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3 disappointing St. Louis Blues players who are bounce-back candidates for next season feat. Kasperi Kapanen
Last season, the St. Louis Blues narrowly missed out on a chance to compete for the Stanley Cup. After a hard-fought 82-game season, the team finished fifth in the Central Division, marking the second straight season without a playoff appearance for the 2019 Stanley Cup champions.
While there had been some talk of the team potentially starting a rebuild, this offseason, general manager Doug Armstrong has gone to work bolstering the Blues' roster. They hope to use last season as a stepping stone while the team looks to return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
In this summer's draft, the Blues made six picks in the first four rounds, notably drafting three defencemen in the first two rounds. While these young prospects will take time to develop, all indications are that the Blues believe they can remain competitive in the season ahead.
Despite that, if the team wants to clear the postseason hurdle and return to the playoffs, they'll need several players to step up and have bounce-back years.
3 St. Louis Blues players poised for bounce-back seasons
#1. Justin Faulk
While Justin Faulk will likely remain the St. Louis Blues' alternate captain for the season ahead, the team will need him to improve his production. At the same time, the franchise must keep its fingers crossed that he can remain healthy after playing in just 60 games last season.
Faulk finished the 2023-24 season with 30 points in 60 games, which may have been enough to hold onto his role as alternate captain. However, after seeing his numbers plateau during the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons, his 30-point season last year marked another drop-off.
If the Blues hope to return to playoff contention, they'll need Faulk to be healthy and perform like he did during the two prior seasons.
#2. Nathan Walker
Nathan Walker has continued to split time between the NHL and the AHL, which isn't ideal for a 30-year-old forward as the St. Louis Blues look to return to the postseason. Last year, in 45 games with the Blues, Walker logged just 13 points, which appears to be on par with his previous two seasons with the team.
Despite that, it's hard to deny that the Blues will need Walker to bounce back and contribute in a larger role after inking a two-year $1.55 million contract. Although he likely won't be a deciding factor in how this season plays out for the team, his two-year contract indicates that the team is hoping he can contribute more than he has in recent years.
#3. Kasperi Kapanen
When Kasperi Kapanen was playing with the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Toronto Maple Leafs, he consistently produced 30+ points per season. Last year, during his first full season with the St. Louis Blues, Kapanen logged just 22 points in 73 games.
Kapanen had 32 points in the 2021-22 season in Pittsburgh and 44 points in the 2018-19 season with Toronto. Compared to that, it's clear that the Blues will be looking for a bounce-back year from the 28-year-old winger. If he can bounce back, he could be a sparkplug on the team's fourth line.
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