These three players are having All Star worthy campaigns for the St. Louis Blues.
The 23-24 NHL season has been an up-and-down one for the St. Louis Blues so far. The club is on a two-game winning streak after they announced the firing of head coach Craig Berube last week.
Despite the coaching change, St Louis finds themselves one point behind the Arizona Coyotes for the last wild card spot in the west.
With All-Star weekend set for the beginning of February, let’s take a look at three candidates from the Blues who are deserving of being nominated:
The St. Louis Blues have a few players that deserve to be NHL All-Stars.
1. Robert Thomas
Robert Thomas has been the Blues’ most consistent forward at both ends of the ice this season. This has been true for Thomas the past two seasons as he had 77 points in 2021-22, 65 points in 2022-23, and 32 points so far this year (30 games played).
Thomas’s 32 points are made up of 12 goals and 20 assists. He should be happy with his game so far as he is on a trajectory to have a career year.
His production warrants him all-star consideration, especially on the Blues who have struggled to score goals this year.
2. Jordan Binnington
While Thomas has been the most impactful forward on the team, Jordan Binnington has been St Louis’ MVP this year.
Although he has come back down to earth from his hot start to the season, he has looked better with Drew Bannister behind the bench. Binnington should be in the all-star conversation.
Goaltenders have a harder time making it to the All-Star Game because there are fewer slots available for them. Only the best of the best have a chance. There is a case for Binnington.
Right now, he has a record of 10-9-1, a .908 save percentage, and a 3.05 goals against average. Having a goaltender you can trust is one of the NHL’s biggest keys and the Blues have that with Binnington.
This might not be a popular pick but Jake Neighbours has done some incredible things this season. He has already surpassed his goal total from last season and it is only December.
21 year old Neighbours has 10 goals and one assist for 11 points in 30 games so far this year. He isn’t making tons of plays to set up teammates but he clearly has some finish to his game.
Although he has no points in his last five games, Neighbours went on a stretch in late November to early December where he scored 8 goals in 10 games.
While Neighbours is the long shot to make it on this list, if he goes on another stretch like I just mentioned, he could find himself under consideration to be an all-star.
Now and again, the league likes to have guys with cool stories. Neighbours would certainly fit that bill as a young player that never thought he’d have this many goals by now.
