St. Louis Blues report card: Final grades for the defensemen, goalies, coaches and GM

There was no debate during the 2022-23 season that the worst-performing aspect of the St. Louis Blues was their defense. As a result, they brought in new assistant coach Mike Weber to run the unit and altered their scheme.

The back end was a little better in 2023-24, allowing 21 fewer five-on-five goals than a year ago (167-188). But that was due, in large part, to the duo of Colton Parayko and Nick Leddy, who played the most five-on-five minutes of any pair in the NHL (1,282 minutes, 40 seconds) this season and were on the ice for just five more goals against than goals for (54-49).

But even with their success carrying the large workload, another duo, goaltenders Jordan Binnington and Joel Hofer, deserve a lot of credit, too. They combined for the sixth-best save percentage in the league (.906) this season.

Not all of the personnel had an improved season, though. So after providing the report cards for the Blues’ forwards, let’s take a look at the defensemen and goaltenders. Each player had to appear in a minimum of 20 games or finish the season on the team’s roster, and the grading is done on a curve that’s based on their role.

I’ll also give you my marks for the coaches — plural this year, with Craig Berube being replaced by interim Drew Bannister in mid-December — and general manager Doug Armstrong.

Defensemen

Justin Faulk

Faulk wasn’t himself, but it could be attributed, in part, to the high-ankle sprain he suffered on Dec. 29. In 35 games prior to that injury, at five-on-five, he was on the ice for 29 goals for and 29 against; in the 25 games after he returned, it was 13 for and 21 against. Not helping Faulk’s case was that rookie Matthew Kessel was better as his replacement.

Grade: D-

Matthew Kessel

At the start of the season, if someone had told you Matt Kessel would play 39 games this season, you wouldn’t have believed them. In fact, you might’ve asked who he was. But the 23-year-old rookie was impressive, playing his first 13 games without a minus rating. In fact, he was a minus in just 11 of his 39 games and had an even plus-minus for the year.

Grade: B+

Torey Krug

Krug had stretches this season in which he was better than he was in 2022-23, and he battled through injuries. Still, he finished with the Blues’ worst plus-minus for a defenseman — by far — and was on the ice for 40 five-on-five goals for and 61 against. He had 35 assists, but at times he was taken off the top power play, a unit that was one of the team’s biggest issues.

Grade: D-

Nick Leddy

Any compliment you want to pay to Parayko, you should probably credit Leddy, too. The veteran defenseman, who played in his 1,000th game this season, was the best partner Parayko has had since Jay Bouwmeester. He had a team-best plus-14 rating and was on the ice for 61 five-on-five goals for and 60 against. He had 25 assists with little power-play time.

Grade: A

Colton Parayko

Parayko couldn’t have drawn up a better bounce-back season. He played all 82 games for the first time since 2017-18, led the team in ice time (23 minutes, 52 seconds per game), and matched his career-high in goals (10). Beyond that, he was more physical than he’s been in the past, closing out plays, and he led the entire league in blocked shots with 218.

Grade: A+

Scott Perunovich

Perunovich wasn’t able to stay healthy all season, but he did play a career-high 54 games. Unfortunately, his lack of experience following several injury-plagued seasons showed, and his lack of size and physicality exposed him a bit, too. It was also surprising to see the offensive talent, who is still looking for his first NHL goal, pass up on so many shot chances.

Grade: D

Marco Scandella

Scandella made it to the end of his four-year, $13.1 million contract with far fewer detractors than earlier in its run. He was miscast in the top pair with Parayko back then, but once he settled into a third-pair role with penalty-kill duty, he was fine. He would’ve played more than 65 games, but the Blues needed Perunovich to suit up to retain his rights.

Grade: B-

Tyler Tucker fights Brady Tkachuk. (Dilip Vishwanat / Getty Images)

Tyler Tucker

Tucker opened the season in the starting lineup but was still raw and by December his appearances were sporadic. It was nearly impossible for him to get into a rhythm that way, but when he played, he usually injected some physicality. His four fights, including one against the Ottawa Senators’ Brady Tkachuk, tied Brayden Schenn for most on the team.

Grade: C+

Goalies

Jordan Binnington

Binnington may never get the credit he deserves for the caliber of goaltender is, but he’ll just have to live with that after a few years with a sub-par save percentage and several extracurricular activities with opponents. His .913 save percentage doesn’t do justice to how good he was this season. He was, by most accounts, the team’s MVP.

Grade: A+

Joel Hofer

Hofer’s impact as a rookie goalie this season went beyond his personal statistics, which were certainly solid. What you won’t see on his stat line is the impact he had on Binnington, who learned a few things from the 23-year-old from a technique standpoint. Furthermore, Hofer’s ability to play 30 games allowed Binnington sufficient rest, which was important.

Grade: A-

Coaches

Craig Berube

Though the Blues were floundering a bit when Berube was fired in mid-December, it was still surprising to see him go. The record was 13-14-1 and the power play was 7-for-83, which ranked No. 31 in the NHL (8.4 percent). Perhaps a change was needed after five-plus seasons on the job, but the fall had more to do with the roster than Berube’s coaching.

Grade: C

Drew Bannister

Bannister was put in a difficult spot, replacing a popular coach and tasked with turning around a club that was in a self-proclaimed retool. He held the players accountable and got them to compete, which resulted in a record of 30-19-4. He didn’t solve everything — will the Blues ever beat the San Jose Sharks? — but he did enough to be a finalist for the job.

Grade: B

General manager

Doug Armstrong

Last year, I gave Armstrong an F. Some folks will want another F this year, or a D at best. But I can’t continue to grade him based on bad contracts signed multiple years ago. With a few profitable trades at last year’s deadline, the prospect pool looks a lot better, and while the coaching change couldn’t have been easy, it may have been necessary at some point Armstrong hasn’t been mistake-free, but things are trending in a better direction.

Grade: C-

(Top photo of Torey Krug and Jordan Binnington: Jeff Curry / USA Today)