The St. Louis Blues head into the Christmas break with plenty of uncertainty. They currently own a 14-16-8 record (36 points) and sit in sixth place in the Central Division. GM Doug Armstrong has plenty of questions that need answers regarding several veteran players. They started the season poorly and haven’t been able to correct the issues they face. Goaltending has been poor, the defense has been questionable far too often, and the offense has not been able to click. The Blues are dealing with a plethora of injuries, and if they can’t find a way to turn things around, the 2025-26 season will likely be a write-off. But the Christmas break provides an opportunity to reset, hopefully come back with an improved mindset, and pick up results. Here are three things the Blues want for Christmas: IMPROVED HEALTH Improved health would go a long way in fixing some of the goal-scoring issues the Blues face. They’ve had limited time, if any, where they iced a completely healthy lineup. Jake Neighbours [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/st-louis-blues/players/in-a-season-with-many-dark-spots-blues-jake-neighbours-is-shining], Jimmy Snuggerud, Jordan Kyrou, and Dylan Holloway have all missed significant time this season. While the injuries have provided opportunities for players such as Dalibor Dvorsky and Otto Stenberg [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/st-louis-blues/players/i-thought-it-was-a-really-good-start-to-his-career-blues-rookie-otto-stenberg-s-compete-and-two-way-game-standout-in-nhl-debut] to earn call ups to the NHL, they want those players playing alongside their other top players, and they haven’t been able to do that. It’s an uphill battle to get back in the playoff race, but if the Blues can ice a healthy lineup, it at the very least gives them their best chance. Jake Neighbours, Dylan Holloway and Jordan Kyrou (Christopher Creveling-Imagn Images) [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/5e2af4d3-4bc9-437a-ab8e-e5ba8f541b15.jpeg] Jake Neighbours, Dylan Holloway and Jordan Kyrou (Christopher Creveling-Imagn Images) IMPROVED GOALTENDING Kyrou, Holloway, and Snuggerud can all return and start scoring at will, but none of that will matter if the Blues don’t get the goaltending required to win games in the NHL. It’s been an abysmal season for Jordan Binnington, posting an .870 save percentage and a 3.44 goals-against average in 23 games. He’s beginning to lose his crease to Joel Hofer, but Hofer hasn’t been lighting it up either, recording an .898 SP and a 2.91 GAA in 20 games. You can’t win in the NHL if you don’t get saves, and the Blues have been learning that all season long. Is The 2025-26 Campaign A Lost Season For The Blues? [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/039f0ac3-5243-446a-9dcd-f619ba04595d.jpeg] Is The 2025-26 Campaign A Lost Season For The Blues? The 2025-26 season has witnessed almost no positive signs or results, and as the New Year approaches, the St. Louis Blues may begin to consider the campaign a lost season and begin looking at their future. [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/st-louis-blues/latest-news/is-the-2025-26-campaign-a-lost-season-for-the-blues] DEPTH FORWARD SCORING AND OFFENSE FROM THE BLUELINE It’s fair to criticize some of the Blues' top-paid forwards like Robert Thomas, Pavel Buchnevich and Kyrou for their drop off in production this season. But it’s also fair to criticize the Blues defenders and depth forwards for their lack of production. The Blues defenseman, outside of Justin Faulk, have combined for seven goals. Their depth forwards, like Oskar Sundqvist, Alexei Toropchenko, Nick Bjugstad, Mathieu Joseph and Nathan Walker, also haven’t carried their weight offensievly, combining for just 11 goals. Additional goals from the back end and the depth forwards could open up the game for the Blues' high-end players and allow them to get back to producing how they have in the past. Image [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/e8749c46-3aff-4930-829d-0ae824c71ee3.png] For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free [https://thehockeynews.store/products/print-subscription]. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here [http://eepurl.com/i7OC4I]. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
