Jordan Binnington’s final memory of the 2023-24 season was the electrifying scene at American Airlines Center in Dallas as the Blues battled the Stars all the way to a shootout.
This was a thrilling playoff-caliber game against a playoff-bound opponent. Binnington played brilliantly in goal for the Blues, but the Stars ultimately prevailed.
Binnington carried the feeling from that night into an offseason that began much too soon. That Dallas vibe stuck with him after the Blues missed postseason play for the second straight year.
“Just how loud that rink was, how excited the fans were to cheer on their team, that’s something’s that’s earned,†Binnington recalled the day after the season ended. “We’re on our path back to earning that feeling.â€
The Blues are constructing a new team nucleus around talented young forwards Robert Thomas, Jordan Kyrou and Jake Neighbours; cornerstone defenseman Colton Parayko; and the excellent goaltending of Binnington and rookie Joel Hofer.
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On one hand, the long-term contracts and no-trade protections given to Stanley Cup-winning players make retooling the roster more difficult. There isn’t much salary cap flexibility.
On the other hand, those contracts have kept leadership structure in place. That should make rebuilding the team easier.
This season provided progress in that direction. With the help of the entrenched veterans, the Blues began rebuilding the collective commitment needed to succeed.
Staying in the playoff chase was good for business, but it was also essential for the proper development of the younger players.
“We showed that we can compete with the best, for sure, and hopefully that sends a message to evolve the team to make some decisions that are for the better and for us to be more competitive next year,†Binnington said after the loss in Dallas. “It’s unfortunate to not make the playoffs, but it’s a good final game and we have more. There are better days ahead.â€
Binnington is one of the few key figures left from the magical 2019 Cup-winning team. Change was inevitable given the NHL’s salary cap system, but the turnover accelerated from year to year as the Blues failed to get back on a championship track.
Last season, general manager Doug Armstrong traded Ryan O’Reilly, Vladimir Tarasenko, Ivan Barbashev and other veterans with expiring contracts to gain long-term assets. This season, he fired Cup-winning coach Craig Berube.
The team stalled out, but the retooling had to move forward. Drew Bannister came up from the American Hockey League to rally the players as interim coach. It remains to be seen if Bannister will lead the team forward or if Armstrong will choose someone else.
Either way, it will fall to holdovers Binnington, Thomas, Parayko and first-year team captain Brayden Schenn to set the example on the ice and lead the team bonding that occurs off the ice.
Player development will be critical for the Blues as they try to climb back into perennial contention. Armstrong must create some salary-cap space and exploit it with the right personnel moves, too.
But rebuilding the winning culture remains the biggest challenge of all — and that effort must come from within the group.
“Just growing as people and players and as a team,†Binnington said. “I think the biggest thing is growth as a team. Just coming together. We had a lot of big meetings and broke some barriers and talked about different things, and I think moving forward, that will be a strong suit for us.â€
The Blues could have folded up this season. At various points, they nearly did. But each time, they regrouped. There was value in that.
Just look around the league and see how many rebuilding teams have not built the right culture no matter how much young talent they have accumulated.
The Buffalo Sabres are a prime example. So are the Ottawa Senators. So are the not-so-mighty Ducks of Anaheim and the poor Columbus Blue Jackets. There are plenty of rising stars on those teams, but year after year after years, those franchises fail to rise up.
Binnington knows what further progress will look like for the Blues. They need to take the successes of the season’s second half into their summer of individual work and their teamwork at training camp.
“Hopefully it’s carrying that with us, having a great offseason, taking steps, whether you’re a young guy, learning as much as you can this year and taking that forward,†he said. “If you’re a mid-20s guy, just try to take a step to be that veteran presence that we need and a competitive player day in and day out.â€
Thomas took that step this season. So did Neighbours, Hofer and Alexey Toropchenko. Kyrou made strides. Matthew Kessel and Zack Bolduc began their maturation as well. Zach Dean, Dalibor Dvorsky and then Jimmy Snuggerud will be up next.
Maybe, just maybe, the Blues build a playoff-caliber team by next spring.
“It’s why we play, right? To be a competitor,†Binnington said. “You don’t play this game forever. You want to be in that action.â€