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2024-25 St. Louis Blues Predictions and Odds to Win Stanley Cup Finals

by Ryan Cobbett - 9/25/2024

St. Louis Blues predictions Jake Neighbours

After posting a 92-point season last year, the St. Louis Blues fell short of the playoff picture for the second year in a row. The Blues struggled on the road last season, going just 18-19-4 away from home ice while finishing with a -11-goal differential. Despite their average play throughout the season, they dominated the Pacific Division, going 16-5-3 against their Western Conference counterparts.

Tallying goals was a problem for St. Louis last season, as they ranked 24th in the NHL with a 2.85 GF/G average. Their special teams weren’t any better, as they also ranked 24th in PP%, cashing in on just 18% of their man advantage chances. As for the penalty kill, the Blues finished 79.1% PK%, which ranked in the middle of the league. Center Robert Thomas led the Blues last season with 86 points and 60 assists. His 60 assists put him in the Top 15 in the NHL in that category. Jordan Kyrou led the team with 31 goals, while finishing second in points with 67. Pavel Buchnevich rounded out the Top Three on the Blues with 63 points. Blueliner Torey Krug finished with a team worst -31 +/- differential, which was also the 12th worst mark in the league.

As for the goaltending, the Blues ranked in the top half of the NHL. They allowed 3.02 GA/G, despite having the fourth best SV% in the NHL (.913). They tallied four shutouts and had the eight most shot attempts against them. Jordan Binnington appeared in 57 games, recording a 28-21-5 record while allowing just 2.84 GA/G on a .913 SV%. His backup, Joel Hofer, posted similar numbers in his 30 appearances, allowing 2.65 GA/G with a .914 SV%.

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Seasons come and go, so now it’s time to take a look at what we can expect from the St. Louis Blues in 2024-25:

St. Louis Blues Key Additions/Losses

The offseason was a quiet one for the Blues with minimal movement. They traded away forward Kevin Hayes (29 points) and a 2025 second-round pick to the Penguins in exchange for future considerations. Sammy Blais, who recorded seven points in 53 games, is the only other player who saw significant ice time to find a new home.

They did add more than they lost this offseason, though the additions were still a bit mild. They acquired forwards Alexandre Texier (30 points), Radek Faksa (19 points), and Mathieu Joseph (35 points) in trades throughout the summer, while they also brought in Mathieu’s brother Pierre-Oliver Joseph (11 points) and Ryan Suter (17 points) via free agency.

St. Louis Blues X-Factors

Development of the Top Line- With Jake Neighbours, Robert Thomas, and Jordan Kyrou all 26 or younger, these guys still have some time to develop before their prime years. Thomas and Kyrou have already proven they can produce at a high level. And if Neighbours can stay healthy, he can significantly boost the offense as 30 goal potential player. They have a reliable second line with Brandon Saad (26 goals), Brayden Schenn (20 goals), and Pavel Buchnevich (27 goals). Therefore, if the top line can elevate their play, then the Blues may have a formidable offensive attack.

Front Office- This team is not quite playoff material, so what the Blues front office decides to do throughout the season leading up to the deadline is crucial to the route St. Louis will take this season. They have some attractive trade pieces that could bring in a nice return. However, if the Blues are a fringe playoff team, they may be buyers and try and get over the hump and into the wild card spot.

St. Louis Blues Goalie Outlook

The Blues goalie tandem will return for the ensuing campaign, with backup netminder Joel Hofer expected to get more starts after producing solid numbers last season. Binnington has recorded 115 starts over the last two seasons for the Blues and he saw significant improvement from the 2022-23 season, where he allowed 3.31 GA/G on a career worst .894 SV%. The Blues may benefit from handing Hofer 5-10 more starts, as that could improve Binnington’s numbers. It is important to remember that Binnington’s best season was in 2019-20 where he started just 50 games and posted a .927 SV% and allowed 2.57 GA/G. The Blues netminding is at worst case, reliable.

Grade: B-

St. Louis Blues Key Schedule Stretch

The First Half- As mentioned, the crucial part of the Blues season comes in the first half as their performance through the first 35-40 games will determine their course of action at the trade deadline and the weeks leading up. If the Blues can put up a big first half, then they will add at the deadline to try and boost their way into the playoffs. If not, they will kick the can down the road and try to compete in 2025.

St. Louis Blues Notable Odds

Stanley Cup Champions: +6500

Conference Winner: +3400

Division Winner: +2300

To Make the Playoffs- Yes: +168

Vezina Trophy- Jordan Binnington: +3000

Hart Trophy- Jordan Kyrou: +20000

Jack Adams Award- Drew Bannister: +4500

St. Louis Blues Prediction

I think the Blues will finish around the same point total as they did last season. Even though it’s minimal, they did improve on paper through their offseason transactions which makes a six, or more, point regression unlikely. The over 86.5 team point total is the way to go for St. Louis, however, that may be the only good look for this team. They will come up short in the playoff race, especially with Minnesota and Nashville improving. This team is still a year or two away from being competitive again.

Over 86.5 Team Total Points

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