Blues eliminated, couldn't overcome rough start, goalies' struggles

The St. Louis Blues failed to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2017-18.

They were eliminated from contention when they lost to the Boston Bruins 4-3 in a shootout on Sunday.
St. Louis had qualified for the playoffs in four straight seasons and 10 of the past 11, including winning the Stanley Cup for the first time in its history in 2019.
Here's a look at what happened this season for the Blues and why things could be better in 2023-24.

#

The skinny

Potential unrestricted free agents: Josh Leivo, F; Tyler Pitlick, F; Thomas Greiss, G
Potential restricted free agents: Logan Brown, F; Alexey Toropchenko, F
Potential 2023 Draft picks: 9

#

What went wrong

Tough start: After winning the first three games of the regular season, the Blues lost eight in a row from Oct. 24-Nov. 8. They rebounded with a seven-game winning streak from Nov. 10-21, only to lose six of their next seven from Nov. 23-Dec. 5. The Blues never really recovered from those first two months, and frustrating results ultimately led the Blues to trade some of their top players, including forwards Vladimir Tarasenko (to the New York Rangers on Feb. 9) and Ryan O'Reilly (to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Feb. 17).
Goaltending: Jordan Binnington is 25-25-6 with a 3.39 goals-against average, .891 save percentage and two shutouts in an NHL career-high 57 games (56 starts). The 29-year-old has been inconsistent, and unfortunately his moments of frustration were at the forefront more often than his play. Greiss has also struggled, going 7-10-0 with a 3.64 GAA, .896 save percentage and one shutout in 21 games (16 starts). The Blues are tied for 28th in the NHL in goals against per game (3.68)
Special teams: They are 22nd in the NHL on the power play (19.7 percent), including going 3-for-28 in their past 10 games, and their penalty kill is 29th in the League at 73.1 percent.

#

Reasons for optimism

Jordan Kyrou: The 24-year-old made a big splash last season, when he had 75 points (27 goals, 48 assists) in 74 games. He's followed that with another strong season in 2022-23. He leads the Blues with 71 points, including an NHL career-high 36 goals, in 74 games. Kyrou, who signed an eight-year, $65 million contract ($8.125 average annual value) on Sept. 13, got off to a slow start, with four points (three goals, one assist) in his first 10 games, but once the forward got going in November, he kept going.

Robert Thomas: Speaking of eight-year contracts, Thomas also signed an eight-year, $65 million contract ($8.125 million AAV) on July 13, so it's clear who is tasked with being the Blues' new young leaders. Thomas has 63 points (17 goals, 46 assists) in 70 games, third on the team behind Kyrou and Pavel Buchnevich, who has 66 points (25 goals, 41 assists) in 59 games. Thomas' numbers are down slightly from last season, when he had 77 points (20 goals, 57 assists) in 72 games, but the 23-year-old should keep building on what he's accomplished the past two seasons.
Zachary Bolduc: Is it Bolduc time for the Blues? That remains to be seen. But if so, St. Louis will get a dynamic forward who had 110 points (50 goals, 60 assists) in 61 games for the Quebec Remparts, who are playing in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League playoffs. The 20-year-old had 99 points (55 goals, 44 assists) in 65 games for Quebec in 2021-22 and was the Blues' first-round pick (No. 17) in the 2021 NHL Draft.