The St. Louis Blues are 2-3-0 in their last five games while missing crucial players, Philip Broberg and Robert Thomas. Their absence has been a thorn in the team’s side since they signed Broberg to an offer sheet to fix their problems, and they expected Thomas to have a substantial performance after putting up 86 points last season.
That idea is now long gone, and winning is difficult right now with other injuries to defensemen Torey Krug and Nick Leddy and forwards Kapseri Kapanen and Dylan Holloway holding the team back from success. Despite these unfortunate circumstances, the Blues have many different options to lean on. Here’s a look at three players who could help the team win now.
3. Colton Parayko
Colton Parayko is an unexpected points leader, but the stats don’t lie. Parayko ranks third on the Blues in points after his three-point performance against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Nov. 2. He’s probably the best defenseman they have available right now and seems willing to take on the offensive approach if he has to, which is impressive considering he has a more defensive style of play.
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Last season, Parayko led the NHL in blocked shots (218) and played a full 82 games with 26 points to show for it. This season, he has three goals in his last five games, putting him on pace for about one to two goals in the next five contests. Parayko has scored a maximum of 10 goals in his career and did it three times: once last season, another in 2019-20, and 2018-19.
Parayko has also been solid setting up goals with five assists on the season. He’s not usually a big go-to player for assists, but he is doing what he can to fill in the gaps left by Broberg and Krug as the Blues’ top offensive-defensive options. In his career, the most assists Parayko had in a season was 31.
2. Pavel Buchnevich
Pavel Buchnevich has been quiet for the most part and hasn’t put up as many points as expected, with seven through 13 games. In his last five, Buchnevich has one point, which is tough considering he’s one of the team’s best goalscorers.
Despite the dry spell, there is new hope for him to get back on track and become a key point producer again. With Holloway’s recent injury (Nov. 5), Buchnevich will have most of the spotlight on him in the next few games. Last season, he got hurt for a brief two games at the beginning of the campaign. Now that he is healthy, there should be more time for him to thrive in the lineup.
Last season, Buchnevich put up 63 points in 80 games and had the third most points on the roster. The main concern will be his role on the power play, as that will probably increase as well. So far, he’s averaged 31:36 on the power play and has one point.
1. Jordan Kyrou
Jordan Kyrou was electric to start the season and scored six points in three of his first five games. Right now, he is a little quieter; however, he has two points in his last five, which is barely good enough but shows he is putting in the effort to keep the Blues alive.
Kyrou struggled last season to produce consistent points under former head coach Craig Berube – one recent point came against the Maple Leafs, the team Berube now coaches. He’s played great when it matters and comes in clutch when the Blues need him to.
Hopefully, after scoring goals against the Maple Leafs and Tampa Bay Lightning – his most recent points earned – he can contribute more consistently; he currently leads the Blues in shots (40) and has been one of their go-to power-play forwards since Thomas went down, playing in the offensive zone about 56 percent of the time on the power play in 13:12 of ice time.
While Thomas has played a vital role in Kyrou’s performance, there is still hope for him to play well without Thomas and prove he wants to win games. He could be a future leader for the Blues team when they are in a playoff position, and he must show it.
How the Blues Should Manage Moving Forward
While things look dark now, the Blues have adequately prepared for this situation, adding more depth in the offseason. While some options may seem unreliable right now, the options above are the best possible players to get the job done and keep the Blues afloat. The fact that they’ve been able to win at least two games in their last five, given their injury situation, is excellent, but there is still plenty of hockey to be played to survive and prove that they can be a team that thrives under pressure.
St. Louis’ next three opponents are the Washington Capitals (Nov. 7), Utah Hockey Club (Nov. 9), and Boston Bruins (Nov. 12), which will provide the ultimate test for those three players to pick up the slack and, hopefully, lead the Blues through this tough roadblock.
