After suffering what may be the most gut-wrenching loss in National Hockey League history to the Winnipeg Jets, choking a 3-1 lead in game seven, the tying goal coming with 1.7 seconds left, then a Double Overtime goal from Adam Lowry, solidified the biggest choke in modern hockey history.
However, similar to their magical 2019 Stanley Cup run, not many saw the Blues as playoff contenders early in the season. St. Louis lost 13 of its first 22 games, and head coach Drew Bannister caught the brunt of the fire from fans and the front office as he was fired on Nov.24, and former Blues Assistant Coach David Montgomery was hired.
Montgomery was fired as the Head Coach of the Boston Bruins just four days before he took up the role of Head Coach with the Blues. His firing from the Bruins hit the league as a surprise. “Monty” led Boston to a record-breaking 65-win season in 2022-2023 and got them to the playoffs in both full seasons he served as Head Coach. The firing came as a response to their 8-9-3 start, and the front office hoped it would give the team a jolt to push into the playoffs. Long story short, they did not feel that jolt as the Bruins finished the season 33-39-10, missing the playoffs.
After the Blues scooped up Montgomery, the team skyrocketed, going 35-18-7 in their final 60 games, sneaking into the playoffs as the second wildcard team.
Although they fell short in heartbreaking fashion, St. Louis seems to be on the up and up. Their young core that includes Jordan Kyrou, Robert Thomas and Jake Neighbors are all entering their primes, and players like Jimmy Snuggerud, Dalibor Dvorsky and Tyler Tucker are carving their place in this young team.
With the current players getting better and young players developing fast, that would be enough to significantly improve; however, General Manager Doug Armstrong felt differently.
The first move he made in the offseason was trading young forward Zach Bulduc to the Montreal Canadiens for defenseman Logan Mallioux. This move shocked some, but overall makes sense. The forward core of the Blues was deep and too crowded, which stopped Dvorsky and Snuggerud from getting valuable minutes.
After the trade, the Blues signed two free agents, Center Nick Bjugstad and Center Pius Suter, two solid moves to add more depth to their scoring core.
Overall, the Blues have improved. I see no reason they won’t perform better in the 2025-2026 season in just a matter of weeks.