Through seven games, the St. Louis Blues’ biggest concern isn’t effort or defensive buy-in—it’s that the players paid to and leaned upon to carry the offense simply aren’t lighting the lamp.
Five of the team’s most leaned upon forwards in Robert Thomas, Pavel Buchnevich, Jordan Kyrou, Dylan Holloway, and Brayden Schenn have combined for just five goals in seven games. That group represents the core of the forward lineup and nearly half of the team’s salary cap allocation, yet their scoring output has been inconsistent at best.
- Pavel Buchnevich: 1 goal, 5 points
- Jordan Kyrou: 1 goal, 5 points
- Robert Thomas: 1 goal, 4 points
- Brayden Schenn: 1 goal, 3 points
- Dylan Holloway: 1 goal, 2 points
In total, the Blues have scored 20 goals and allowed 27, averaging 2.86 goals for and 3.86 goals against per game. That minus-7 differential isn’t catastrophic, but it paints a clear picture. This offense isn’t keeping pace with what it’s surrendering.
The early-season slate has been a mixed bag of results. St. Louis has posted strong road wins in Calgary (4–2) and Vancouver (5–2) but suffered lopsided losses at home to Minnesota (5–0), Chicago (8–3), and Utah (7–4). They’ve shown flashes of structure—particularly in their 3–1 win over Dallas and a gritty 2–1 overtime loss to Los Angeles—but those moments have been overshadowed by an inability to generate consistent offense from their most talented players.
When your top forwards aren’t finishing, everything else becomes harder. Power plays lose rhythm, possession sequences dry up, and younger players are asked to either produce above their pay grade or left off the ice entirely while the same struggling veteran players continue to receive ice time and are not lighting the lamp. The Blues’ scoring depth has managed to keep games competitive at times, but that’s not a sustainable formula across an 82-game season.
There’s also a ripple effect that extends beyond the scoresheet. Coaches shuffle lines to spark chemistry, which can lead to even more instability and uncertainty.
Pavel Buchnevich scores in his 600th NHL game. #stlblues pic.twitter.com/CVOI8vS2wV
— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) October 24, 2025
This isn’t to say St. Louis isn’t working. Thomas continues to be the team’s most reliable distributor year to year, and both Kyrou and Buchnevich have created multiple chances each game that simply haven’t gone in yet. But generating (quality) shots isn’t optional for a team built around transition speed and puck movement. The Blues are playing too many stretches where their top line is quiet, forcing the bottom six to pick up the slack.
The question moving forward is whether this is just a slow start or a deeper issue with the offensive core. The Blues have been caught in a middle ground the past two seasons: good enough to compete but not dynamic enough to truly threaten playoff-caliber opponents. They got close in the first round last year, but ultimately couldn’t seal the deal. If their highest-paid forwards can’t drive the attack, that ceiling won’t change.
It’s still early, and small sample sizes can be misleading. After all, we are only talking about 8.5% of the season. But through seven games, the numbers are hard to ignore. St. Louis is allowing one more goal per night than it’s scoring, been on the losing end of three blowout losses, and the team’s most talented forwards have yet to establish any real rhythm.
The schedule doesn’t get easier, and if the Blues are going to stabilize, the solution won’t come from the bottom six or the goaltending, it’ll have to start with their stars.