Blues general manager Doug Armstrong talks about training camp and how the team is shaping up. (Video courtesy of St. Louis Blues, edited by Jenna Jones.)
Short seasons make for long summers, and Drew Bannister had a long enough summer.
鈥淲e鈥檝e had too many moments to pause and think over the last four months,鈥 the Blues coach said following the first day of training camp. 鈥淚n the last week or so, have been just waiting around. We鈥檙e ready to go. As a group, we鈥檙e excited about it. We have a lot of belief in this group. We鈥檙e just excited to be here and get started.鈥
The Blues are trying to ensure their summer in 2025 is a bit shorter than the past two playoff-less years, hopefully boosted by an influx of younger, quicker talent and bolstered by a veteran group with NHL experience. They opened training camp Thursday morning at Centene Community Ice Center with that in mind, and buoyed by the enthusiasm of an active summer of transactions.
鈥淚t鈥檚 tough not making the playoffs two years in a row,鈥 Blues captain Brayden Schenn said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e going to push hard and keep on building something here in the locker room. We feel like we鈥檝e got a good team with a lot of depth that can push and give teams trouble each night. It鈥檚 early on, but we feel like we have good pieces.鈥
The start of training camp offers hope to every team in the league. No team has lost a game. No team has had their postseason or Stanley Cup dreams dashed. No player has been cut. No one鈥檚 unhappy with their time ice or their role on the team.
September brings optimism across the NHL, and that includes to a team looking for a postseason return for the first time since 2022.
鈥淲e鈥檙e excited as a group,鈥 Blues defenseman Colton Parayko said. 鈥淲e know in this locker room we have a really good team. We鈥檙e excited. Today, first day, you can see it鈥檚 competitive. A lot of good players. From a personal standpoint, just talking to a bunch of guys around the room that have been here for a while, we鈥檙e really excited. It鈥檚 going to be a great camp to start the year. Just looking forward to building as a group as the season goes on.鈥
Last season, the Blues finished six points out of a playoff spot in the Western Conference but were alive the postseason chase until game No. 80 of the season. They posted a 92-point season, up from the 81-point campaign they submitted in 2022-23. And under Bannister (who took over as an interim following the dismissal of Craig Berube, and then was named head coach over the summer), the Blues went 30-19-5, a 99-point pace across an entire season.
They鈥檝e bolstered their forward depth with the additions of Dylan Holloway, Mathieu Joseph, Alexandre Texier and Radek Faksa. They have former first-round picks Zack Bolduc, Zach Dean and Dalibor Dvorsky knocking on the door of the NHL.
On the back end, despite the loss of Torey Krug to season-ending ankle surgery, the Blues still have plenty of capable bodies. Philip Broberg, Ryan Suter and Pierre-Olivier Joseph enter the fold, as Scott Perunovich, Matthew Kessel and Tyler Tucker look to secure full-time jobs in the NHL.
Jordan Binnington and Joel Hofer return as the tandem in the net, one year after performing as one of the top five duos across the NHL.
鈥淲e鈥檙e certainly faster,鈥 Bannister said. 鈥淚 think we鈥檙e bigger, we鈥檙e heavier, so it鈥檚 going to allow us to play certainly a more aggressive game, which we wanted to do. We thought that was one of our deficiencies in our game, and certainly our deficiencies in all three zones. This lets us play a more aggressive, faster hockey game.鈥
The expectations seem to have changed a bit around St. Louis.
While last year was viewed as a transition year with a chance at a playoff spot, perhaps general manager Doug Armstrong and the Blues management has set the bar at the postseason, especially with unknowns up and down the Central Division. The Blues have only missed the playoffs three straight years once in their franchise history.
The first day of training camp brought no scrimmages, but some staples: defensive zone coverage walkthroughs, 1 on 1 battle drills and a hard skate to finish each of the three sessions. The Blues will get to see their players in action soon enough when they open the preseason on Saturday night in Dallas.
鈥淔or the first 30 minutes of practice, when the pace is high and there are some battle drills, I thought our guys executed,鈥 Bannister said. 鈥淚 thought we moved our feet. The pace is where you would expect it to be. I thought the competitive level was really good when we got into the battle drills.鈥