The St. Louis Blues wrapped up preseason at 1-3-0, and the biggest takeaway wasn’t about a breakout prospect or a surprise roster battle. It was the same old sore spot showing up again: special teams.
The power play never found its footing across those 12 periods, and the numbers were ugly. St.
Louis went 0-for-18 with the man advantage, one of just three teams - along with Minnesota and Dallas - to finish preseason without a power-play goal. Of that trio, the Blues were the worst.
That drought stands out even more because the club added Mason McTavish with the idea that he could be a key piece of a better unit. He put on weight this offseason, a sign that he could be more effective around the net on the power play, but that impact hasn’t shown up yet. With preseason over, the group is still in a serious slump.
There is some built-in patience here. Vinny Prospal is a new assistant under head coach Jim Montgomery, and the Blues are still sorting through a lot of newness.
That kind of adjustment does not happen overnight. Even so, this is the part of the game the Blues need to clean up quickly.
The penalty kill, at least, gave them something to feel good about. St.
Louis killed off 16 of 17 chances, good for 94.1 percent. Alexey Toropchenko and Pius Suter led the way on the first unit, and that group worked well throughout the preseason.
The structure on the kill looks familiar, which is part of why it held up so well. Only Brandon Carlo is new on the second unit, so there has been far less disruption there than on the power play.
And that contrast matters, because the Blues’ power play has been slipping for years. Last season it finished at 17.6 percent, 24th in the NHL, and the organization brought in new pieces to change that. General Manager Alexander Steen and former GM Doug Armstrong made those additions with a fix in mind, but early returns say there is still plenty of work ahead.
Preseason results don’t count, but they do hint. Right now, the Blues have reason to be uneasy about the power play and pretty pleased with the penalty kill.
In Other News...
Blues Suddenly Have A Bigger Crease Question Than Expected
With Tyler Tucker and Logan Mailloux sidelined, the Blues are already dealing with a thinner blue line than they wanted, and the waiver claim of Justin Barron is part of the effort to steady things before it gets any shakier. But the bigger conversation in St. Louis is starting to shift away from the back end and toward the crease, where the team suddenly has two goalies entering a pressure-packed stretch with their futures very much in play.
Joel Hofers rise in the leagues goaltending rankings suggests growing confidence in his trajectory and a belief that he could become more than just a complementary piece, while Jordan Binningtons standing has slipped enough to raise fresh questions about where he fits in the long term. With both players in contract years, the Blues are looking at a situation that could shape not only this seasons netminding plan, but the organizations next move in goal. [Read more 🡒]
Blues Prospects Are Giving Fans An Early Reason For Optimism
With the first full weeks of major junior and European play rolling in, the Blues prospect pipeline has already offered a little encouragement. Forward prospects Maddox Dagenais and Carter Stevens have been among the early standouts in the scoring column, while goaltender Vladimir Proskurin made a promising first impression in the Western Hockey League. There has also been steady work from Swedish goalies Marcus Gidlf and Love Hrenstam in HockeyAllsvenskan, along with points from Matvei Korotky, Dmitri Buchelnikov and Mikhail Fyodorov.
For a St. Louis organization looking for signs that its next wave is moving in the right direction, the early returns are the kind that matter. It is still very early, of course, but the breadth of the production is notable, with help coming from forwards and goaltenders alike across several leagues. The next question is how long that momentum can last once the schedule settles in and the competition tightens. [Read more 🡒]
Why Pius Suter Could Matter More To The Blues Than Fans Think
Pius Suter may not be the flashiest addition on the Blues roster, but his value shows up in the places coaches tend to trust most. He is expected to be a versatile forward who can play both center and wing, giving St. Louis another option throughout the lineup while supporting the clubs top offensive players.
His role should be especially important in the quieter parts of a game, where defensive responsibility matters just as much as scoring touch. For a Blues team that wants flexibility and dependable depth, Suter gives the staff another piece who can stabilize the forward group and keep the lineup from feeling thin when changes are needed. [Read more 🡒]