The strength of the St. Louis Blues this season will be their forward group, as their blue line and goaltending remain a mystery. The Blues have added plenty to their forward group over the last couple of seasons, dating back to the Pavel Buchnevich trade. In the 2022-23 season, they made big additions midseason with Kasperi Kapanen and Jakub Vrana. However, there are reasons to be both concerned and uncertain about the Blues’ bottom six this season.
Blues’ Center Depth Might Still Be an Issue
The Blues acquired center Kevin Hayes in a trade with the Philadelphia Flyers just before the 2023 Draft. He’s likely to slot in behind Robert Thomas and Brayden Schenn and play the role of a third-line center to start the 2023-24 season. After Hayes, the Blues’ NHL-ready center depth is a lot thinner than they might believe, so there are causes for concern there.
The most likely scenario for the Blues on opening night is to have Hayes as their third-line center and Nikita Alexandrov as their fourth-line center. Although Hayes is a veteran, he’s struggled in the faceoff circle over the past few seasons. As for Alexandrov, he looked solid last season in 28 games with seven points, but he also struggled in the faceoff circle. Hayes has been under 50 percent in the faceoff circle for the last three seasons, while Alexandrov was under 40 percent last season in limited time. Both of them are solid options, but they leave a little left to be desired as true centers. After those two, there are not a lot of NHL-ready options right now at center.
Nathan Walker could be another option as the Blues’ fourth-line center to start the season, as he was terrific last season, winning over 50 percent of faceoffs. Walker was one of the few bright spots in a rough 2022-23 season for the Blues. He scored 10 points in 56 games and had a plus/minus of plus-10, so it wouldn’t surprise me to see the Blues give him a chance to play center more in 2023-24. I don’t expect to see much of Dalibor Dvorsky, Zach Dean, or Zachary Bolduc with the Blues this season, so they could benefit from adding a couple more depth pieces to play center when injuries inevitably occur.
Blues Have Some Heavy Hitters
One good thing about the Blues’ bottom six this season is the heavy hitters, which include Alexey Toropchenko, Sammy Blais, Jake Neighbours, and Walker. The Blues won the Stanley Cup in 2019 with heavy hitters in the bottom six, and it’s proven to be a staple of head coach Craig Berube’s system. It’s clear that Berube and his staff love players like Toropchenko and Blais, as they’ve gotten ample opportunity in St. Louis.
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In the 2022-23 season, Toropchenko had 122 hits in 69 games, while Blais had 119 hits in 31 games. Players like these two set the tone for a game with the way they throw their bodies around. People may not view Walker as a heavy hitter, but he had 82 hits in 56 games last season. I expect Neighbours to also assert himself within the lineup with more hitting this season after he had 63 hits in 43 games last season. The Blues miss players like Oskar Sundqvist, Ivan Barbashev, and other bottom-six fixtures, but the players listed above are valuable hitters.
Let The Kids Play
A youth movement is much needed for the Blues in almost every aspect of the game. This is especially needed within the bottom six, as players like Toropchenko and Neighbours have earned playing time. The Blues need youthful energy in their bottom six, so letting their younger players loose is a smart move. There is no reason for Neighbours to play fewer than 13 minutes per game again this season.
Neighbours was the Blues’ first-round pick in the 2020 Draft, and he deserves a better chance than he’s gotten thus far. I believe he should be a third-line winger if he earns the opportunity in the preseason. He has terrific potential as a middle-six power forward, and the Blues need to give him more runway to unlock it. This season could be a make-or-break one for the development of Neighbours, though he’s still only 21 years old.
Overall, the Blues’ bottom six is in an interesting spot heading into the 2023-24 season. There are several capable players within the organization, but it’s up to Berube and his staff to properly utilize these players. I like the options that they have overall, but I’m skeptical about the decision-making to come. Blues general manager (GM) Doug Armstrong has definitely given Berube a lot to work with in the bottom six.
