ST. LOUIS — The number of players attending the St. Louis Blues’ informal practices has been growing by the week.
From veterans who stayed in town all summer to those who arrived in the last few days, they’ll all be accounted for Wednesday when the Blues report to training camp for the 2024-25 season.
If the team is to avoid missing the playoffs for a third consecutive season, which has happened just once in franchise history (2005-08), the players will have to go from “accounted for” to “accountable.”
But that will be determined in due time.
Today is about the fuzzy feeling that comes at the start of every season.
“It’s time to bring guys together as a group, and see the new faces,” Blues forward Pavel Buchnevich said. “I’m excited to see the first preseason game. I’m excited for the young guys. I’m excited for fans.”
Setting the stage 🎶#stlblues | @Enterprise_Cntr pic.twitter.com/jeieOhDZtY
— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) September 17, 2024
There are a plethora of questions heading into this season, but most of those are big-picture in nature and can’t be answered legitimately until 20 or so games into the regular season.
So with training camp starting soon, and that first preseason game Buchnevich referenced Saturday in Dallas, The Athletic came up with 10 questions you can observe from day one and continue to monitor until the Blues’ season opener on Oct. 8 in Seattle.
Here they are …
1. Are the Blues on board with Drew Bannister?
Bannister was playing with fire when he became the interim coach last December and benched key players such as Buchnevich, Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou. It could have backfired. But he made it through the turbulent times, finished with a record of 30-19-5, and earned a two-year contract extension to return this season.
Bannister spent the offseason getting to know the Blues better, and when they hit the ice Thursday, it’ll be his first training camp practice with the club. There’s no reason to believe they won’t have the required respect for him because of that familiarity and his contract extension, but it’ll be important that he re-establishes his voice.
2. Who will be the No. 2 center?
We’ll find out Thursday when the Blues reveal their depth chart. But if you’ve been reading the clues this summer, it’s highly likely Bannister will be taking a look at Buchnevich at that spot. GM Doug Armstrong asked Buchnevich about his preference — wing or center — before signing him to a six-year, $48-million contract extension, which makes you think they wanted to make sure he was OK playing in the middle.
If not Buchnevich, captain Brayden Schenn is the obvious option, but Bannister may want to play him on the wing or even as the third-line center. The intriguing option will be Dalibor Dvorský, but he would have to be overly impressive in camp to claim the role as a 19-year-old rookie.
3. Will Dvorský make the roster?
It’s possible, but the fact the Blues do have the ability to assign Dvorský to AHL Springfield means there’s a decent chance he could start the year in the minors. Because he’s a Slovakian native who came to North America from a European league last year, the nine-game trial Canadian junior hockey players are subject to doesn’t apply to Dvorský.
If Dvorský doesn’t win the No. 2 center job, it wouldn’t seem to make much sense for Dvorský to be in the NHL. The Blues added a lot of depth to their bottom-six forward group this summer, so there’s going to be a lot of competition, and that’s probably not putting the No. 10 overall pick in 2023 in the best position to succeed.
4. Can Zack Bolduc crack the top-six forwards?
If you’re making a list of the players who could be in the Blues’ top-six forward group, it has to include Buchnevich, Thomas, Kyrou, Jake Neighbours and perhaps Schenn and/or Brandon Saad, too. That doesn’t leave a whole lot of room for Bolduc, 21, who was the team’s first-round pick in 2021.
However, Bolduc showed a lot of skill as a rookie last season, and Armstrong mentioned him by name this summer when discussing potential options for the top six. So it may be a challenge for Bolduc to come out of camp on a line with the Blues’ best offensive players, but if so, he could bring some firepower to the third line.
Second W of the weekend ✅ #stlblues pic.twitter.com/dgBmHDbxG2
— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) September 15, 2024
5. How will the bottom-six forwards shake out?
When the offseason began, the Blues’ forward depth in the bottom six included just a few names: Alexey Toropchenko, Oskar Sundqvist, Nathan Walker, Zach Dean and Nikita Alexandrov. Now a couple of those players may have trouble making the roster, after Armstrong acquired Dylan Holloway, Mathieu Joseph, Alexandre Texier, Radek Faksa and brought back Kasperi Kapanen.
Sundqvist may take some time to return from knee surgery, but there are still more players than spots available. Toropchenko, Holloway, Joseph, Texier and Faksa are shoo-ins, so when everyone is healthy, the others may be battling for what could be just one or two remaining roster spots. Dean has the most upside, but Walker and Kapanen have experience.
6. Does Philip Broberg start on the second pairing?
Armstrong pulled off quite a coup this offseason, landing defenseman Philip Broberg and Holloway via offer sheets from the Edmonton Oilers. Broberg, who is 6-foot-4, 212 pounds and can skate, is exactly the type of player the Blues have been hoping to add to their blue line.
With Torey Krug out for the season, it would seem logical for Broberg to open camp in the second pairing with Justin Faulk. He’s just 23 years old and has played in just 81 games, but as the NHL’s No. 8 overall pick in 2019, he can grow into that role. The question then becomes, if successful, could he eventually become Colton Parayko’s partner in the top pair?
7. How will Ryan Suter fit in?
There will be a lot of eyes on Ryan Suter as he switches teams for the third time in his 19-year career. He’s 39 years old, but he’s played the full 82-game season each of the past three years for the Dallas Stars, so he’s expected to suit up for the Blues.
However, what people will be watching is whether Suter has anything left in the tank. If he’s on the third pair with Matthew Kessel, they’ll be looking to see if the veteran can help the 23-year-old. And if he’s not in the lineup, can he keep a positive attitude around the Blues’ young defensemen?
8. Who are the odd men out on D?
Going into camp, the top four on defense will most likely include Parayko, Broberg, Faulk and Nick Leddy. If Suter and Kessel make up the third pair, then there could be as many as three depth guys competing for potentially one spot.
Scott Perunovich should be in the mix, especially if the Blues are planning to have him quarterback the power play. That leaves Pierre-Olivier “P.O.” Joseph and Tyler Tucker, and whether the club keeps seven or eight defensemen will determine if even one of those players makes the roster.
9. Who’s on the power play?
Though the Blues’ power play climbed from eight percent when Craig Berube was fired to 18 percent at the end of the 2023-24 season, the unit could only be classified as disastrous last season. It’ll be critical for the club to find the personnel who can execute on a regular basis and contribute to the offense.
We’ll see how the Blues divide up the groups in camp, but we should expect to see Neighbours in a net-front role after handling that so well last season. With Krug out, does Perunovich get the keys? Among the newcomers, Holloway is someone who has the ability to be on the power play, so it’ll be interesting to see if and where he slots in.
10. Will the Blues look faster?
Finally, one of Armstrong’s top priorities this offseason was to make the Blues’ roster faster. The Athletic recently chatted with former NHL coach Bruce Boudreau and an anonymous league scout, and both agreed the team does appear quicker on paper.
But will the improved speed on an individual basis mean the Blues are moving the puck up the ice faster than they have in the past? That comes down to structure and chemistry, not necessarily their feet. Training camp should give us an idea of the strides — literally — they’ve made.
(Photo of Drew Bannister and Pavel Buchnevich: Rick Ulreich / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
