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St. Louis Blues 2024-25 NHL Season Preview | The Hockey Writers Roundtable
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Sep 13, 2024
Host Matthew Zator welcomes St. Louis Blues writer Ethan Carter to The Hockey Writers Roundtable to preview the upcoming 2024-25 NHL season. 0:00 Intro 1:03 New Addition - Dylan Holloway 2:24 Forwards - Big Storylines/Burning Questions 4:28 Blues' Defense 7:28 Goaltending - Binnington & Hofer 9:30 Expectations for Head Coach Drew Bannister 11:22 How do the Blues stack up in the Central Division? Quick Fire 13:43 Biggest Storyline/Question Mark Going Into 2024-25 14:03 Breakout Stars 14:29 One Player That Needs to Bounce Back 14:50 Potential X-Factors 15:33 Rookie/Prospect That Could Surprise & Make the Team 16:00 Prospects to Watch 16:38 Who will lead the team in scoring (forwards & defense)?
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0:00
Hello, everybody, and welcome into another season preview show here at the Hockey Riders YouTube channel
0:06
I'm your host, Matthew Zator, and we are up to the St. Louis Blues here on our previews
0:10
And I've got Ethan Carter here, who covers the Blues. He's a substack, lots of other stuff here on the site
0:16
How's it going, Ethan? Pretty good, Matthew. How are you doing? Doing great
0:21
Hockey's just around the corner. It's been a long summer. It was pretty quiet for a while
0:26
And then all of a sudden, a bunch of stuff happened. Of course, involved the blues
0:30
putting an offer sheet to the oilers who didn't match and they got their two players that they wanted
0:36
So we'll talk about them. But yeah, the Blues didn't make the playoffs last season and then made some changes in the off season to hopefully maybe do a retool on the fly a bit maybe and see if they can make it back into the playoff picture this season
0:50
But let's just, let's jump right in because like I said, there's been a few things that have happened in the last couple weeks that have changed a bit
0:59
and they've been in the news quite a bit. So I want to start. Let's start with Dylan Holloway because he's the newest blue having that offer sheet
1:08
What do you think about him? First of all, let's talk about that offer sheet because were you surprised by it
1:14
Were you surprised that they actually got Holloway in the end? Well, between the two, between the two players that they offer sheeted, which would obviously
1:23
Holloway and Broberg, I definitely thought that Holloway would be the more likely that Edmonton
1:27
would match. I think there's something to the fact that it's probably an overpay for both
1:34
but that's kind of what you have to do with offer sheets. And Holloway, I think, will be a good fit with the Blues
1:40
Because I think he's a guy who's going to play second or third line minutes. I think he'll mesh well with the way the Blues play
1:48
And I think there's a legitimate chance that he kind of has a breakout season this year
1:52
and maybe scores, you know, 25 goals. We saw Jake Neighbors do it with the Blues last season
1:58
So I think Holloway is going to be a really, really solid edition
2:02
Maybe the best addition of the offseason. They've had a bunch of them, none of them gigantic additions
2:07
I think Holloway could be the best of the bunch. Yeah, he's really young, still hasn't hit his potential at all in the NHL yet
2:16
And it could be part of this core group moving forward of whatever the core is going to look like, at least
2:24
What do you think about the rest of the forward group going to the season? You mentioned Jake Neighbors, of course, you know, coming in, had a really good season last year
2:32
Of course, they're returning a lot of the same forwards coming back
2:36
Pavabuchenevich, of course, you know, he's still that big part of the team
2:41
There was talk that he could have been traded. Obviously, didn't happen. What do you think about this group
2:46
They added Matthew Joseph to Alexander Texier in the bottom six. What do you think about the forwards here
2:53
They've really kind of shured up the depth, you know. they've got almost an entirely new bottom six, it seems
2:59
I mean, if you looked right now at the projected lineup that a lot of people have
3:04
you'd have Holloway in the bottom six and the third line. You'd have Radic Foxa down the middle of the third line
3:09
You'd have Texier on a wing, Joseph on a wing. So a lot of changes to the forward group
3:14
A little surprise that Buchennevich and Sade weren't guys that they would have considered trading
3:20
Buzonovich obviously gets the extension. Armstrong obviously likes him a lot. Obviously there's a lot there, you know, in the way of
3:26
of being a two-way forward. He's very good. Last season wasn't as good as his first couple
3:29
seasons with the Blues, but I think they think he can figure it out. And then Sods
3:34
coming off a really good year, and he's a good guy to have on the team. I mean, he fits really
3:39
well, but I would have thought the Blues, but at least try to move one of those guys out, maybe make way for maybe a Dalibor Dvorsky or a Zachary Bull Duke to jump right into the
3:48
lineup as the season starts, but it looks like they're going to roll with those guys in Springfield
3:52
And I think the forward group is much improved because they have kind of a a much more legitimate bottom six than they had last season
3:59
So I think that'll help them a lot this year. For sure
4:03
