Blues report card: Final forward grades, from Kyrou to Neighbours to Thomas

It’s hard to fathom now, but Jake Neighbours started the 2023-24 season for the St. Louis Blues on the fourth line. There was a time, too, when Jordan Kyrou leading the team in goals at the end of the season looked like a long shot. And as recently as February, Zack Bolduc was still in AHL Springfield.

For each of those three forwards, though, there was a turning point in the season — one the Blues hope bodes well for the future.

For others, the season didn’t go so well at any stage, and they likely won’t be around when training camp begins in September.

Our first of two report cards this offseason has grades for the Blues’ forwards. We’ll follow soon with one for the defensemen, goalies, coaches Craig Berube and Drew Bannister and general manager Doug Armstrong.

The players 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.

Alexandrov was never considered a high-end prospect, but he appeared to have a future in the Blues’ bottom six. He’s still only 23 years old, but it’s harder to see that future now. The team kept him on the roster all season because it didn’t want to risk losing him on waivers, but he played in just 23 games and was a healthy scratch most nights.

Grade: D

Honestly, it was hard to remember that Blais was on the team. After netting nine goals and 20 points in 31 games after the Blues reacquired him from the New York Rangers in 2022-23, he seemed like a steal on a one-year, $1 million contract. But after starting the season on the third line, he lost his confidence, and other than a few big hits, he went largely unnoticed.

Grade: F

Zack Bolduc

NHL careers can take shape quickly. Bolduc went from wearing an AHL Springfield sweater to wearing the Blue Note for 25 games, and now he’s in the conversation for a top-six role in 2024-25. The 21-year-old, who was the team’s first-round draft pick in 2021, had five goals in those 25 games, including four in the final nine.

Grade: B+

It wasn’t a bad year for Buchnevich. It just wasn’t what we’ve come to expect from him. His 27 goals and 63 points were nearly identical to his output from 2022-23, but he did it in 80 games compared to 63. He lacked finish on a lot of scoring chances and committed several uncharacteristic turnovers. Still a good player, though.

Grade: C+

Zach Dean

The sample size is small, but the eye test was encouraging. Dean, acquired in last year’s trade with the Vegas Golden Knights for Ivan Barbashev, was called up from AHL Springfield in March and played in just nine games for the Blues. In that short time, he showed that he’s a hard worker and could be a candidate for the fourth-line center role next season.

Grade: B

Armstrong traded for Hayes last summer because he needed a veteran center to help the team compete during its retool. He chipped in now and then, but his lack of speed was apparent. Hayes has two years left on his contract, but with the Blues making him a healthy scratch down the stretch, it’s hard to see how he is a part of the future.

Grade: D+

Kapanen admitted that this was the worst season of his career, so there’s no reason to pile on. It wasn’t a big risk when the Blues plucked the winger off waivers from the Pittsburgh Penguins last season, but it just didn’t work out. He’s got wheels and can help on the penalty kill, but there wasn’t much beyond that. He’s a free agent who shouldn’t be back.

Grade: F

Jordan Kyrou

Regardless of what kind of season Kyrou had, it’s going to get overanalyzed more than most, so let’s stick to the facts. He led the Blues with 31 goals, including 10 in the final 13 games. His plus-minus improved from minus-38 last season to minus-12 this season. The Blues pointed out that there were a lot of peaks and valleys, and they would like the valleys to not be so low.

Grade: B

Jake Neighbours

Neighbours couldn’t have drawn up this season any better. He was shocked to reach the 20-goal plateau and might’ve gotten to 30 if not for an upper-body injury late in the season. He deserves all the credit because of how he played, going to the front of the net, where he scored 20 of his 27 goals. The Blues’ first-round pick from 2020 is a true building block.

Grade: A+

Saad will never excite Blues fans, but he continues to produce. His 26 goals were the most he’s scored since he had 31 with the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2015-16. He led the Blues with seven game-winning goals, including two in overtime. And his versatility, moving up and down the lineup, is something that shouldn’t go overlooked.

Grade: B+

Some will disagree with Schenn’s grade and I get it. He went for stretches of 16 and 18 games without a goal and a stretch of 12 games without a point. His minus-22 was the worst among forwards. But I genuinely believe that this being Schenn’s first season as captain weighed heavily on his performance, and he did a lot that didn’t show up on the scoresheet.

Grade: C

It was setting up to be a remarkable season for Sundqvist in his reunion with the Blues. Plagued by injuries in the past, he had played in nearly every game and even signed a two-year extension just before the NHL trade deadline March 8. Then the fan favorite tore a knee ligament — again. He’ll be back next season, but how many injuries can he handle?

Grade: B

What more can you say? He put up career highs in goals, assists and points, and he was just the fourth Blues player since 2000 to post 80-plus points, joining Pavol Demitra, Pierre Turgeon and Vladimir Tarasenko. And while playing the most minutes against the opposition’s top players, he was on the ice for 60 five-on-five goals for and just 42 against.

Grade: A+

Toropchenko had a bet with Buchnevich that he’d get to 25 points this season, and while he fell just short with 21, it was a great season for the fellow Russian. His 14 goals were a career high, but more importantly, he was one of the Blues’ best forecheckers, backcheckers and shot-blockers. He had 55 blocks, which was the most of any forward on the team.

Grade: A

Jakub Vrana

This was a disaster for Vrana. The Blues took a flier on him in 2023, sending a seventh-round pick to Detroit for him, and it started off with some promise. But it quickly became clear Vrana had no interest in playing defense or even understanding what the coaches wanted. After finishing this season in AHL Springfield, the free agent is on his way out of the organization.

Grade: F

Walker is the Blues’ Masterton Trophy candidate for a reason: perseverance. He started the season in AHL Springfield, and from the moment he got recalled, you wondered why he was in the minors. He brings the same intense effort every night, which led to three fights this season. He’s a fan favorite and should be in the lineup on opening night in October.

Grade: A

(Top photo of Pavel Buchnevich, Robert Thomas, Brayden Schenn and Jordan Kyrou: Sean M. Haffey / Getty Images)