The St. Louis Blues will have a bit of a different roster in 2024-25. They’ve added multiple players to their forward group and blue line this summer via both free agency and trade. Overall, I expect that to be healthy for the future of the franchise and the team on the ice this season.
However, the club’s most important players are ones who were on the roster last season, in my opinion. Let’s take a look at the three most important Blues in 2024-25.
Pavel Buchnevich
I thought about putting Robert Thomas here, but he’ll be as good as the club needs him to be. A massive factor in this season will be the play of Pavel Buchnevich, who could find himself playing in the second-line center role. If he can be an effective center, this team could be much better than expected. In his first two seasons in St. Louis, Buchnevich was elite, scoring 143 points in 136 games. Last season wasn’t as good as the two seasons prior, but he’s still a good player and I’d bet on him to rebound in 2024-25. He has the passing and scoring ability to work as a center. I expect him to play a major special teams role this season as well.
One of the most important things for the Blues this season will be center reliability behind Thomas, and Buchnevich may be thrust into that role. General manager Doug Armstrong invested in him after extending his contract for six more years. He has to be both versatile and productive this season.
Justin Faulk
I wanted to choose at least one defenseman for this article, so I went with Justin Faulk. Another option could be Colton Parayko, but I believe Faulk is the right choice. The Blues desperately need him to return to the form that he had a couple of years ago. He could not stay healthy last season after being mostly available in his first four seasons in St. Louis.
The Blues need him to be both a point producer and a solid defender. His best seasons with the club featured those two things. If he can return to 2021-22 form, where he scored 16 goals and was a plus-41, the defense will be in a good spot.
Related: Blues Adding Oilers’ Broberg & Holloway Changes Expectations for 2024-25 Season
I presume he’ll be paired with either Nick Leddy, Philip Broberg, or Ryan Suter to start the season, which should put him in a solid spot. Of course, I think he’d fit better with Broberg or Suter, but that’s for the coaching staff…
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