The NHL season is starting, and for St. Louis that means Blues hockey.

After an exciting season that exceeded expectations, Blues fans should be optimistic about the upcoming season. The team is looking forward to another playoff berth and a serious run for the Stanley Cup.

This year’s team is largely similar team to last year’s, with a few additions. Making the playoffs is an expectation this year. This will be Jim Montgomery’s first year starting the season as the head coach. The Blues were excellent in his system, as they went 34-18-7 last year with him, one of the best teams in the NHL under Montgomery. Can they replicate this success with him again? With a new era of Blues approaching, the young and upcoming core is ready to make an impact in the NHL.

Junior Blues fan Aiden Valos said he has high expectations for the Blues this upcoming season. 

“They have a good chance at making the playoffs and should make a run for the Cup,” he said.

Longtime Blues fan and health teacher Jane Griesenauer is also optimistic about the upcoming season, but is realistic about what they can accomplish. 

“I am hopeful, but do not expect to win the division. I think they will make the playoffs,” she said.

Last season, the Blues went on a late-season playoff run, achieving a franchise-record 12-game win streak that helped clinch the second wild card spot and a playoff berth. With a 44-30-8 record, the Blues took the Presidents’ Trophy winner (Best record in the NHL), the Winnipeg Jets, to a seven-game series. The Blues ultimately blew a 3-1 lead in the final minutes, ending the season in heartbreaking fashion. 

Junior August Kurczynski says the end of last season was disappointing and a rough way to end the year.

“Coming back and making that run for it to end that way it did against the Jets, that really hurt. But I am excited to see how they respond and bounce back this year,” he said.

This offseason, the Blues added Pius Suter and Nick Bjugstad via free agency. They also acquired defenseman Logan Mailloux in exchange for Zach Bolduc via trade. With these additions, along with the promising young prospects coming up like Jimmy Snuggerud, Dalibor Dvorsky, and Otto Stenberg in the system, the Blues look to build on last year and go further this season. 

Greisenauer says many factors will ultimately affect their success.

“I think they need to be a very cohesive team; they need to be able to come together and work as one unit and have great chemistry,” she said.

Can the new wave of Blues players take the lead and step into their roles again? They will need to rely on top forwards such as Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou to have another great season, as both exceeded 70 points last year. Other young players who need to take a step forward are Jake Neighbors, Jimmy Snuggerud, and Dylan Holloway. The Blues lost Dylan Holloway in the final stretch, who had a career year in his first year in St. Louis, surpassing 60 points. Losing him had a drastic impact on the momentum the Blues had and affected their playoff series against Winnipeg.

Many Blues fans would agree that the main concern about the team is the defense. With the average age of 28, 3 core players are older than 30. Longtime-Blue Colton Parayko is 32, Justin Faulk is 33, and Cam Fowler–acquired last season–is also 33. They will need to replicate another solid season for the Blues to be competitive again. Goalie Jordan Binnington has been excellent during his time in St. Louis; he’s even better in the playoffs. If the Blues make the postseason, can he carry them on another Cup run? With Binnington, anything is possible.

Junior Andrew Heskett said he is looking forward to the upcoming season for St. Louis.

“Going to a Blues game is always fun, especially when they’re competitive. I’m excited to see how the season turns out this year,” he said.

With the additions and young talent, Blues games should be enjoyable to watch and attend. The team is set up to be competitive every night. Fans have plenty of reasons to be optimistic over the next few years for another shot at the Stanley Cup.