How far can the Blues go in the playoffs? Is the retool over? 2025-26 line combos? Mailbag, part 1

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ST. LOUIS — Since Jim Montgomery took over as the St. Louis Blues coach in November, the team is 34-16-6 (74 points).

That’s an 82-game pace of 108 points.

Blues fans are looking forward to what Montgomery, who signed a five-year contract, can do with the club in the future. But for now, they’re wrapped up in an improbable 12-game winning streak and a playoff push that was unforeseeable just a couple of months ago.

They will put the NHL’s longest streak of 2024-25 on the line against the Winnipeg Jets on Monday, followed by the remaining three games of the regular season against the Edmonton Oilers, Seattle Kraken and Utah Hockey Club.

With the Blues pushing for the playoffs, the tone of questions in our latest call for mail has changed quite a bit from earlier in the season.

Here’s part 1 of the mailbag.

(Note: Some questions have been edited lightly for length and clarity.)

Which game in the Blues’ streak has impressed you as the best played? — Matthew R.

It would be easy to say either of the two wins over the Colorado Avalanche — 2-1 and 5-4. Or the 4-3 overtime victory over the Vancouver Canucks, when the Blues gave up the game-tying goal with four seconds left in regulation but pulled it out in OT.

But if you’ll pardon me for not singling out one win, I’m picking the three wins over the Nashville Predators in a span of 10 days. I don’t care if the Predators aren’t a great team — that’s difficult to do, and the Blues did it.

How good are the Blues? — Cj P.

You asked Chris Johnston this question, too. Here’s his answer. And now here’s mine:

The success they’re having is beyond anything I thought was possible, and it’s legitimate because they’re beating good teams. They may not be the most talented team headed to the playoffs, but they’ve got something those teams crave and may not have when the postseason begins: complete buy-in from every play on the roster and playing their best hockey at the right time.

How far that will take them is hard to say, but there’s no debating that it’s more than playing good. The Blues are good.

How far do you think the Blues can go in the playoffs? — James W.

This is where it gets tricky. Let’s say the Blues finish with the No. 1 wild card and play the Vegas Golden Knights in the first round. The Golden Knights had a 100-point regular season, are 27-9-3 at home this season and have a lot of high-end players, so I could see them beating the Blues.

If the Blues got by Vegas, they’d play the Los Angeles Kings-Oilers winner, and I think they’re capable of knocking them off. When forecasting the second round, I always keep in mind that if you’re in that round, you must be rolling a bit. But after that, it’ll likely be the Winnipeg Jets, Dallas Stars or Colorado Avalanche, and all three would be a challenge regardless of how the Blues are playing.

Was there a particular moment when there was a culture shift on this team? — Anonymous U.

I feel like the culture was starting to change at the beginning of this season, but when the losses started to pile up in November, the frustration made it hard to have a good vibe.

If you had to pick one moment, it was when Montgomery was hired in November. I realize the Blues stumbled a bit in January, but they were still pushing ahead in the same direction. Once they hit the reset button during the 4 Nations Face-Off and won some games coming out of the break, we saw it come to fruition.

If you asked Montgomery for a particular moment, he’d say it’s when Alexey Toropchenko laid a reverse hit on Pavel Buchnevich in practice and knocked him over. Everyone got a good laugh, and it seemed to loosen everyone up.

I’m flying a little too high with this winning streak. What is something I should be concerned about? — David B.

My advice would be enjoy it. But if you’re the fretting type, and it sounds like you might be, the six-on-five goals against might be your thing. The Blues have allowed 12 this season, which is the second-most in the NHL behind the Toronto Maple Leafs (13). Last week, they gave up one to the Pittsburgh Penguins and two to the Avalanche, and while they held on to win both games, it’s going to cost them a playoff game if they don’t start defending better against the extra attacker.

At this point, can anything cause this season to be deemed a failure? — Matthew F.

I don’t normally like to say this because you should always strive for success, but in the Blues’ situation, I don’t think there’s an outcome that could be considered a failure. They’ve provided so much hope for the future that even a first-round playoff loss wouldn’t define the season. Yeah, getting swept wouldn’t be fun, but whatever happens, they’ve turned the corner, and it bodes well for 2025-26 and beyond.

Is the retool over? — Dante P.

My answer is no. Before the Blues get to where they want to be, GM Doug Armstrong will still have to figure out what to do with a few of the defensive contracts, blend in some of the prospects and perhaps add some players through trades or free agency. I would say the retool has been sped up tremendously, and what’s transpired should make it happen more naturally since they aren’t forced to gut the roster looking for answers.

How does it feel to be covering a winning team again? — David T.

I’m happy for the people in the organization and the fans. It’s never easy being critical, but as a beat writer, you’ve got a responsibility to the readers. I’ve always enjoyed writing positive stories and there’s been plenty of those lately. And being a lifelong St. Louisan and running into people who know what you do, it’s a lot different hearing, “How about them Blues?” every day instead of “What’s wrong with the Blues?”

Aside from 2019, has this season had more storylines than any other season you’ve covered? Offer sheets, coaching change, Cam Fowler/Brandon Saad moves, the winning streak, etc. — Matt M.

It’s never dull with Armstrong, but yeah, there’s been a lot.