I mean, depth-wise, they are definitely a lot deeper. Guys that can maybe even jump into the top six, like Dylan Holloway
4:11
he did that in Edmonton, too, or he would play in, you know
4:15
with some of the star, more of the better players. So, yeah, he could potentially be more of a difference maker in the top of the lineup, too
4:22
But we'll see where that goes if he can mesh right away
4:26
into the lineup. All right, moving to the defense, of course, Philip Roper getting added there
4:32
He the biggest edition you know Ryan Suter a later edition here after being bought out by the Dallas Stars So I mean that a veteran guy that seems to never it seems like he never aging he aging but it doesn look like he aging
4:48
What do you think about this, the defense group going in? Well, it's kind of been the, the Achilles heel of the team for the past couple years
4:56
It's kind of been a reason why they haven't had any success. And they weren't really that good defensively a couple years ago when they last made the playoffs
5:01
but they scored a lot of goals. Like Justin Falk had 16 goals that season
5:07
Colton Brayco was good last season. I think he kind of found himself again. Nick Letty is kind of what he is at this point
5:14
Like he's a good skater, but there's obviously limitations there. Defensively, I think Broberg's a really exciting addition because if you look at, you know
5:20
the Edmonton Oilers run, Philip Broberg was probably their second or third best defenseman
5:25
towards the end. Like Bouchard, Echholm, Broberg, I think was kind of the three there
5:30
So that's an exciting condition. Obviously, $4 million a year is 4.5 million a year's a bit much
5:39
but you got to do what you got to do with an offer sheet. I don't think there's any way Edmonton was going to be able to match that one
5:44
I think he'll be a good fit. I'd be very curious to see if the Blues roll with Broberger, Suter, with Pareco
5:50
Because I think Suter is a guy that could be really, really good with Pereko
5:54
because you look at Perico's best seasons, he had Jay Beaumaster with him. And Jay Beaumaster, old veterans
6:00
defensemen, steady, solid. I think Suter can be that with Poreko. I don't know if Suter can play the minutes that that position might require
6:08
But it's an interesting decor. They have a little bit more flexibility this year. We'll see if here Olivier Joseph fits in the lineup at some point
6:17
Perunovich still there. Obviously, Perunovic is going to be much more needed now with Krug being out for the season
6:22
And you just got to hope that Letty can be solid enough
6:27
And then Falk has a bit of a bounceback. the bread and butter of this team, I think, is going to be goal scoring and goaltending
6:34
So the defense is what it is at this point. I don't think it's great
6:38
I think it's going to be a little bit better this year. I think they have a little bit more dependability on the left side
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especially with, you know, crew really struggled last season. Scandella is, I mean, suitors and upgrade over Scandela, in my opinion
6:49
So the D is a little bit better, but they still can't rely on it to get where they want to go
6:56
Yeah, I mean, they've got a lot of high-priced guys still out there
7:00
And we'll see how it all kind of plays out. But Broberg is an interesting one
7:04
I think, again, a guy that could grow in with a core group because of his age, he's
7:10
really young still. So I don't know what upside he's got. I mean, four point, I mean, four million is a little much for him at this point
7:18
But you had to. I mean, they had to put a big money thing on it so that the oilers couldn't match because
7:24
it was lower they probably could have. So all right, moving to the goaltending
7:29
it didn't change. Jordan Binnington, still the starter, Joel Hoffer, the backup
7:34
Are you good with the goaltending at this point? You said it's a strength of the team
7:39
So is it something that could be good this year again? Yeah
7:44
it's going to be, if this team wants to get back into the playoffs, their goal thing needs to be what it was last season
7:49
Like both guys had good seasons. Binnington kind of found himself again
7:54
Hofer is, I think, going to be really good in this league. I mean, Benning to 9-13 last season, 28 wins, kind of finding what he was, you know
8:05
maybe four years ago, maybe not that good. I mean, this was his best save percentage season of his career if you don't count the 32 games
8:12
played in the Stanley Cup season, which you should count. But he had a really good season last year
8:18
And for him to do that behind a blues defense that is kind of notoriously not great
8:23
I think is enormous. The goal scoring is going to be, like
8:30
if the goal thing is the same this year's it was last year where both guys were good, the goal scoring, if they can score more goals, they should be in the playoffs
8:36
Like last year, they weren't a very good team. They didn't score enough goals
8:40
They were 24th in the league in goals four. They still had 92 points, 43, 33, and 6
8:45
And if, you know, they were in a different part of the country, maybe in the East Coast, they would have been in the playoffs
8:51
So the goal. scoring has got to get better but the goaltending i feel i think it's the most reliable strength of the team
8:59
i think yeah i think so too i mean definitely bennington looked a lot better than he did in a cup
9:06
