ST. LOUIS -- There have been a number of players in the Blues locker room that have been go-to guys, guys that will stand up when the time is right to speak his mind when a voice needs to be heard.
Brayden Schenn is still around to be that voice; so is Justin Faulk, to name a few. It wasn't either of their turns -- well, yeah, it really should have been, actually -- but their names weren't on the board, or asked of, when the Blues firmly held onto a two-goal lead in the third period, thanks to the play of Jordan Binnington.
So in the aftermath of a 3-2 overtime loss against the Vancouver Canucks -- a game in which the Blues (26-28-4) frittered away a 2-0 third-period lead -- was none other than Alexey Toropchenko.
Alexey Toropchenko, you ask?
Yes, all 73 NHL games' worth of Toropchenko, who skated tonight with some guys that are closer to 1,000 games than they are 100.
But it was Toropchenko, who scored a shorthanded goal in the opening period, who finished with four blocked shots but it seemed like he had 40, throwing his stick and body all over the ice, sacrificing himself for the better of the team, that stood in front of the media throng talking about basically what amounted to beyond a poor showing by a number of players on what's left of this roster on home ice that's making quite a bit of money that were completely invisible.
The Blues aren't going to the playoffs. We all know that.
No, it's not official yet, but the beginning of the end came last week when general manager Doug Armstrong traded away his captain [Ryan O'Reilly] and instant locker room favorite [Noel Acciari], disclosing then that the Blues were open for business several weeks prior to the All-Star break. He did want to see who would respond in the right way and who wouldn't, as the Blues' preparations to retool the roster are underway.
Judging by their recent string of games, well, let's just say it's less than satisfactory, and the quiet Toropchenko's emotions ran high.
"Even if we are not in a playoff spot, I will do everything," Toropchenko said. "It’s a hockey game, you cannot leave, especially if you’re playing in the NHL. You’re not playing somewhere else in a beer league or something like that. You need to show something. You need to show heart, character and to be strong everywhere. Just play from your heart.
"I don’t know what’s going on, but especially for fans, you cannot play like that. Like I said, you need to play for fans, for yourself, for everybody from the team. The team is just one family. It’s not only about one guy. You need to be a part of it, and to show some respect to each other."
Toropchenko, who makes all of the league minimum of $750,000 playing for a contract next season as a restricted free agent, certainly has shown he has respect for his teammates, he has respect for the logo on his chest and not the name on the back, and he has respect for the 18,096 people that still are showing up to watch a floundering team but pay his salary.
This kid is 23 years old. He gets it.
Hard to say that about some of those that are now expected to lead this team after the trades of O'Reilly, Vladimir Tarasenko, Acciari and Niko Mikkola in recent weeks.
"For sure. A lot of our best players (are) not doing the job," coach Craig Berube said, who was asked if Toropchenko had a right to be upset.
And why is that that they're not doing their job?
"I don't know, you have to ask them," Berube said. "I guess they don't care about the team, I don't know. Not sure why."
Talk about a timebomb that's certainly been ticking!
Armstrong decided weeks ago that this roster isn't what he thought it would be and decided that it's time to retool and turn the chapter of a roster that was Stanley Cup-worthy and hand the keys over to a new, younger group.
So far, those keys haven't unlocked the right doors.
The Blues are now 0-3-1 since the O'Reilly trade, and if the remaining players are still pouting and whining about losing their captain, get over it.
It's not the first and it's not the last time an impactful trade will shake up a locker room, and the only reason this one happened was because those very same players did it to themselves with their shoddy play throughout the season.
So instead of dusting off what is amounting to be a lost season, the veteran, experienced players on this team continue to drag down what is already a sinking ship.
What kind of an example is that to set to those that are trying to look up to you, to buold their own championship brand to fit into the team atmosphere here?
"I think everyone just needs to pick it up and play and not leave," Toropchenko said. "Be hard everywhere. (It) just looks like we don’t want to play."
It's not all about numbers all the time. It's about the overall play, but since the trade, Robert Thomas has ... zero points. Jordan Kyrou has ... one assist. Schenn has ... zero points. The top four defensemen continue to play below their expectations, including top guys Colton Parayko and Justin Faulk. That set of five accounts for $24.6 million in cap space this season. Just wait until Thomas and Kyrou kick in at $8.125 million each next season.
