Where Do The St. Louis Blues Go From Here?

No matter what type of funhouse mirror you look through, I think we can all agree that the St. Louis Blues season has not exactly gone according to plan. Almost at all. The big name trades, talented youth, and offseason signings that caused me to think this team was bound for a deep playoff run have not resulted in a dominant President’s Trophy contender, but rather a team that had me seriously debating the merits of Kaapo Kakko and Jack Hughes with Barstool Chief on January 3rd. There have been flashes of brilliance, but they are too often followed by blowout losses and letdown games.

What makes the situation confusing for Blues fans is that the roster looks good on paper. There isn’t a whole lot of OBVIOUS problems when you look at the team. Ryan O’Reilly has put up a ton of points as the #1 center, most of the same names of the defensive corps from successful years past are intact, and forwards like David Perron have contributed. The biggest point of frustration among Blues fans seems to be the sub-optimal level of goaltending displayed so far. In 34 games this year, Jake Allen has a .896 save percentage and a 3.07 GAA. Whether you’re a Jake Allen defender or not, the numbers don’t look great.

Here is a completely unrelated note about Washington Goaltender Pheonix Copley.

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Anyways, the Blues called up Jordan Binnington this week and gave him his first NHL start. When this dude got drafted and immediately was touting himself as “Binnasty”, I remember thinking he was just a cocky kid who would never make it and toil away in the ECHL for eternity. I also may have just been a 19 year old hockey player and really jealous of a kid my age potentially becoming super popular in St. Louis. Can’t confirm but there’s a firm chance. Back to the topic, the work he has put in speaks for itself. Without getting much handed to him, he has battled his way to the big club.

When he took the net on Monday, it seemed like a good story but it was hardly touted as the beginning of a new era. Well not only did he get his first start, he shut out Gritty and the Flyers in a convincing effort.

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The Blues had a back to back and went back to Jake Allen the next night, where they lost to the Dallas Stars and let in goals like this.

Its a totally understandable decision to not kill the young goalie’s confidence with a potentially hazardous back to back start after such a good game, but it also seems pretty pointless when you have a team looking for any kind of momentum or spark to not at least try to keep it going. The Blues lost and after a day’s break they faced the Montreal Canadiens at home with Binnington back between the pipes. Safe to say he delivered again in his second start. Two performances of 1.00% and .966% in a week. The fans are clearly enthused by the possibility of finding a good young goalie.

In a season that has clearly not gone to plan, why on EARTH would the Blues not give Binnington the reigns for the rest of the year and try to build momentum towards next season while gaining real NHL experience for a homegrown prospect that could be apart of the solution going forward?

I have zero vendetta against Jake Allen. I just don’t understand what else there is to evaluate him on at this point. We’ve seen him in the playoffs, we’ve seen him in a tandem, and we’ve seen him as the clear cut #1. At this moment in time, it just doesn’t seem like he is the goaltender of the future in St. Louis going forward. The sooner alternative solutions are seriously considered, the sooner there will be real progress.

Nobody would disagree that it is SO hard to win a Stanley Cup in the NHL and it certainly doesn’t happen by accident. Look at the Predators, Sharks, Wild, and Lightning of the past decade. They have been solid teams who year after year are competing late into Spring. For whatever reason, none of those 4 teams have won a cup recently while having incredible rosters year after year. Prospects replacing veterans and hitting on draft picks who become real contributors to the team. I normally think of the Blues in the same class of those 4 teams in that they’ve been consistently great without breaking through to the ultimate goal. Right now, the St. Louis Blues seem like they aren’t even close to breaking through but rather moving even further away.

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Trading core players is always unsettling but at this point, what do the Blues have to lose? This season is clearly a wash (barring a miraculous streak), and moving some pieces at the deadline to contenders would be wise if its possible. But what is there to move?

…not exactly a roster ripe for the picking. Most times if you’re holding a deadline firesale its advantageous to have one littered with UFAs and simpler contracts to move. Brayden Schenn, with a contract that’s up after next season, would probably be the most talented player available to help a contender. I think moving Allen to a team where he can get a fresh start in exchange for a little cap room and the increase in opportunity in the goaltending department. A Stanley Cup contender with an unsure goaltending situation might be interested in him as injury insurance and someone to work in a 60-40 or 70-30 rotation for the next couple seasons. The Jake Allen/Brian Elliott rotation was very effective for the Blues in the past and might produce similar results if he’s used similarly for someone else.

Ideally they might be able to find a taker for Bouwmeester, who has had a tough year but hasn’t been completely awful lately, with a team looking for veteran depth. His 5.4 Million cap hit is not exactly slim but with a little salary retained I’m sure the Blues would certainly try.

I know there are still Blues faithful that are hoping they are going to turn it around and I am right there with them. Every game they win has me convinced its the start of a 4-5 game streak that will put them right back in the hunt. As the calendar ticks on however, it just doesn’t seem likely they are headed for anything other than a 5-10 overall draft pick and an early spring. If that does become the case, its time to look towards the future sooner than later.