Is there an article on the backstory of Jobu? — Robert L.

I wrote about Jobu and the mystery around the voodoo doll in the Blues’ locker room last week, and here’s what I found out.

With the amazing turnaround, is Montgomery a finalist for the Jack Adams Award? — Justin F.

I would think that Washington’s Spencer Carbery has that award locked up — and the Jets’ Scott Arniel and Montreal Canadiens’ Martin St. Louis will get some attention, too. But yes, Montgomery should be in the mix. He would be one of my three finalists if I had a vote.

Has a head coach ever been fired and won coach of the year in the same season? — Rich E.

The award has been handed out since 1974, and this has never happened.

I thought Colton Parayko’s injury would kill the Blues’ chances, and instead they’re on a great run. Are they playing simpler or quicker from the back end without him, and do you think that helps the overall flow of play? — Matt M.

Matt, you’re not the only one. When the Parayko injury was announced, I thought, “OK, well, that does it on the Blues’ playoff chances.” The fact that they are 13-1-1 without him going into Monday’s game in Winnipeg is, frankly, shocking.

I don’t think they’re doing anything differently. They are just experienced veterans who are good skaters, making smart plays and doing it consistently. It also helps that both goalies have been really solid during the stretch.

What’s Parayko’s status for Game 1 of playoffs? What is the risk of reinjury? — G.R.

He skated with the team last week, but Montgomery said, “I saw a couple instances out there where, for me, I wouldn’t have the confidence to play him even if he told me he’s a player. He’s getting close, but to me, he’s not ready.” I would think the Blues are optimistic he’ll be ready for the playoffs, if not sooner, but they’re going to be cautious. I’m not sure of the reinjury chances, to be honest.

When Parayko comes back, can they really sit Tyler Tucker? — Jeremy B.

Tucker has been really good, but I think they’ll opt for Nick Leddy’s experience. Leddy has 130 NHL playoff games under his belt, and Tucker has none. They’ll lose a lot of physicality in the lineup without Tucker, and you need that in the playoffs, but that’s my guess.

Zack Bolduc has really come into his own during the winning streak. Was it a natural progression, or things the coaches did? — Jacob B.

Bolduc has been great, and here’s a quick anecdote on him before I answer your question. Did anyone see in Saturday’s Colorado game after he scored twice, he had a shot from the slot and missed? You could see how upset he was. A 22-year-old with two goals in a big game against the Avs, and he was disappointed in himself.

Yes, what we’re seeing is a natural progression, but it’s also the natural progression of a player with a passion to be better every day, which isn’t always a given. The coaches have worked with him on many aspects of the game, like his play without the puck, but the confidence they’ve shown in him is the most important.

Will Jimmy Snuggerud be moving in with any current or former players? — Bradon D.

Snuggerud is living with captain Brayden Schenn, and I wrote last week that when Schenn had his good friend Sidney Crosby over the night before they played Pittsburgh, Snuggerud got to meet his boyhood idol.

With Snuggerud and Dalibor Dvorsky looking like they’ll get strong consideration for next year’s roster, how do you see the way-too-early forward lines shaking out?  — Sam D.

Neighbours-Thomas-Buchnevich
Holloway-Schenn-Kyrou
Bolduc-Dvorsky-Snuggerud
Toropchenko-Sundqvist-Walker
Extras: Joseph, Texier

Note that Radek Faksa is an unrestricted free agent this summer.

Snuggerud and Dvorsky should both retain their rookie status heading into 2025-26, correct? — Bill B.

Correct. The maximum number of games for a player to remain a rookie is 25, and neither player will reach that. Playoff games don’t count.

Will Snuggerud be paid his salary by the number of games he is with the club, or will he get his full salary since one year of the contract is burnt? What amount will he be paid? — Maxwell H.

According to PuckPedia, Snuggerud will receive all of his signing bonus ($95,000) as well as his pro-rated NHL salary for the number of days that he’s on the Blues’ roster in the regular season. His salary is $855,000, and there are 192 days that count toward the pay schedule, so he’ll receive 1 of 192 (about $4,500) each day.

Snuggerud’s contract terms

Why is Dvorsky’s entry-level contract contingent on him playing 10 games this season while Snuggerud’s first year was burned as soon as he signed? — Gary A.

Because Dvorsky is 19 years old, and the contracts of 18- and 19-year-old players are “slide-eligible” if they don’t play in 10 NHL games in a given season. Snuggerud is 20 years old, and his contract was not slide-eligible; the 10-game rule did not apply to him.

Can we begin to consider Jordan Binnington the greatest Blue of all time? — Nic L.

I’m not sure Binnington could be considered the greatest Blue of all time. Even though Binnington’s won a Stanley Cup, it’s hard to top Brett Hull, among a few others. But if he led them to another Stanley Cup, he’d definitely be in the conversation. If that happened, I think there would be a statue out front of Enterprise Center, too, and perhaps No. 50 in the rafters.

If you had to slam a beer every time a player, coach or GM used the word “obviously,” what would your blood-alcohol level be at the end of the interview? — Scott F.

I would be hammered. I cut them out of quotes as much as possible.

(Top photo: Dilip Vishwanat / Getty Images)





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