St. Louis Blues fans had plenty of reasons to give up on this season

The St. Louis Blues entered this season with mixed expectations. On the one hand, some analysts believed the team could be poised to make a playoff run and cause some damage in the Central Division.

On the other, some analysts believed the Blues had very little upside and were headed toward a lost season. Things didn’t get off on the right foot when the devastating of Torey Krug’s injury first hit the airwaves.

The team then got off to a lukewarm start. Right before Thanksgiving last year, on November 23, the Blues were stuck in sixth place in the Central. With a 9-12-1 record, they looked stuck in the mud, unable to make any significant headway.

The Blues faced a crossroads. The team could have run out of the season hoping that something could change or make changes on the fly. The former would have been the case had something fortuitous not occurred.

The Boston Bruins fired coach Jim Montgomery after a sluggish start of their own. Bruins’ management felt that Montgomery was no longer their man. As such, the Bruins’ loss was the Blues’ gain.

On November 24, five days after Montgomery had been let go in Boston, the Blues brought him in to replace Drew Bannister.

That was the spark that ignited the Blues’ turnaround this season

The Blues went from being an underachieving team to setting a franchise record with a 12-game winning streak between late January and February of this year.

Yes, the season had a disappointing end. Blues fans would have loved to see their team duke it out with the Dallas Stars in the second round. But the way things turned out is much more encouraging than they seem.

The St. Louis Blues have laid the foundation for what could be a very successful team in the coming years. So, stay tuned to see what the Blues could do this offseason.

St. Louis Blues have a solid first-round pick to play with

Following their first-round exit this season, the Blues find themselves with the 19th overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft. That’s not a bad pick, to say the least.

At 19, the Blues have a chance to draft a good player who could turn into a great addition to the club down the road.

In my estimation, that pick should be used to address the team’s biggest needs. Those needs would focus on center depth or targeting a top-four defenseman.

Moving forward, the Blues could use a middle-six center, something which is certainly possible with a mid-round pick. The club could target another player like Otto Stenberg, who could add solid center depth.

The team also has an exciting winger in Tomas Mrsic and Jimmy Snuggerud has already made an impact. Dalibor Dvorsky could be another solid prospect to make the club. So, why not look for the best available center at #19?

Similarly, the Blues could target the best available blueliner. That’s something the team will need in the not-too-distant future as Krug’s unlikely return could open room for another high-end defenseman. For now, the Blues could fill the gap via free agency. But in the long term, drafting a solid top-four blue line could go a long way toward giving Jim Montgomery more options to work with.

There’s one other option I’d like to point out. The Blues could look to trade this first-round pick and potentially cash in more picks or roster players from teams looking to get back into the first round.

For instance, the Colorado Avalanche, Toronto Maple Leafs, Edmonton Oilers, Vegas Golden Knights, and Florida Panthers don’t have first-round picks. Perhaps one of those teams could be compelled to play ball and get back into the first round.

At the very least, it’s an option the Blues could at least consider.

The Blues have an opportunity to continue building their team with a solid first-round pick, potentially making a good team even better.