The St. Louis Blues have spent more than three decades without a 50-goal scorer, and that puts them in some unusual company around the NHL.
In the franchise’s 59-year history, only three players have ever reached that mark: Wayne Babych, Brett Hull, and Brendan Shanahan. It has happened eight times overall, with Hull and Shanahan both getting there in the 1993-94 season. Since then, nobody in a Blues sweater has cracked 50.
The closest the club has come in that stretch was Brad Boyes, who scored 43 goals in 2007-08. Vladimir Tarasenko reached 40 in 2015-16, and Scott Young also hit 40 in 2000-01.
That’s the whole neighborhood for St. Louis over the last 30-plus years.
Across the league, the Blues sit near the back of the line among teams waiting for their most recent 50-goal scorer. Only the Buffalo Sabres, Chicago Blackhawks, Los Angeles Kings, Dallas Stars, Detroit Red Wings, and New York Islanders are either before the end of the 1994 season or in that year. On top of that, eight NHL teams have never had a player reach the milestone at all.
Looking ahead, there are a few names on the current and future Blues landscape who could eventually change that. Jimmy Snuggerud stands out as the next best bet, while Justin Carbonneau and Maddox Dagenais are mentioned as prospects who could get there after they adjust to the highest level of pro hockey.
Robert Thomas is also in the conversation, even if his game has long leaned more toward setting up goals than finishing them. There’s at least a chance he shoots more next season with Snuggerud and Dylan Holloway on his wings, though that still has to play out.
Of course, the Blues have already shown that a 50-goal scorer is not a requirement for winning. Their 2018-19 Stanley Cup run came without one, while Hull’s 86-goal season in 1990-91 still didn’t deliver the franchise’s first championship. Tarasenko’s team-high 33 goals did, which is a reminder that a huge goal total can open the door, but it doesn’t guarantee anything once the playoffs start.
The next update to this list will be worth watching, along with whether any of the eight teams still waiting on their first 50-goal scorer finally get there in 2026-27.
In Other News...
Blues May Be Sitting On A Skilled Winger Worth Watching
Dmitri Buchelnikov is the kind of winger the Blues can afford to keep an eye on without needing to rush anything. The Russian right wing was originally drafted by Detroit in 2022 before his rights were traded to St. Louis, and since then he has kept building his rsum in the KHL. His production has trended upward, highlighted by a breakout run with Vityaz and then an injury-shortened season with CSKA Moskova, enough to keep his name circulating as a legitimate long-term piece.
What makes Buchelnikov interesting from St. Louis perspective is the blend of skill and uncertainty around his eventual NHL fit. He has the sort of offensive tools that could matter in a top-six role, but there are still questions about how that translates against NHL competition and what the path looks like to get there. For now, the Blues are simply sitting on a player whose development points toward a possible impact window around the 2027-28 season, which makes him a worthwhile name to remember. [Read more 🡒]
Cam Fowler Could Decide How Safe The Blues Blue Line Really Is
The Blues spent the offseason trying to make their blue line sturdier, bringing in Brandon Carlo from the Toronto Maple Leafs and leaning into Philip Broberg as the player expected to anchor the group. Even with that help, the picture still feels like it turns on Cam Fowler, whose presence gives St. Louis a veteran option with the puck but whose recent drop-off has made it harder to know just how reliable this defense can be over a full season.
Fowlers value has always been tied to whether he can drive play and hold up against top competition, and the Blues do not have much margin for error if he does not come close to that level. If he can settle back into the form that made him such an important part of the lineup, St. Louis defense looks a lot safer. If not, the additions around him may end up having to cover for a lot more than the Blues hoped. [Read more 🡒]
Colton Paraykos Quiet Blues Legacy Is Getting Hard To Ignore
Colton Paraykos place in Blues history has been building for years, one steady shift at a time. Since breaking into the NHL in 2015-16, he has become the kind of defenseman every team leans on, reliable in his own end and trusted in big moments, including St. Louis run to the 2019 Stanley Cup championship. Now he is closing in on 800 career games with the Blues, a mark that speaks less to flash than to the kind of durability and consistency that can quietly define a franchise career.
What makes the number even more notable is where it puts him in the record book. Parayko is on the verge of moving past Barrett Jackman for second place on the organizations all-time games-played list, an impressive bit of company for a player who has long been more essential than celebrated. Still under contract and expected to keep logging major minutes, he remains very much part of the present in St. Louis, even as his legacy with the club becomes harder to overlook. [Read more 🡒]