Entering the 2023-24 season, the St. Louis Blues must prioritize letting their young players play as there are several in the organization that deserve more opportunities. On the surface, it may not appear like the Blues have multiple breakout candidates, but I believe they do. Let’s get into three notable candidates.
Scott Perunovich
Injuries have played a big role, but the Blues haven’t gotten enough out of Scott Perunovich yet. The former Hobey Baker winner has missed a lot of time since entering the league with the Blues during the 2021-22 season. In 2022-23, he didn’t play a single game due to a left wrist injury and before that, he had a torn labrum that caused him to miss the 2020-21 season. All of his NHL playing time came in 2021-22, where he appeared in 19 regular season games and seven playoff games. He has 43 career professional games under his belt with 26 at the NHL level and 17 in the American Hockey League (AHL).
If the Blues are able to trade Torey Krug, it would open the door for Perunovich to slide into the top power-play unit as the quarterback. Regardless of whether Krug is a Blue in 2023-24 or not, I fully expect Perunovich to run one of the power play units, so there will be ample opportunity for him to create offense. He’s shown that he can hold his own with elite production in the AHL and solid NHL minutes in 2021-22. A breakout season for Perunovich would require him to score 40-plus points and stay healthy while getting consistent ice time.
Joel Hofer
Blues goaltender Joel Hofer has produced at every level in his career and showed flashes of brilliance in his time with the team last season. He’s set to be Jordan Binnington’s backup after that role was played by Thomas Greiss last season. At just 23 years old, he will become the Blues’ youngest full-time backup or starter since 24-year-old Jake Allen in 2014-15.
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Hofer was elite in his first three games last season with a save percentage (SV%) of .959 and a 2-0-1 record behind the Blues’ poor defensive unit. After that, he lost two of his final three games, but both were to playoff teams in the Dallas Stars and Los Angeles Kings. With another offseason to develop and a more consistent role, I expect Hofer to play well this season. It wouldn’t surprise me to see him develop into the starter over the next couple of seasons.
Jake Neighbours
This season could very well be the one where Jake Neighbours finds his NHL stride. After scoring 10 points in 43 games last season, he’s shown that there is more in the tank if he can stay healthy and get ample ice time. The biggest advantages for him are that he’s still just 21 years old and head coach Craig Berube favors a heavy forward like him. It’s likely that Neighbours will start the season on the third line, but if Sammy Blais produces in the preseason at an elite level, he could receive the third-line spot over him.
The electricity of other Blues prospects like Zachary Bolduc and Jimmy Snuggerud has made people forget about how good of a prospect Neighbours is. He plays a heavy style and lets the game come to him with a maturity that many 21-year-old players don’t possess. I could see this being a huge season for Neighbours with over 40 points and well over 100 hits. It wouldn’t surprise me whatsoever to see him play a major bottom-six role under Berube this season.
Outside of Perunovich, Hofer, and Neighbours, the Blues don’t have a ton of other breakout candidates. However, a few honorable mentions such as Nikita Alexandrov, Tyler Tucker, and Blais should be included. The list is short overall, but that’s because the Blues have a mainly veteran roster, and young stars like Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou have already broken out. This should be an interesting season as the Blues attempt to get back into the playoffs after missing out last season.