2023 Fantasy Hockey Team Previews: St. Louis Blues
The 2023 DailyFaceoff Fantasy Hockey Projections has projected stats for over 650 skaters and goalies.
The Fantasy Hockey Team Previews have all the projections for that team and mini-bios for all the Re-Draft and Dynasty relevant skaters and goalies.
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In addition to the Fantasy Hockey Previews, Daily Faceoff is previewing all 32 NHL teams for 2022-23, with a new in-depth breakdown dropping every weekday! Click here to find every preview in one place.
Skaters
Vladimir Tarasenko
| GP | G | A | PTS | (+/-) | PIM | PPG | PPP | SOG | S% | ATOI | FOW | BLK | HIT |
| 76.9 | 30.2 | 43.1 | 73.3 | 6.9 | 23.5 | 6.5 | 22.3 | 235.9 | 12.8% | 17.3 | 3.3 | 44.9 | 88.9 |
After playing just 34 combined games over the previous two seasons, Tarasenko was back to 100 percent for 2021-22. He returned to his star production from 2015-to-2019, setting a new career-high with 82 points (34G / 48A) in 75 games. It was the sixth time in 10 years that Tarasenko has eclipsed 30 goals and 30 assists. It was a great season, but there are a few red flags as he enters 2022-23. Tarasenko’s usage dropped from a career 18:20 ATOI to 16:55, he shot 14.8 percent and had the fifth-highest on-ice SH% (14.7) in the NHL. So there’s likely regression heading his way, but he should still finish with 30-plus goals and 30-plus assists. Consider him a low-end No.1/high-end No.2 fantasy right-winger.
Jordan Kyrou
| GP | G | A | PTS | (+/-) | PIM | PPG | PPP | SOG | S% | ATOI | FOW | BLK | HIT |
| 76.5 | 26.6 | 44.9 | 71.5 | 5.9 | 20.1 | 3.5 | 15.1 | 189.5 | 14.0% | 17.4 | 7.7 | 24.3 | 11.7 |
Following a breakout campaign, where he tallied 27 goals and 48 assists (75 points) in 74 games, Kyrou signed an eight-year, $8.125M extension this offseason. The Blues made it clear that Kyrou is an integral part of their team moving forward, and there could be room for more TOI after David Perron left in free agency. Kyrou’s assist totals could come down if there’s regression to his extremely high 14.1 percent on-ice SH%. Still, an increase in usage could help offset that regression. He played a modest 16:35 ATOI last season, so there’s certainly room for growth–he was seventh among Blues forwards in ATOI. He probably won’t score enough goals to finish top-12 at the position, but he’s a great playmaker and should be around a point-per-game again. Consider him a solid No.2 RW option.
Pavel Buchnevich
| GP | G | A | PTS | (+/-) | PIM | PPG | PPP | SOG | S% | ATOI | FOW | BLK | HIT |
| 77.9 | 28.3 | 42.9 | 71.2 | 15.9 | 38.5 | 7.2 | 17.8 | 193.1 | 14.7% | 18.3 | 10.0 | 25.5 | 69.5 |
Buchnevich was an obvious breakout candidate in his first year in St. Louis, and that came to fruition. He played modest TOI in his first four years in the NHL but finally saw a much-deserved bump in 2021. That led to 48 points in 54 games, and he was able to carry that over to St. Louis, where he saw similar usage. Buchnevich played with Tarasenko and Robert Thomas most of the time, and the trio produced some extraordinary offensive results. They had a 5.4 GF/60, which was the second best in the NHL among lines with at least 300 5v5 TOI (Bunting-Matthews-Marner were 1st). He also set a career-best 19 PPP and had four shorthanded points, so he got it done in all aspects. His 14.2 on-ice SH% is in jeopardy of coming down and hurting his totals, but he’s a clear 30-goal, 50-assist threat and should be drafted accordingly. He’s a strong No.2 RW option.