what a season from before that so they were talking about he may not be the goaltender uh for the blue so that a good sign because I don know who else they going to get to be their starter
9:19
So Hoffer could eventually be that. I mean, he may be the goaltender of the future
9:24
But all right. Before we move to the division conversation here, the head coach, Drew Bannister is now
9:32
the coach to start the season. He was, of course, hires the interim and then signed to your extension
9:38
in May. So what do you think about him being the coach to start the season? That can make a big
9:45
difference, him kind of starting fresh and not mid-season. Yeah, I think it's going to be good
9:52
in a couple aspects. I thought with the young players, like a Jake Neighbors or a Zachary
9:59
Bullduke when he came up and some of the younger defensemen, I thought he did a good job
10:03
You know, being an AHL coach, it makes sense. It definitely wasn't my first
10:08
choice, you know, in the offseason, whenever they had kind of a coaching search
10:12
I was, there was a couple names that I liked a little bit more. But I understand what they're doing
10:18
I mean, it's only a two-year extension. I think they'll see how the next few years go reassess
10:23
Obviously, you're going to have Alexander Steen taking over his GM in a couple of years
10:27
so that'll change things a little bit. We'll see how he feels about it. I think Bannister did a good job last year
10:32
I think he did fine, maybe a little bit better than I expected. I mean, he went 30, 19, and 5, which there's always some sort of a little bit
10:38
bump usually when you bring in an interim head coach. But I think he did enough to earn it, but it just wasn't my first choice
10:46
I understand, though, why Armstrong did what he did. And I think it's not going to affect whether the Blues make the playoffs or not
10:52
I think he'll be good enough if they do make the playoffs. And even if they don't, I think most people won't blame him
10:59
So it's a fine hire. It's not great. It's not bad. But it makes a lot of sense, I think
11:06
I think so, too. I mean, he did an okay job with that. Two years isn't a big thing, like he said
11:12
And I think Steen will probably reassess it and hire his own head coach when he becomes GM
11:18
So I think that's probably something coming down the line. All right
11:21
Looking at the division, the central division is a tough one. You got the top heavy
11:27
It's pretty top heavy, I think at this point still. You got the Jets. You got the stars
11:32
You've got the Avalanche and now the Predators who added two ridiculously good players
11:37
Where do the blues fall in here? Are they in the middle? Do they have a chance? I don't know if they, I mean, do they have a chance to kind of push into that top part or are they kind of mid-range
11:49
Yeah, I think kind of four through six is where I would put them right now. I think they're better than Minnesota. I think they're better than Utah. I think they're better than Chicago. And I think Nashville, I don't know if Nashville is going to be quite as good as their upgrades suggest they should be
12:07
don't think both Winnipeg and Colorado will be as good as they were last year. I think they're all
12:13
playoff teams. I could very, I could see a scenario where the Central has both wildcard teams
12:19
Because I think if you look at the Pacific, I mean, Calgary, Anaheim, San Jose, Seattle, I would almost
12:26
rule out right now. And then who knows about L.A. and, you know, but I think the blues will be a
12:34
legitimate contender for a wild card spot. I don't see them pushing into the top three
12:39
That would be a little bit surprising, but I think they'll be right around where
12:44
Vegas, Nashville, and L.A. were last year in points, which is like right around the
12:48
hundred mark. Those teams, L.A. at 99, Nashville at 99, Vegas at 98
12:53
So I think they'll be right around there. Whether that's good enough to make the playoffs this year, we'll see
12:57
It was last year. So I think they'll obviously be an improved team
13:03
It'd be hard for them not to be. unless something went terribly wrong
13:06
But I think they're definitely middle of the pack. I think there's three teams are definitely better than
13:11
and then after that they're kind of in the mix, in the middle. Yeah, so they're going to be fighting for those wildcard spots right at the end of the season
13:19
So it's going to be, yeah, it's just a tough league. I mean, there's so many teams that got better in the off season
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And the parody is really big in the league right now, which is great
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I mean, you love the competitiveness. So we'll see. how the blues do
13:36
All right, let's look, do our quick fire round here, and these are all just quick questions
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one or two sentence answers. So let's start with the biggest storyline
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question mark going into the season for the blues I think it is can the center position be good outside of Robert Thomas Yeah that definitely one
13:57
I mean, you need at least two really good centers for this league now
14:02
All right, one or two breakout stars? I'm going to go Dylan Holloway and
14:08
I just do Holloway and Broberg. Why not? That might make Edmont fans upset
14:15
There you go. I think Holloway is definitely a big one. I think he definitely gets some..
