) All-Star appearance in 2022, recording five points in the All-Star game.
It is widely acknowledged that Jordan Binnington's skills and abilities place him among the top goaltenders in the league.
Due to Pavel Buchnevich and Justin Faulk's consistent play, the Blues have positioned themselves as strong competitors.
And we will add that coach Drew Bannister could ultimately make all the difference.
General manager Doug Armstrong was strategic in hiring Bannister and perhaps even firing former coach Craig Berube.
Bannister's familiarity and success with Kyrou and younger players is perhaps the most under-told story yet.
Watch out if Kyrou gets going
Robert Thomas now has new expectations surrounding his name and talent. If he remains healthy, Blues fans can expect his success to continue. As a competitive athlete, Thomas seeks to emulate, if not perform, better than he did this past season.
But what if Jordan Kyrou dug deep and performed to his full potential? Could a duo of Thomas and Kyrou achieve greatness?
Although Thomas and Kyrou alone may not be enough to achieve greatness, if the Blues had a supporting cast similar to the one David Pastrnak has in Boston, they could become a formidable team.
Maybe we overlooked the complete picture amidst all the criticism Armstrong faced. Armstrong is fully committed to Thomas. With his decision to lock in Bannister, he hopes that Bannister will create a dangerous weapon in Kyrou.
The contracts that Thomas and Kyrou have secured are evidence of their promising future with the Blues or, at the very least, anticipated future.
Bannister might be the elephant in the room. His true potential could emerge during practice, behind closed doors, and in training camp, transforming young players into NHL stars. This is Armstrong's big gamble.
The team is much more than Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou. If Bannister provides full coaching and mentoring, this team can achieve greatness with their projected growth and maturity.
The completion of the puzzle relies on the pieces falling into place. Thomas, Kyrou, and Bannister might be the key pieces.