ST. LOUIS BLUES
Last year: 37-38-7, 5th in the Central (12th place in Western Conference, missed the playoffs for the first time since 2017-18)
Projected: 6th in the Central
Keys to the Season
1. Tightening up defensively: The Blues made no changes to a defensive unit that allowed the most goals (298) since the 1983-84 season (316). They are counting on Colton Parayko, Justin Faulk, Torey Krug and Nick Leddy to guide the top four, with Marco Scandella and young d-man Tyler Tucker to round out the top six, followed by veteran Robert Bortuzzo and 2020 Hobey Baker Award winner Scott Perunovich, who has dealt with multiple injuries in his young career. The Blues spent training camp tightening up their own zone in an effort to make marked improvements keeping the puck out of their net.
2. Binnington resurgence: Jordan Binnington's numbers have dipped in each season since the Blues' No. 1 goalie helped the franchise to its first Stanley Cup in 2019, falling to 27-27-6 with a 3.31 goals-against average and .894 save percentage. His 27 wins were tied for 11th in the league, but his 27 losses were second-most among starting goalies, 46th in GAA among goalies with 20 games or more played and 48th in save percentage. Those numbers will need marked improvement, but the 30-year-old's play coincides with how well defensively and vice versa the Blues will fare.
3. Continued balanced scoring: The Blues had 12 skaters reach double digits in goals scored, and two seasons ago, they led the league with nine 20-goal scorers. They averaged 3.25 goals per game and have built their offense around a four-line game. They added Kevin Hayes and Oskar Sundqvist to be their third- and fourth-line centers to help with that balance.
Most Likely Scenario: It will be hard-pressed to catch the Colorado Avalanche or Dallas Stars at the top of the Central Division, but the Blues will be competitive enough to battle for third place with the Minnesota Wild and Winnipeg Jets.
Worst-Case Scenario: The defense repeats their shortcomings of a season ago, Binnington struggles as a result and the Blues miss out on the playoffs for the second straight season and first time doing that since 2009-10 and 2010-11.