3 Things Blues Must Do Before the Midpoint – The Hockey Writers – St Louis Blues
The St. Louis Blues are nearly halfway through the season, have fallen out of contention for a playoff spot, and must make serious adjustments, adding or subtracting assets, to prepare the team for the future. Here’s what management needs to do before the new year.
Binnington and Kyrou should engage in trade talks
Prior to this period, there were rumors that goaltender Jordan Binnington was a trade target for the Edmonton Oilers, but that was quickly dismissed by hockey insider Elliotte Friedman on Sportsnet’s Hockey Headlines. In addition, Jordan Kyrou had been mentioned in multiple trade rumors, but he suffered a lower body injury against the Ottawa Senators on December 6. However, the Blues should consider trading Binnington and Kyrou, or at least find out which teams are willing to make offers for them.
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Binnington is valuable as a former Stanley Cup champion and could potentially play for Team Canada in the 2026 Winter Olympics in February. Kyrou, on the other hand, is a top-six forward capable of scoring 30 goals. Jesse Courville-Lynch discussed a potential trade that would send Kilou and Binnington to the Montreal Canadiens with some colleagues at THW.
THW Blues writer Andrew Willis told Courville-Lynch that the trade would have to include some high draft picks, like a conditional first-round pick and a second-round pick, and the Blues would also have to bring in some players from the Canadiens to balance the salary cap situation, so we’ll go with the players Courville-Lynch suggested in the mock trade: Jake Evans, Samuel Montembeault and Joshua Roy.
I think this move is feasible and beneficial to both teams. That would help the Canadiens prepare for the playoffs and allow the Blues to give up Binnington’s $6 million contract for this season and next. The Blues will also eliminate Kyrou’s $8.125 million salary cap hit, which will last until the 2031 offseason. This deal can be completed by both teams before the Olympic break.
Give Hofer more starting time
The Blues have trusted Binnington enough to play in 50 or more games over the past three seasons. He was also a starter for Team Canada in the Four Nations tournament. This season, he started 18 games, but was not as strong as expected, with a record of 7 wins, 7 draws and 5 losses, a goals against average (GAA) of 3.29, a save percentage (SV%) of 0.875, and no shutouts.
Behind him is Joel Hofer, the Blues’ most popular goalie, who has been a decent netminder with a 3.11 GAA, .893 SV% and earned the team’s only two shutouts despite a 4-5-2 record. It’s surprising that the Blues haven’t given Hofer more playing time since he has played two full seasons, including a 16-8-3 record last season and a save percentage over .900 the past two seasons.
There’s no denying that Binnington still deserves priority playing time. But if head coach Jim Montgomery lets Hofer play a little more, it will ease Binnington’s workload during this tough season. It will also help prepare Hofer for a starting role in case management of the decision to move Binnington.
Blues must change defensive DNA
The Blues’ defensive issues can be traced back to last season’s playoffs. They’ve allowed the fourth-most goals against the league (102) and the eighth-most defensive errors (212), according to MoneyPuck – with their backline in dire need of improvement.
General manager Doug Armstrong could start by trading guards Justin Faulk or Logan Melux. Faulk is reliable and will contribute to the team whenever and wherever needed. He is a veteran with a deep understanding of the game and will be a valuable addition to a contending team in need of defensive help.
As for Melux, he hasn’t lived up to expectations since arriving in St. Louis via the trade for Zachary Bolduc, who has 19 goals in the 2024-25 season. Even after the Blues sent him to the Springfield Thunderbirds of the American Hockey League (AHL), his performance remained mediocre and he only scored one point with the Blues this season. He has played in just 17 games this season but hasn’t shown any upside that might attract interest from other teams. Mallooks needs to join a team with a stronger defensive system since his skating isn’t the best and the Blues’ two-way system isn’t working for him.
Ultimately, the Blues, currently in 12th place in the Western Conference after 31 games, must figure out which of these three scenarios can help them get better in the second half. Will they trade away their Stanley Cup-winning goaltender and elite winger, start off the bench more often, or sell a veteran or a new addition who hasn’t found success yet? Luckily, Armstrong knows how to find the right deal when desperate moments like these arise.
