The St. Louis Blues followed up their incredibly exciting 4-0 victory in Dallas on Friday with an equally disheartening 1-6 loss in Colorado on Saturday. Admittedly, this was always going to be a tough back-to-back, and we are only 120 minutes into the season, but there are some players on the Blues who are already giving the fanbase cause for concern. Who are these players, and can they turn things around before we get too deep into the 2026-27 campaign?
Jordan Binnington
Binnington entered this year as a bit of a question mark following his poor play last season that resulted in Joel Hofer taking over the starting position in net. Saturday was a tough ask for any goalie, but that doesn't make him immune to criticism, especially considering how much he had to prove coming into the matchup.
It ended up being the same game Blues fans have grown exhausted of in the last couple of years. He started strong despite an early goal, making some huge, unlikely saves to keep the team within striking distance for the first 20 minutes, but the dam ended up breaking due to some unforced errors from Binner. This kind of inconsistency has plagued the Blues legend for a while now, and with the slumps getting longer, it's hard to imagine Binnington being a Blue for too much longer.
Zach Dean
Dean was a surprise in training camp, and he impressed the team enough to earn a spot on the roster with limited bottom-6 room and tons of competition. He didn't see any action on Friday, but was given the nod on Saturday, and his play left a lot to be desired.
His biggest problem was a lack of discipline, accounting for half of the Blues' 4 penalties against a team with what is likely the best offense in the league. The Blues simply cannot afford these kinds of errors as they fight and claw to collect every point they can in the early days of this year. Add that to his 0 shots on goal and 2/6 success rate in the face-off dot spells a disastrous season debut for a guy with a lot to prove. Only time will tell if Dean can establish himself as a valuable fourth liner for St Louis.
Robert Thomas
Let me start with this: I love Robert Thomas, I'm glad he's the captain, and I know how good he is and will be for this team. That said, if the Blues want to reach their potential, they need Thomas to play at the level we all expect of him. So far, he has not contributed as much as we need him to, and that goes for both the win and the loss. Thomas has yet to record a shot on goal in the two games he's played, and hasn't assisted on any goals either. Considering the high expectations for the new captain and the top line in general, this is a surprisingly slow start.
Thommer will, without a doubt, begin producing offensively as the season marches forward, but the Blues are a team that can't afford a slow start given the competitive nature of the Central division this year. Every point matters, and the longer Robert Thomas's slump lasts, the more points get left on the table for St. Louis.
It may be early, but if the Blues want to have a successful year, these players will need to step up their game and contribute the way they are expected to. Thankfully, with a full 82 games remaining, these poor starts will soon be forgotten if that improvement happens.
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