The St. Louis Blues have lacked consistency in over a month of games in the 2023-24 season. With that lack of consistency comes an appreciation of players who are exceeding expectations so far. Here are three Blues that have performed above their expectations this season.
Colton Parayko – A Season of Redemption
This has been a season of redemption for Colton Parayko so far. He’s looked a lot more like he did earlier in his career when he was viewed as a future top-pairing shutdown defenseman. The Blues have been a better overall defensive team this season, but there are still some flaws on the back end. However, Parayko has been steady throughout the first 17 games.
He’s looked as healthy as ever and that can be seen with his movement as a skater this season. Part of his brilliance early in his career was the ability to be a very mobile skater at 6-foot-6. He has four points on the season and a plus/minus of plus-1, which is up from his minus-19 last season. He’s played big minutes all season and has defended as well as anybody on the Blues’ blue line. Parayko needs to keep this going all season, and if he does, the eight-year extension from last season looks slightly better. There is still plenty of season left for him to keep this level up.
Jordan Binnington – Bounce Back Campaign
Similar to Parayko, goaltender Jordan Binnington entered this season off of a couple of tough seasons. He’s bounced back in a big way so far and that should not be overlooked. He’s been money in just about every start this season and his 5-5-1 record does not do his level of play justice. For all the criticism he took over the past couple of seasons and this offseason, he’s responded in a big way with his performance this season. The Blues went into this season needing this play from Binnington, especially since goaltender Joel Hofer isn’t ready to be an NHL starter yet.
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In 12 games played, Binnington has a save percentage (SV%) of .922 and a goals-against average (GAA) of 2.47. This start comes after back-to-back seasons where he had a SV% below .910 and a GAA above 3.00. It helps that the defensive play in front of him has improved, but he’s carried the Blues in multiple games this season. His contract is still a problem at $6 million per season through 2026-27, but he’s played well this season. I don’t know if he’ll keep this Vezina trophy level up all season, so that is not the overall expectation, but being an above-average starter goes a long way in winning games.
Robert Thomas – An Elite Center So Far
The Blues’ best forward this season has been Robert Thomas by a wide margin. He’s grown in just about every area of his game. He has blossomed into a fantastic two-way center at a time when the Blues needed it the most with the departure of Ryan O’Reilly last season.
Thomas has 17 points in 17 games, including six goals and a plus-6 on the season. He’s playing over 20 minutes per game and facing off against the opposing team’s top line. Having an elite two-way center on the first line is a major key for all NHL teams that have success. On top of his point production, he’s won 56.5 percent of faceoffs this season, which is up from 52.9 percent last season. His salary cap hit of $8.125 million per season through 2030-31 already looks like a steal with the NHL cap inevitably rising over the next several seasons.
Overall, there are many Blues players who aren’t exceeding the expectations this season, so these three picks were fairly easy to make. The Blues need other players to find their game, such as Jordan Kyrou, Brayden Schenn, Nick Leddy, and others in order for them to compete for a playoff spot in a thin Western Conference.
