In 1967, the St. Louis Blues joined the NHL in its first ever league expansion; alongside teams like the Pittsburgh Penguins and Los Angeles Kings. Going into their 58th season, hopes are high for this team. Spearheaded by coach Jim Montgomery, a young core of forwards, and a handful of veterans. All eyes are on the Blues after their hot win-streak taking them into the Stanley Cup playoffs last year, and losing in a double overtime to the Jets in Game 7. After making additions and locking down some solid players, the Blues are ready to hunt for the cup once again.
After signing a 3-year, $18.3 million contract, 16-year NHL veteran Cam Fowler is ready for his first full season with the Blues. Starting in 2010, Fowler has spent a majority of career with Anaheim Ducks, leading the franchise in goals, assists, and games played.
“I like him, and I think it was a good decision,” Teddy Sommerich (9) said.
Fowler known for his reliability as a two way player, providing support on both sides of the ice with his incredible offensive skill, Similar to another young player that the Blues traded for in the offseason.
Traded for Zach Bolduc, Logan Mailloux is a 6-foot-3 defenseman who the Blues acquired from the Montreal Canadians in July.
“He’s pretty physical, you know? He can throw the body around and he’ll put up a couple points for us,” Liam Grams (9) said.
Mailloux is an intriguing young player who’s being given an amazing opportunity to prove he can consistently produce as a pro. He’s a successful minor league defender, showing promise with the Laval Rockets of the American Hockey League.
Unfortunately not all players are off to a hot start. Jordan Binnington, the Blues veteran goalie, gave up five goals in his first start playing against the Minnesota Wild in the season opener.
“I think we should really get rid of Binnington, I really do think we should pick up somebody else that would be worth our money,” Bobby Barber (11) said.
Given his difficult start to the year, the question of Binnington’s ability to stay the Blues’ starter for future season is questionable; as he’s been with the team since their 2019 playoff run and Stanley Cup team. While proving that he can be a shutdown keeper when the time calls, it’s still worth looking into putting Joel Hofer into the net until Binnington finds his groove.
While it’s too early to tell, the ship that the Blues have set sail looks like it’ll be a successful year.
