The St. Louis Blues ranked near the bottom of The Athletic's recent front-office confidence rankings
It wasn’t long ago when Blues fans were parading about their team coming off their Stanley Cup victory in 2019. Nothing could break the smile off their faces. All was well in the Blues Army Nation.
However, after failing to make the playoffs in back-to-back years, the fan base’s frustration is increasing. And the front office is in the firing lines.
Since St. Louis lost former captain Alex Pietrangelo to free agency in 2020, the team hasn’t been the same it feels like. They put together a strong 49-win season in 2021-22 before being ousted in the second round by the eventual Stanley Cup champs, Colorado Avalanche, but have followed that up with two mediocre seasons.
The Athletic’s Dom Luszczyszyn hosts an annual summer event where he asks fans how confident they are in their favorite team’s front office.
Each front office is graded in six categories: roster building, cap management, drafting and developing, trading, free agency, and the team’s vision moving forward.
Last year, the Blues ranked 21st amongst the 32 NHL teams in Luszczyszyn’s rankings. This year they have fallen two spots to 23rd.
Overall, the fan base shares the same displeasure and concerns as they did last year. Except for one category, which has taken a more positive outlook.
29% of Blues fans feel less confident in the team’s front office and 22% feel more confident compared to last year. The bigger discrepancy is via the public eyes, where 46% feel less confident and only 7% feel more confident.
Cap Management
The fan base and the public agree that St. Louis’ cap management has been below average. The Blues were given a C- grade and ranked 26th in the league in that category.
St. Louis has multiple — seven to be exact — 30-plus-year-old players under contract and none are heading into the 2024-25 season on an expiring deal. Players like captain Brayden Schenn, and defensemen Colton Parayko, Torey Krug, and Justin Faulk all have deals valued at a cap hit of $6.5 million, which takes them into their mid-to-late 30s.
Also, Jordan Kyrou needs to perform up to his $8.125 million cap hit, like Robert Thomas did last season. A player making $8 million per season should register around 75 to 85 points a year, especially considering that goals are up over the last three seasons.
Roster Building
The Blues were ranked 22nd by their fans and 23rd by the public. Fans' dissatisfaction with the roster construction is partly due to their cap management. It could also be due to the team being locked up with their four aging defensemen and lacking a true No. 1 blueliner, like Alex Pietrangelo.
Free Agency
St. Louis was graded a C in the free agency category. We’re reiterating ourselves here, but because of those lengthy contracts and the team showing their trust in the core to get back into the playoffs, there hasn’t been a need to target and go hard in the free agency period.
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Draft and Develop
Drafting and development received a B grade from the fans and ranked 10th. However, the public ranked them 20th and gave them a C+ grade. Considering how Robert Thomas, Jordan Kyrou, and potential future starter Joel Hofer look, the team’s development and scouting staff know what they are doing. And the B grade is deserved.
Even their recent first-rounders are showing promising returns early on. Jimmy Snuggerud and Dalibor Dvorsky look like they could play in the NHL this year. And Otto Stenberg and Theo Lindstein also had very strong DY+1 seasons.
Trading
The Blues were quiet at this past year’s trade deadline. But they were smart to sell off their Stanley Cup Champions Ryan O’Reilly and Vladimir Tarasenko in 2023 to build up their prospects cupboard. St. Louis fans gave the front office a B-, ranked 15th in the trading category.
Vision
The St. Louis Blues' vision is a major question. The organization has stated that a rebuild would not be feasible in this market. This is why the front office has not officially initiated a major reconstruction, unlike what we have seen from San Jose and Chicago.
Unfortunately, that leaves fans with a team that could be destined for mediocrity unless their older veteran players can revert the clock and punch above their weight.
Can Jordan Binnington return to form? Will Jordan Kyrou and Robert Thomas become a dynamic duo? Or will the Blues continue to be a team that fights for a wildcard spot every year?
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