NHL.com is providing in-depth roster, prospect and fantasy analysis for each of the League’s 32 teams from Aug. 8-Sept. 8. Today, three important questions facing the St. Louis Blues.
[Blues 32 in 32: Season preview | Top prospects | Fantasy breakdown]
1. Can Jordan Binnington be counted on as the No. 1 goalie?
Binnington was 18-14-4 with a 3.13 goals-against average and .901 save percentage splitting the goalie duties. Ville Husso last season. But he came on strong in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, when he was 4-1 with a 1.72 GAA and .949 save percentage before sustaining a season-ending knee injury in the Western Conference Second Round against the Colorado Avalanche.
Now that the Blues have traded Husso to the Detroit Red Wings and brought in Thomas Greiss on a one-year contract, it’s Binnington’s net again, and the Blues will need him to perform at a high level to succeed, much like he did in the playoffs.
“I was feeling good, for sure,” Binnington said. “I think after [a] season like this one, it was definitely interesting and a year of experience for me, for sure. I really tried to put in the work and it kind of came to fruition towards the end. It’s unfortunate how it ended. I’ve got to just keep working.”
2. What will happen with Vladimir Tarasenko and Ryan O’Reilly this season, and moving forward?
Each forward has one season remaining on his contract and can become an unrestricted free agent.
Tarasenko played a full season for the first time since 2018-19 after a series of shoulder injuries that required multiple surgeries and will enter this season coming off an NHL career-high 82 points (34 goals, 48 assists). The 30-year-old has not publicly rescinded his request for a trade that he made prior to last season.
“I’m not concerned about ‘Vladi’ for next year at all,” general manager Doug Armstrong said. “I’m going to worry about ’23-24 a year from now.”
O’Reilly has said he would like to re-sign with St. Louis.
“Oh, absolutely,” the 31-year-old captain said after the season. “It’s a place I want to be. Yeah, it’s crazy going into a contract year. It feels like time kind of flew by. I’m sure we’ll try to figure something out.”
3. Can the Blues keep the Stanley Cup window open?
Since winning their first Stanley Cup title in 2019, the Blues have won one playoff series, against the Minnesota Wild in the Western Conference First Round last season.
After a second-round loss to the eventual-champion Colorado Avalanche, they felt steps were made in the right direction to get back to the top of the conference.
“Yeah, we’re definitely very close,” O’Reilly said. “…Obviously we didn’t beat Colorado, but the confidence in the group around and talking to guys, we know we can give ourselves a better chance to win and be right there, so it’s going to come down to having a good summer, being in shape, getting healthy and ready to start right again.”
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