Fortunately for the Blues, help is on the way through the pipeline. Yeah, and it’s one major reason why teams need strong prospect pools regardless of their respective situations. Just look at the Islanders, who could be starting from scratch because former general manager Lou Lamoriello decided to move so many draft picks and prospects.
Blues general manager Doug Armstrong knew better, not just snagging prospects or at least young NHL talent from elsewhere, but stashing his prospect pool. This allowed the Blues to snag high-upside forwards like Zack Bolduc, Dalibor Dvorsky, and Jimmy Snuggerud. You can expect them all to contribute to the Blues scoring next season.
That said, the Blues first major pitfall may be covered. The scoring woes we saw earlier in 2024-25 dissipated by the end of the year, and they became one of the most fun teams to watch. But there’s still one major issue that could prevent them from making a deep playoff run.
Blues were a mess when trying to hold leads
After the way their season ended against the Winnipeg Jets, chances are you saw this one coming. And they had so much going for them, including the goaltending, the fight, and the tenacity to show that they were more than just that ‘happy to be there’ team. If you want me to be real with you, I’ll say they earned respect.
Yeah, allowing two goals late in that playoff loss to the Jets is why they spent the following days cleaning out their lockers instead of prepping for Round 2. You just can’t allow big plays like that to happen and then become victims of chaos when you don’t have the puck. And that season-ending loss to Winnipeg wasn’t the first time it happened.
Jordan Binnington played outta his mind for most of the season, despite less-than-stellar numbers. And too often, the Blues played like a team that assumed he’d bail them out one too many times.
Yeah, there were other issues. The penalty kill was shaky at times and the power play was, at best, streaky. The top line produced, especially during the latter half of the season. But the secondary scoring dried up. Still, if the Blues are interested in a deeper playoff run next season, they need to get their act together when they don’t have the puck late in games.
How can the Blues prevent these collapses next season?
I’ve said it often, but the Blues are still in a retool. They need refinement, and it shows. One veteran, shut-down defenseman who can step it up in crunch time would be great. Someone who can block shots and deny chaos in front of the net when he needs to.
Another defensive forward could help, especially if the Blues can come out firing the puck at the net often and take care of things offensively next season. No, you don’t want them to keep a prospect down in the lower leagues, but a legitimate checker and play denier would work well for the Blues, so you can add them to a few of the players the Blues can bring in.
Overall, the Blues are on the cusp of a somewhat deep playoff run. And by somewhat deep, I mean they can likely make it to Round 2 and give someone a strong series. But, they’re at least a couple players away from doing that.
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