14:22
I think he's going to get some time in the top six. And of course, power play
14:25
He'll be on there too. So we'll see. All right, someone that needs to bounce back from last season
14:32
I would say, I mean, it's hard to not go with one of Kairu or Butchnevich
14:39
so I can't remember if I could choose one. I mean, I'll say, yeah, I'll say both
14:44
I think it's fair. That'd be good if both of them could because that would be a big thing
14:49
All right. Someone or something that could be an X factor this season
14:55
I'm going to say the Colton Pereko D partner because I think if they have that shutdown number one pairing that takes the kind of changes things because all good teams have that
15:05
Yeah, for sure. You think Broberg could be part of that? Yeah, I think it's got to be Broberg or Souter because we've done the Letty Pereko thing
15:13
I don't think that's ever going to become that. it's a little bit too weak on the left side, but I think shooter or robert are perfect candidates to try that with
15:20
Yeah, veteran and a rookie young guy. So that's a good thing
15:26
All right. Let's talk about some prospects. And of course, the Blues have quite a few good ones coming
15:33
Do you think any of them that could surprise and make the lineup? There's not a lot of room for these guys
15:37
like you said with some of the guys that didn't move out. But who could do it
15:42
Yeah, I don't know if there's going to be anyone, if I'm going to choose one, I'll say Delaibor D'Adivorski impresses in the camp and preseason
15:51
Yeah, it's a good one. He's probably, I don't know if he's their top prospect right now
15:56
He's one of them. He's in that mix for sure. All right, anyone else that people should be watching, that probably won't make the team
16:04
but should be watching throughout the season. I would say Zachary Bullduke, who was pretty good last season with the team
16:10
but he'll certainly start in Springfield, I would think. and then I'll go Theo Linstein
16:17
who is the defenseman first round pick last year from Sweden. I think he's pretty legit
16:24
Yeah, I think Linstein's one guy. I know Peter really likes. He's talking about him on Prospect Corner
16:28
He actually talked about him in the last episode on the prospect ranking. So, yeah, check out that episode
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You get more about him. All right. Who will lead the team in scoring at Forward and Defense
16:43
For it, I'm going to go Robert Thomas again at 86 points last year
16:48
I think he'll pretty much be the same player. Hard not to see that happening
16:54
Defensively, I'm going to make a bold prediction because this guy hasn't stayed healthy
17:01
but Krug is gone. So I'm going to say Scott Perunovic racks up a ton of assists
17:06
And he gets it done. It's going to be close. There you go
17:10
That'd be a pretty big thing. and he's a guy that could probably a candidate for a breakout star, I guess, too, on defense
17:18
All right, you said bold prediction. So do you want to give another one? Bold prediction, hot take for this season
17:25
I'm going to say, I want to say Jordan Bennington wins Zvezna
17:32
Pretty bold. He'd have to beat out a few other guys that have been running too
17:38
We'll see. It's probably too bold, but that's fine. he does, who knows
17:43
Who knows? He definitely could. Yeah. I think that defense needs to be better in front of him too
17:48
Yeah. Yeah. All right. Well, thanks, Ethan, for coming on the show and talking about the blues season coming up
17:55
I think it's going to be a better one this season than last and probably won't have to
17:59
trade a ton of guys this time. And we'll see how it all goes
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But make sure to check on everything at the hoggarers.com. We got lots of preview content out there already
18:09
And, of course, throughout the prison and the regular season, we'll have stuff too. And check out the substack, which gives you all the best articles from the blues
18:17
And of course, all the other teams have them too. But check out all that at Hockhurst.com
18:23
and the substack. But until our next preview, we'll see you next time
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