The Blues split their first two games in a way that left two very different feelings in the building: a 4-0 win in Dallas on Friday, then a 1-6 thud in Colorado on Saturday. It’s only 120 minutes into the 2026-27 season, and one rough back-to-back doesn’t define a year. Still, a few names have already put themselves under the microscope.
Jordan Binnington is the first one there. He came into the season carrying real questions after a poor 2025-26 that opened the door for Joel Hofer to take over the starting job.
Saturday was a brutal assignment for any goaltender, but Binnington also arrived with plenty to prove. He flashed the old version of himself early, making a handful of huge saves after allowing an early goal and keeping St.
Louis alive for the first 20 minutes. But the game eventually slipped away because of unforced errors, the same kind of inconsistency Blues fans have seen too often lately.
Those slumps have grown longer, and it’s getting harder to picture Binnington sticking around in St. Louis much longer if this keeps up.
Zach Dean’s night was rough in a different way. The forward was one of the surprises of training camp and earned a roster spot despite limited room in the bottom six and plenty of competition.
He sat out Friday, then got his chance Saturday, and didn’t do much with it. His biggest issue was discipline, since he was responsible for half of the Blues’ four penalties against what is likely the best offense in the league.
St. Louis can’t afford those kinds of mistakes while scraping for every point this early in the season.
Add in zero shots on goal and just a 2-for-6 showing in the faceoff circle, and it adds up to a miserable season debut for a player trying to establish himself as a useful fourth liner.
Robert Thomas rounds out the list, and this one comes with a different tone because of who he is and what the Blues need from him. The captain is still the captain, and there’s no question about his talent or what he can mean to this team.
But if St. Louis is going to hit its ceiling, Thomas has to produce at the level everyone expects.
Through two games, he has yet to record a shot on goal or an assist. For a player carrying those expectations, and for a top line that needs to set the pace, that’s a slow start.
Thomas should get going as the season wears on, but the Blues are in a division where early points matter. The longer that quiet stretch lasts, the more it costs St.
Louis. There’s plenty of season left, and if these rough openings turn into something better, they’ll fade quickly.
For now, though, these are three Blues who have already left too much on the table.
In Other News...
Blues Loss Exposed A Bigger Problem Than Just Chicago
A loss to the Blackhawks is bad enough on its own, but the 4-2 result also put a spotlight on some of the Blues deeper issues. The top line never really drove the game the way it needed to, and the offense as a whole spent too much time looking for rhythm instead of creating it, even as the second line with Mason McTavish and Connor McMichael offered one of the few steady stretches in the lineup.
The bigger concern is that the problems did not stop at even-strength play. St. Louis also came up short when chances with the man advantage were there, which made the night feel less like a one-off and more like a warning sign. If the Blues are going to turn this into a quick correction rather than a lingering trend, they will need more from the players expected to set the tone and more finish from the group that is supposed to punish mistakes. [Read more 🡒]
Blues Already Facing One Early Problem Fans Know Too Well
The Blues came home from their first road trip of the 2026-27 season with a 1-2-0 record, and the early snapshot already looks familiar in one key area. St. Louis has leaned on a wave of young offense to get through the opening stretch, with Mason McTavish, Dalibor Dvorsky and Connor McMichael giving the lineup much-needed spark, while Joel Hofer has been steady in net behind them.
Even with those positives, the second period has been the problem spot, the sort of issue that can undo a decent start before it really has time to breathe. The coaching staff now has a clear early priority before the home opener: tighten up the middle frames and keep the momentum from slipping away the way it did on the road. [Read more 🡒]
Pavel Buchnevich Is Playing For More Than A Hot Start
Pavel Buchnevich entered this season with some pressure attached, and not just because the St. Louis Blues want more offense from one of their established forwards. His point totals have dipped over the past four seasons, turning what once looked like a steady top-six presence into a player whose long-term fit is now worth watching closely as the year unfolds.
The first two games have only sharpened that conversation, because the Blues are trying to figure out whether Buchnevich can still be part of their core or whether his value is better leveraged elsewhere. A productive start would help quiet the noise around him and improve the teams options, while an uneven year could leave St. Louis with a harder decision and less to work with if it chooses to explore a move. [Read more 🡒]