Grading the St. Louis Blues’ 2024-25 Season

By the second half, the team’s offensive performance improved, and they finished sixth in the league in average goals per game (3.39) and goals (112). They also had a massive 12-game win streak, which helped them sneak into a playoff spot. Robert Thomas came out big in the second half, recording 45 points in 33 games, and completed the season with 81 points through 70 games, his second consecutive season recording over 80 points. They also made an excellent acquisition for Cam Fowler and a 2027 fourth-round pick in January from the Anaheim Ducks for defenseman Jeremie Biakabutuka and a 2027 second-round pick, which helped them go deep into the first round of the playoffs, as he was the team leader in points during their playoff run (10 points).

The Blues also improved significantly on the power play, going from 24th in the league (18 percent) in 2023-24 to 16th this season (22.1 percent). However, they still don’t have a special-teams unit that stands out, and they will need one to be a Cup contender.

Blues’ Defense: B-

This season, the Blues’ defensemen added offense, such as Colton Parayko, who had 10 more points than he did last season, finishing with 34 points through 64 games. However, the team must improve defensively. During the first half of the season, they ranked 15th in the league in goals against (147), more than the Blues’ goals for in the first half. They also allowed fewer shots per game and ranked 16th (28.5) in the league, which explains why they had that many goals against.

In the second half, their goals allowed were moderate. They only allowed 84 goals, but they ranked 28th in shots against per game (25.4). Overall, they finished 11th in goals against (231); however, their penalty killing didn’t help them. This season, the Blues were nearly last in the league on the penalty kill, ranking 28th (74.2 percent).

They entered the playoffs with one of the league’s worst penalty kills and faced the Winnipeg Jets, who had the best power play in the NHL. The Blues didn’t do too badly in the playoffs, ranking sixth (77.3 percent) on the penalty kill before being knocked out in the first round.

Credit is due to defensemen Parayko and Broberg for their shooting efforts from the backend, which ranked in the top 20 in shooting percentage at the position. The defensive support has resulted in the Blues ranking in the top 15 in rebound goals (23).

Blues Goaltending: A-

This season looked like it was going to be a little bit less work for starting goaltender Jordan Binnington, as backup Joel Hofer looked like he was ready to split duties. This was not the case as Binnington still got more starts, 54, while Hofer received 31, one more than he had in 2023-24.

Binnington and Hofer got the job done, were solid in the net, and battled through rough patches to help the Blues get into the playoffs. Binnington was at the top of his game with a 28-22-5 record, a .900 save percentage (SV%), a 2.69 goals-against average (GAA), and three shutouts. His GAA was his best since 2020-21, and that’s after playing in an exhausting 4 Nations Face-Off tournament in February.

As for Hofer, he didn’t make much progress compared to last season, but was still good when he got to start. He put up a career-high 16-8-3 record, a .904 SV%, a 2.64 GAA, and one shutout. He has shown that he can handle half of the workload and can share the net with Binnington next season.

Overall Potential to Grow After This Season: A

The Blues have a lot of talented prospects coming up the ranks. Jimmy Snuggerud and Dalibor Dvorsky made their NHL debut this season, and while Dvorsky sat out most of his time in the NHL so far, Snuggerud held up to expectations; he was a very aggressive player in the playoffs and showed he was willing to play whatever role he was asked to play.

Then there is Zachary Bolduc, who played his first full season with the Blues, recording 36 points through 72 games, including 19 goals. He has shown lots of improvement, and he has become a viable top-line option if the team’s top forwards get hurt, which happened often in 2024-25 with Thomas and Holloway battling injuries.

Up-and-comers we can expect to see next season include defenseman Theo Lindstein and forward Otto Stenberg, who are most likely the next top prospects to get an NHL call-up. Stenberg played this season with the Blues’ American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds. Lindstein, however, was on loan to Brynas IF of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL), and it expired in May, so it is only a matter of time until the Blues announce their plans for him. The Blues might lose defenseman Torey Krug this summer, due to pre arthritic changes in his left ankle and surgery he had last offseason, so this may be a good chance for Lindstein to step in.

The Blues have the 19th pick in this year’s draft, so they received an A on potential to grow. Based on the overall prospects listed above, their future is going to be bright. They have a lot of prospect depth in every position, so having young talent to eventually replace the veteran players if they part ways with the Blues will not be an issue.

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