It's not even close to being good enough. Just ask Berube, after he was asked about Thomas and Kyrou's production.
"Not good enough, not even close," he said.
I'll be honest with you, I didn't even notice Thomas on the ice Thursday until he took a lazy -- albeit, soft -- holding the stick penalty in the third period. Well, actually I did, when he pointed at Faulk to pick up Elias Pettersson after the Swede flew by Thomas and darted right at a tired, over-extended Faulk prior to scoring the OT winner.
Could anyone even tell if No. 25 (Kyrou) was on the ice tonight? I can't say I could.
And how about Schenn, who I have all the respect in the world for, talking to him in the locker room, keeping it real and more times than not, making himself available to the media, a guy that's on the ice working on his game, full practice or optionals, ninety-nine percent of the time he's busting his butt for the good of the team doing all he can and being the one to do what's best for the team, he makes a poor puck play late in regulation that led to Andrei Kuzmenko's game-tying goal with 28.6 seconds left to tie the game?
These are experienced players continuing to make mistakes and losing games for the Blues, not the Toropchenkos, not the Tyler Tuckers, not the Nathan Walkers, not the Tyler Pitlicks. It's Game No. 58, and some of the same things are continuing to happen that happened in Game No. 1.
"For me, it’s terrible," said Toropchenko said, whose No. 13 jersey may have a few more sales on Friday and in the coming days and weeks. "Not good enough. That game was like — I don’t know what to say, but it’s like frustrating me. I don’t know. It’s really bad."
I'd be remiss if I didn't include Tucker, who scored his first NHL goal Thursday, and how about Binnington standing on his head with 38 saves. Heck, the Blues led 2-0 after two periods mainly because of his play.
"Awesome," Berube said. "'Torpo' had an outstanding game, Tucker, 'Buchy' had an outstanding game, 'Binner'. We have some guys ... we had a lot of guys compete. There's a handful of guys really competing and doing the job, but again, our best players aren't even close."
"You can count on the fingers how many guys just want to play, especially Binnington," Toropchenko said. "Like I said, we need to play for everybody and that’s not good enough how we played for Binner, especially."
What was close to Blues hockey, what's resembled what this team has embodied for so long, was Toropchenko on the penalty kill when Thomas took a minor holding the stick penalty at 4:17 of the third period. Toropchenko first cleared a puck out of the slot area, then drove down into the crease again to put a body on a skater before jumping out to block a Pettersson one-timer. He gets up and defensively is aware enough to break up a cross-seam pass to Anthony Beauvillier to thwart a one-timer, tired because he can't get off the ice. Toropchenko then blocks gets in position to block a J.T. Miller shot, still on the ice and can't get off because the Blues can't get a clear, he's in position to block another Pettersson one-timer.
Toropchenko's shift lasted 1:39 and should have inspired those on the ice with him as well as those on the bench.
"One-hundred percent. For sure," Berube said. "They should be very, very happy that we've got this guy on our team, that he's laying it on the line. They should be inspired by it and they should go out and play inspired.
"Our best players don't play with any passion, no emotion and no inspiration at all. They don't play inspired hockey. You cannot play in this league without emotion, grit and being inspired. They're getting paid lots of money and they're not doing the job. End of Story. That's it. That's what it boils down to."
Blues goalie Jordan Binnington (left) makes one of his 38 saves in a terrific outing despite a 3-2 overtime loss against the Vancouver Canucks Thursday at Enterprise Center.If that's what the remaining 24 games boil down to, it will be a very long 24 games.
Unless those that have their heads buried in their tail section decide to take a page out of Alexey Toropchenko's diary, because this player should be one of the poster children of how the Blues should conduct themselves for the rest of this 2022-23 season.
"I’m trying to show every game that I want to play, I want to fight, especially for points," Toropchenko said. "I don’t want to be like outside hockey team, especially, like I said, we’re playing in the best league in the world. It’s just you cannot play like that. It’s terrible. I don’t know what else to say."
Toropchenko said plenty. He spoke like a captain would.
"I am trying to do everything that I can every game, and I am just wishing and hoping everybody on the same page," Toropchenko said. "But it’s not good enough. I am so upset."
As he should be. The question is: will any of the other player be? Some will, but they all should.