Robert Thomas
| GP | G | A | PTS | (+/-) | PIM | PPG | PPP | SOG | S% | ATOI | FOW | BLK | HIT |
| 73.5 | 18.3 | 51.1 | 69.4 | 10.6 | 21.6 | 4.3 | 15.4 | 116.5 | 15.7% | 19 | 486.9 | 26.5 | 17.6 |
Thomas is an outstanding playmaker who signed an eight-year, $8.125M AAV extension this summer after posting 77 points (20G / 57A) in 72 games in 2021-22. Thomas closed the season on a torrid pace, scoring 12 goals with 23 assists (35 points) in his final 23 games. However, during that time, he shot 29.3 percent, so don’t expect the goal-scoring to continue. Thomas’ point totals will continue to impress, but his shot volume will keep him from scoring more goals. Thomas was 467th in the NHL in SOG/60 (5.1), and until that improves, you can’t reasonably expect him to score 20-plus goals. He’s a modern-day Henrik Sedin, who had plenty of fantasy value but only scored 20-plus goals twice in 17 seasons.
Ryan O’Reilly
| GP | G | A | PTS | (+/-) | PIM | PPG | PPP | SOG | S% | ATOI | FOW | BLK | HIT |
| 80.9 | 22.9 | 41.2 | 64.1 | 12.5 | 16.1 | 6.2 | 17.3 | 165.3 | 13.8% | 19.1 | 935.1 | 38.0 | 24.7 |
There’s nothing exciting about owning O’Reilly in fantasy, but he has a safe floor as a later-round pick. In his four seasons with the Blues, O’Reilly has only missed four games while averaging 24 goals and 47 assists (71 points). If you look at the top-100 forwards over the last five seasons, combined, they’ve averaged 71 points (29G / 42A), so O’Reilly is about as plain of a fantasy asset as you can find. Still, there’s value in someone as stable and durable as O’Reilly.
Brayden Schenn
| GP | G | A | PTS | (+/-) | PIM | PPG | PPP | SOG | S% | ATOI | FOW | BLK | HIT |
| 78.8 | 25.3 | 34.7 | 59.9 | 9.0 | 43.3 | 8.7 | 18.3 | 142.4 | 17.7% | 17.5 | 373.7 | 29.1 | 141.1 |
Schenn missed 20 games in 2021-22 but scored at a 32-goal, 45-assist per 82-game pace. It’s rare for Schenn to miss time; he appeared in 98 percent of games in the previous eight seasons. With Thomas taking on a more significant role, Schenn’s TOI dipped, but it didn’t slow him down. However, he shot 21.6 percent and had the highest on-ice SH% (15.7) in the NHL. There’s no way he can maintain those rates in 2022-23, so expect production more similar to his 0.74 points-per-game from the previous three seasons.
Torey Krug
| GP | G | A | PTS | (+/-) | PIM | PPG | PPP | SOG | S% | ATOI | FOW | BLK | HIT |
| 72.1 | 7.5 | 39.6 | 47.1 | 15.0 | 42.2 | 2.9 | 21.0 | 144.6 | 5.2% | 21.4 | 0.0 | 78.5 | 64.7 |
Krug has missed 40 games (17.2 percent) over the last four seasons, including 18 games in 2021-22. From his final two seasons with the Bruins, Krug averaged 0.82 points per game. He’s down to 0.62 in two years with the Blues, which coincides with a dip in power-play usage. Justin Faulk and eventually Nick Leddy took on larger power-play roles last season, limiting Krug’s upside. Even with all the concerns, Krug still plays a significant enough role on a good team to be considered a low-end No.2 option.
Justin Faulk
| GP | G | A | PTS | (+/-) | PIM | PPG | PPP | SOG | S% | ATOI | FOW | BLK | HIT |
| 79.8 | 12.6 | 26.3 | 38.9 | 19.1 | 43.4 | 1.6 | 7.1 | 172.3 | 7.3% | 23.1 | 0.0 | 106.8 | 147.1 |
In 2021-22, Faulk received Norris Trophy votes for the second time in his career. The first time was in 2015, the only other season he had 40-plus points. Faulk was a great late-season fantasy addition, wrapping up the season with 18 points (8G / 10A) in his final 17 games. Faulk has played massive minutes over the last two seasons, averaging 23:39, the 22nd most among defensemen. Last year he was eighth among defensemen in even strength points, giving him value even if he’s limited to the second power-play unit. He’s a low-end No.2/high-end No.3 fantasy blueliner with added value in banger leagues.
