The Blues are far from hopeless, but will start the season closer to the lottery teams than the ones vying for a playoff spot.
The Blues’ strength in 2021-22 was a deep, versatile forward group. The 2023-24 version likely can’t come close to matching that, because there isn’t that same offensive spark from their supporting talent. Vrana, Kapanen and Blais were fantastic to close last season, scoring at over a 50-point pace after the deadline, but each one has one flaw or another that makes it unlikely the magic can repeat.
Blais has the worst Offensive Rating of this depth trio after an unproductive, disappointing tenure in New York. He’s not a volume shooter, but tends to cluster his shots to the home plate area. At his best, he can score on some of those scoring chances and bring a physical edge. But the fact that he has yet to have a healthy season makes him another unreliable option.