Blues Have Been a Mixed Bag of Results at Quarter-Season Mark

The St. Louis Blues have played 21 games this season, and have officially passed into the second quarter of the season. The team has played enough games to indicate a player’s current pace in relation to his career and past few seasons. The grades below factor in games missed and the players’ current performance at only 25 percent of the season played and where it is currently trending.

Grade: A

Ivan Barbashev

Barbashev is currently one of the biggest bargains the Blues have on their roster at $2.25 million. After 21 games this season, the Russian forward is seeing just under three additional minutes of time on ice each game, and still maintaining a shooting percentage of 36.3 percent, just 1.2 percent above his past three seasons’ average. With 13 points in 21 games, Barbashev is having himself a career year.

Pavel Buchnevich

In his first season with the Blues, Buchnevich is making a name for himself. Tied with Jordan Kyrou this season with goals in seven games, the 26-year-old is reproducing his 2020-21 season that saw him score 20 goals and 48 points in 54 games with the New York Rangers.

If there were a full 82-game season, the forward would have could have set a new career high, as he was on pace for 73 points, a feat surely he would like to achieve this season with the Blues.

Torey Krug

After an underwhelming first season in St. Louis, Krug started off on a torrid pace as he managed nine points in his first 10 games to the 2021-22 season. After missing five games due to COVID, he looks poised and ready to return to his scoring ways and add another 60 points or more this season.

Jordan Kyrou

The most consistent player the Blues have on their roster, Kyrou has scored at least one point in 15 of the games this season, and has scored a goal in at least seven. The 22-year-old has earned every second of his ice time and is showing no signs of slowing down this season. The question to ask now is if his 86-point pace is sustainable for a player who has only played 120 games in the NHL.

David Perron

The veteran forward from Sherbrooke, Quebec, is among the early season leaders for the Blues with seven goals and 11 assists in 20 games. After leaving the game against the Chicago Blackhawks with an upper-body injury, time will tell when Perron will return to the ice this season. Perron is only 74 games away from 1,000 in his NHL career, a milestone in his career that would be remarkable to hit with the team that drafted him and has enjoyed 11 seasons with. The Blues would love to see him back soon as he had six points in his last five games.  

Brandon Saad

With eight goals in 17 games, Saad is off to the races this season, scoring at his highest goals per game rate of his career (0.47). The forward is well-known in the Central Division after playing seven of his 11 seasons in Chicago, two seasons in Columbus, and one in Colorado.

The Blues brought Saad in to score goals and that is exactly what he has been doing. Saad is seeing some of his best days early in St. Louis since his time in Columbus when he scored 31 goals in 78 games during the 2015-16 season, and 24 goals in 2016-17. There is a potential for regression, but the pairing with Ryan O’Reilly, along with 16 minutes of time on ice per game, could suggest otherwise.

Vladimir Tarasenko

Vintage “Vladi” Tarasenko is back. Had you told someone that there was a trade request made by the Russian in the offseason, it could certainly fool most. With five points in his last four games, and 19 points in 21 games this season, Tarasenko is looking healthy once more and ready to add another 30 or more goals this year.

Robert Thomas

Experiencing the fourth-season breakout, the 22-year-old forward is currently on pace to nearly double his career 82-game pace of 46 points. Thomas has scored 20 points in 21 games this season and is on pace for 78 points. After signing a contract extension in the offseason, he has improved faceoff percentage by nearly 10 percent, and has inherited responsibilities that have increased his time on ice by five minutes per night. Along with Kyrou, the breakout season is here.

Grade: B

Robert Bortuzzo

Bortuzzo is not the flashiest of defensemen in the league and will not pretend to be. He has been serviceable for the Blues this season, averaging 13:27 time on ice. The 33-year-old will likely continue his duties on a rotation this season as his third-pairing time will be shared with Niko Mikkola and Calle Rosen. His hits (30) and blocks (20) suggest that there has been no anomaly to his game this season and should continue to trend in the same direction moving forward.

Tyler Bozak

He is another “bargain bin” player for the Blues. Signed to a league minimum $750,000, Bozak has seven points in 21 games in a reduced role that has him on the ice for under 13 minutes per night. At this point in his career, anything positive that the 35-year-old veteran has to contribute on and off the ice is simply a bonus for the team.

Justin Faulk

Like his scoring counterpart, Krug, Faulk has turned the opinion of Blues fans as he continues to produce offensively. A down first season in St. Louis saw him produce only five goals and 16 points in 69 games, but he is currently on pace for 35 points over 82 games this year.

Ville Husso

Husso’s progress report consists of a very small four-game sample size. Sidelined with COVID, he has seen very little action this season but has certainly made the most of it. The 26-year-old is 3-1 this year, including one shutout performance. His .936 save percentage (SV%) this season has warranted additional looks as Jordan Binnington’s backup, and could potentially be a 1B goaltender in the near future.

Scott Perunovich

Perunovich has done everything he needs to earn time at the NHL level. At 23 years old, he has played seven games now in his NHL career and has amassed two assists. Perunovich has looked sharp early on in his career and has helped result in scoring plays that have not shown up on the scoresheet. With another small sample size, Perunovich has earned his grade so far this season.

Jake Walman

Walman hasn’t been amazing but also has been serviceable on the third pairing. Coming up as an offensive prospect, he has done a great job of blocking shots at a 0.86 per-game pace while shooting just over 1.2 shots per game. Averaging only 13:30 of ice time this season with no power play time, he is making the most of his opportunities early in his career.

Grade: D

Marco Scandella

There have been games that he has been serviceable and others that he has just been plain poor. Scandella is currently on pace for 16 points in 82 games, just under his last three-year average of 16 points. He has looked replaceable on a blue line that has defensemen that are ready to jump in and take his ice time. After practice on Monday, the Blues head coach was asked about Scandella skating with the extra defensemen and if he would be scratched Tuesday against Tampa Bay. “That’s a decision I’ll make tomorrow. It’s possible.”

Summary

This season, the Blues are experiencing their fair share of individuals who have been meeting expectations or are having career years. On the other hand, there are a handful of players that are currently experiencing seasons that are under average and have the potential to perform under expectations. The Blues this season have had their fair share of ups and downs but have plenty of optimism surrounding their outlook this year.