The Blues’ defensive corps underwent changes on the fly this season, but it finished in a good place. The goaltending underwent no changes and it, too, ended on a strong note.
On the blue line, general manager Doug Armstrong added, then subtracted, Pierre-Olivier Joseph. Perennial prospect Scott Perunovich was offloaded as well. Matthew Kessel returned to the AHL for more work. Nick Leddy was injured for much of the season. Philip Broberg and Colton Parayko also missed notable time to injury.
Armstrong transformed the group with the blockbuster addition of Cam Fowler. Along the way Broberg, Leddy and Parayko got healthy, and Tyler Tucker emerged as a reliable option for the third pairing under coach Jim Montgomery.
Meanwhile the goaltending tandem of Jordan Binnington and Joel Hofer produced largely as team hoped, with Hofer shouldering a bigger load as the back-up and Binnington ending the postseason in peak form. But overall they took a step back from 2023-24, when they combined to save nearly 27 goals above expected.
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Here are the season grades:
Defensemen
St. Louis Blues’ Cam Fowler (17) controls the puck in front of Winnipeg Jets’ Mark Scheifele (55) during the first period in Game 3 of an NHL hockey first-round playoff series, Thursday, April 24, 2025, in St. Louis.
Scott Kane – FR171020 AP
Cam Fowler
Talk about a player who exceeded expectations … wow. Fowler produced nine goals, 26 assists and a plus-19 rating in 51 games after arriving in a trade with the Anaheim Ducks. His playmaking was high end. He became an offensive catalyst in 5-on-5 play while earning 10 primary assists. Fowler also produced eight power-play points in his quarterback role. Fowler finished the year on the top pairing with Parayko while handling the toughest matchups. He was outstanding in the playoffs while producing two goals, eight assists and a plus-2 rating. The Blues can’t than the Anaheim Ducks enough for gifting them Fowler.
St. Louis Blues defenseman Colton Parayko (55) clears the puck in third period action of Game 6 of the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs against the Winnipeg Jets on Friday, May 2, 2025, at Enterprise Center.
Laurie Skrivan, Post-Dispatch
Colton Parayko
He was enjoying his best season before suffering his knee injury in March. Parayko joined Binnington to help Canada earn the title at the 4 Nations Face-Off event. After scoring 26 points (10 goals, 16 assists) a year ago, he scored at a 46-point pace this season while finishing plus-12. Of his career-high 16 goals, 15 came at even strength as he aggressively jumped up into the play. His expected plus-minus was 2.1, up from minus-29 for the previous two seasons. The standard complaint against Parayko is his lack of physicality, but he remained effective in his shutdown role while playing the most time (23:45 per game) and the toughest minutes on the team. He led the defensemen with 92 hits in 64 games. He shouldered a 56.8 percent penalty-killing share, exceeded 63.0 percent defensive zone starts for the fourth straight season, and blocked 149 shots. He finished the playoffs with a goal, five assists and a plus-4 rating. He’s not Scott Stevens or Chris Pronger, but he remains a sturdy cornerstone for this team.
Blues defenseman Philip Broberg (6) shoves Jets defenseman Neal Pionk (4) during a scrum in third-period action of Game 6 of their first-round Stanley Cup playoffs series Friday, May 2, 2025, at Enterprise Center.
Laurie Skrivan, Post-Dispatch
Philip Broberg
In his first 81 NHL games, Broberg produced just two goals and 11 assists. He broke through as a Blue with eight goals, 21 assists and a plus-21 rating in 68 games while putting his elite puck-rushing skills to work. He had a supporting role killing penalties, with a 37.6 percent share, and he ranked fourth among Blues defensemen with 20:30 average time on ice. Broberg did his much of his offensive damage early on, scoring twice and earning seven assists in his first 11 games. After missing most of November with injury, his power-play opportunities diminished, and his scoring pace slowed. Broberg finished at a 35-point pace overall in the regular season, then had a goal, an assist and a plus-9 rating in the playoffs. He established himself as a key piece to the new team nucleus.
Blues defenseman Ryan Suter blocks a shot by Devils forward Jack Hughes during a game Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024, at Enterprise Center.
Allie Schallert, Post-Dispatch
Ryan Suter
This ageless wonder became quite the bargain after signing his one-year free-agent deal. Suter logged Top 4 minutes for much of the season’s first half, helping the Blues overcome the injuries to Broberg and Leddy. He was a critical penalty killer with a 52.4 percent share of the workload. He played with a deceptive edge, using cross-checks and slashes to defend his ice. Suter, who turned 40 in January, fell back into a third-pairing role for much of the season’s second half. Then he was a healthy scratch twice in the playoffs, with Tucker playing ahead of him. In the five postseason games Suter played, his average time on ice slipped to 16:54. Still, he earned praise from Armstrong and Montgomery for the leadership he brought the group.
