With the recent news of Dylan Holloway going onto the Injured Reserve, there is a sense that a hex might have been placed on the St. Louis Blues. It just doesn’t seem to stop.
The Blues had high expectations going into the 2025-26 season, and are on pace to fall very short of them. But the underwhelming performance is not what is hurting this team.
This team is just hurting, and literally, breaking down.
Recycling list
The list of injuries for the Blues reads as follows. This is with Alexey Toropchenko back in the lineup and Holloway on the IR list.
To recap:
— Matthew DeFranks (@MDeFranks) December 15, 2025
Dylan Holloway (high ankle sprain, six weeks)
Nathan Walker (upper-body, six more weeks)
Jimmy Snuggerud (left wrist surgery, four more weeks)
Jordan Kyrou (lower-body, week to week, hasn't started skating)
Nick Bjugstad (upper-body, not playing in the next three games)
That is alot of key players that are not on the ice, and the results on the ice are reflecting their absence. That was evident in both losses to the Nashville Predators this week, as the opposing teams simply outworked the Blues at every level.
Holloway, Jordan Kyrou, and Jimmy Snuggerud are the biggest losses right now, and the Blues are reeling with the lack of goalscoring. Over the last 16 games, this squad has only scored 34 goals and allowed 52. A little over two goals per contest is not going to win hockey games.
Even though the defensive unit has not lost any members, it is obvious that the lack of offensive help is not making it easy to stay in games. This team doesn't have a come-back factor like many other teams, and giving up a goal just 27 seconds into a game kinda sets this team back a few paces.
The injuries seem to be like recycling. One comes off the Injured Reserve list, and then another player gets added back on. The Blues are not able to keep themselves at full strength, and it is causing ripples throughout. Lines have been juggled and moved around more times than any other team this season, and chemistry is hard to establish with frequent call-ups and injuries setting them back.
After 34 games in the 2025-26 season, the Blues have shown that their issues are not only those of bad performances, but also that they are breaking down. Will this team ever be fully healthy again?