The Athletic recently released some interesting content, grading each of the 32 NHL teams at the halfway point of the season. For the St. Louis Blues, their letter-grade was courtesy of writer Jeremy Rutherford.
It is pretty obvious what grade the Blues got for their first-half performance, and it was pretty spot on. Let's talk about it.
Disappointment
There is no other way to say it than that the Blues' 2025-26 efforts in the first half and change of the season are to be considered a disappointment. It was lackluster, underwhelming, and just bad overall. That is putting it lightly.
The core group has been missing in action for much of the season. Whether they have been healthy or injured, starting or benched, their spark and chemistry have been dull. Robert Thomas, Jordan Kyrou, and Pavel Buchnevich, who have been a three-headed monster for the Blues for some time now, have been tamed to minimal output.
Coupling a lack of goal scoring, both the defensemen and goaltending have not been able to hold up their end either. Currently, the Blues have the least amount of goals scored with only 121, and have allowed the fourth-most amount of goals, 171, which is tied with Montreal. Both Joel Hofer and Jordan Binnington have not been like themselves, and this team is suffering because of it.
To call this a failing team is an understatement, and General Manager Doug Armstrong will have a busy couple of weeks in front of him. Both as GM for Team Canada at the Olympic Games and obviously the head decision-maker for the Blues, he will be trying to make the best available rosters for everyone.
There is a very good chance that the Blues' core group is completely blown up. Depending on what direction Armstrong decides to throw this group into, it will either be a retool or a full blown re-build. Both options are viable with the number of prospects and younger players in the Blues system. That right there is the only thing saving this franchise.