Blues defenseman Tyler Tucker waits for the puck drop for a faceoff during a game against the Red Wings on Tuesday, April 1, 2025, at Enterprise Center.
Allie Schallert, Post-Dispatch
Tyler Tucker
He failed to make the team out of training camp under Drew Bannister. He returned to the AHL for more work. But he later earned a semi-regular role under Jim Montgomery. Tucker is the team’s biggest hitter on this blue line and he’s the most willing fighter on this team. He didn’t put up big offensive numbers (three goals, four assists in 38 games) this season, but Montgomery lauded his ability to get shots on goal. Tucker has improved his ability to defend the rush, but he lacks the skating ability to log big 5-on-5 minutes against top lines. But he earned a 26.3 percent penalty killing share with his physical play defending the net front.
St. Louis Blues defender Justin Faulk skates the puck past Vegas Golden Knights defender Noah Hanifin in the second period of a game against the Vegas Golden Knights at Enterprise Center on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025.
Seeger Gray, Post-Dispatch
Justin Faulk
He is an offensive defenseman who is not generating as much offense as he did earlier in his career. He scored 27 goals during his first two seasons with the Blues, then six in his last two. This season he scored just four times with a 3.2 shooting percentage. Faulk got just 41.9 percent of his shot attempts through to the goal, his lowest rate as a Blue. Despite getting a 51.3 percent share of the power-play time, up from 35.6 percent a year ago, Faulk produced just 12 points with the man advantage. His minus-9 rating was the worst among all players who finished the year with the team.
St. Louis Blues defenseman Nick Leddy (4) keeps the puck away from Winnipeg Jets left wing Brandon Tanev (73) in first period action of Game 6 of the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs on Friday, May 2, 2025, at Enterprise Center.
Laurie Skrivan, Post-Dispatch
Nick Leddy
After filling a Top 4 role earlier in his Blues tenure — which was quite a strain at that stage of his career — Leddy fell back into a more suitable third-pairing role this season. He was sidelined by injury from mid-October into February, and he never regained his previous Blues form. Leddy finished with two goals, three assists and a plus-6 rating in 31 games. He averaged 18:40 in ice time, down from 22:22 the season before. His usage declined to 14:11 per game in the playoffs, when had no goals, one assist and a minus-4 rating.
Blues defenseman Matthew Kessel pursues a loose puck in a game against Chicago on Wednesday, April 10, 2024, at Enterprise Center.
David Carson, Post-Dispatch
Matthew Kessel
He had a third-pairing role earlier this season under Bannister, but the hiring of Montgomery, the addition of Fowler, and the emergence of Tucker made him the odd man out during the season’s second half. Kessel was limited to 29 games and his ice time dropped from 16:48 last season to 13:08 this season. He played just three games after Dec. 12.
Goaltenders
Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington stops a shot by Jets center Gabriel Vilardi during third-period action of Game 6 of the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs on Friday at Enterprise Center.
Laurie Skrivan, Post-Dispatch
Jordan Binnington
He was ordinary during the first half of the season, posting a sub-.900 save percentage as the Blues played .500 hockey. Bolstered by his winning performance for Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off, Binnington was outstanding down the stretch as the Blues surged into the playoff bracket. He got dialed in during February (4-0-1, .915 save percentage, 2.34 goals-against average) and March (8-2-0, .910, 2.21). He finished with 5.2 goals saved above expected overall and a GAA (2.69) slightly better than his expected GAA (2.78). Binnington outperformed Connor Hellebuyck in the playoffs, but he fell victim to some bad puck around the net. His team’s house-of-cards defense against Winnipeg’s 6-on-5 attack ultimately cost him. Binnington made 43 saves in the Game 7 showdown against the Jets but that wasn’t enough.
St. Louis Blues goalie Joel Hofer, left, blocks a shot attempt by Pittsburgh Penguin center Philip Tomasino on Thursday, April 3, 2025, in the second period of a game at Enterprise Center.
Christian Gooden, Post-Dispatch
Joel Hofer
Like Binnington, Hofer was excellent in March — 4-0-1 with a .917 save percentage and 1.81 GAA — as the team rolled. But he had an up-and-down season while assuming a tougher workload in his back-up role. Hofer performed very well in December (4-0-1, .914. 2.18) but not as well in January (2-3-0, .898, 3.16). Hofer finished with an overall minus-4.3 goals above expected. His GAA (2.64) was worse than his expected GAA (2.49).
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