Jake Neighbours is on pace for a career season despite so many St. Louis Blues players struggling this season.
The St. Louis Blues have found zero consistency this season in all facets of the game.
Their offense has struggled, their defense has disappeared at times, and their goaltending has never found its footing. When watching the Blues, it's not surprising to see the Blues sitting in 25th place in the NHL with just 36 points.
It's hard to find many positive things, but one player who is enjoying a strong individual season is Jake Neighbours. The 23-year-old is tied for the team lead in goals with 10 and has notched 17 points in 26 games. He missed 12 games earlier this season with an injury, and despite missing those games, he's been as productive as anyone on the team.
Neighbours is on pace to equal his career high of 27 goals he set in 2023-24 and equal his career high in points of 46, which he set last season. He'd do so in fewer games than those other seasons. His 0.38 goals per game and 0.65 points per game are the highest marks of his career.
Neighbours may also be the team's most versatile forward. Coach Jim Montgomery feels comfortable playing Neighbours on any of the top three lines and feels confident that he'll win those minutes. He plays with high energy and mixes it up physically, ranking fourth on the team in hits.
If there was one knock on Neighbours' game, it's that he's not shooting the puck enough. He's averaging just 1.38 shots per game, significantly lower than his first two seasons in the NHL. His 27.8 shooting percentage will be almost impossible to sustain, so Neighbours needs to up his shot volume to continue his scoring pace.
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