Goalies
Jordan Binnington
| GS | W | L | T/O | SV% | GAA | SO |
| 56.0 | 30.0 | 19.4 | 6.6 | 0.908 | 2.84 | 2.6 |
Due to the emergence of Ville Husso, Binnington started just 37 games in 2021-22. Binnington went 18-14-4 with an ugly 3.13 GAA (39th in the NHL) and .901 SV% (t-38th). The Blues traded Husso to Detroit this offseason, leaving Binnington as their No.1 option. His SV% has declined each of his four seasons, but the Blues are a quality team that could allow him to be a top-15 fantasy netminder, even if he’s not as good as he showed in 2019. He’ll come at a discount on draft day but has limited competition for starts, so he could be a huge steal if he gets back on track.
Thomas Greiss
| GS | W | L | T/O | SV% | GAA | SO |
| 26.0 | 12.6 | 10.4 | 3.0 | 0.901 | 3.08 | 0.8 |
Greiss was solid in his first season with the Red Wings but struggled mightily in 2022, going 10-15-1 with a 3.66 GAA and .891 SV%. This summer, he signed a one-year deal with the Blues to serve as Binnington’s backup. He doesn’t deserve a spot on fantasy rosters but could be a worthwhile spot-start option when the matchup is good.
Remaining Blues Projections
| Player | Pos | GP | G | A | PTS | (+/-) | PIM | PPG | PPP | SOG | S% | ATOI | FOW | BLK | HIT |
| Brandon Saad | LW | 73.0 | 23.7 | 20.1 | 43.8 | 5.1 | 14.9 | 4.7 | 7.5 | 146.9 | 16.2% | 16.2 | 17.5 | 20.0 | 28.1 |
| Ivan Barbashev | LW | 75.4 | 18.6 | 24.3 | 42.9 | 2.8 | 29.8 | 2.9 | 5.8 | 95.8 | 19.4% | 15.2 | 134.0 | 28.5 | 135.0 |
| Colton Parayko | D | 78.3 | 7.0 | 25.6 | 32.6 | 7.5 | 22.3 | 1.1 | 2.4 | 148.7 | 4.7% | 23.3 | 0.0 | 154.3 | 82.5 |
| Nick Leddy | D | 76.9 | 3.0 | 24.1 | 27.1 | 11.9 | 18.6 | 0.5 | 7.2 | 82.8 | 3.6% | 20.5 | 0.0 | 72.4 | 57.2 |
| Nathan Walker | LW/RW | 55.3 | 11.0 | 10.5 | 21.5 | -1.6 | 8.4 | 0.8 | 1.6 | 65.2 | 16.9% | 11.5 | 13.3 | 32.1 | 99.7 |
| Noel Acciari | C | 69.7 | 10.1 | 9.3 | 19.3 | 1.9 | 19.7 | 0.3 | 1.0 | 91.1 | 11.0% | 12 | 318.7 | 71.9 | 119.0 |
| Klim Kostin | RW | 66.1 | 7.7 | 10.7 | 18.5 | -4.5 | 41.6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 62.1 | 12.5% | 10.7 | 3.7 | 18.3 | 171.4 |
| Logan Brown | C/RW | 58.0 | 4.7 | 12.5 | 17.1 | -2.9 | 9.1 | 0.6 | 2.9 | 52.3 | 8.9% | 10.4 | 103.3 | 20.9 | 36.8 |
| Marco Scandella | D | 73.3 | 3.7 | 10.1 | 13.9 | 12.0 | 23.6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 79.1 | 4.7% | 17.8 | 0.0 | 75.3 | 95.7 |
| Robert Bortuzzo | D | 69.2 | 1.6 | 5.9 | 7.5 | -0.6 | 41.9 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 50.3 | 3.2% | 13.7 | 0.0 | 83.4 | 121.5 |