Blues’ top breakout candidates heading into 2024-25 NHL season

The St. Louis Blues added young talent to the roster on Tuesday. The Blues signed Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway to two-year contracts after the Edmonton Oilers declined to match the offer sheets. They are the third and fourth successful offer sheets in NHL history and the first successful offers since 2021.

Broberg and Holloway come to a St. Louis roster with a lot of younger talent. Jordan Kyrou and Robert Thomas lead the way for this team. Behind them, names such as Jake Neighbours, Joel Hofer, and Scott Perunovich have played extensive time in the NHL. Additionally, the Blues traded for Alexandre Texier this summer.

There are a lot of players who have a ton of room to grow this upcoming season. However, a couple of names stand out above the rest. Here are two Blues breakout candidates who could establish themselves as star players in 2024-25.

Joel Hofer could establish himself

Joel Hofer was among the Blues’ breakout candidates this time last season. The young netminder brought some potential to the table. And he seemed established as the team’s heir apparent to Jordan Binnington, who won the Stanley Cup in 2019 and is now 31 years old.

Binnington started the majority of games this past season. But Hofer certainly proved he has a future in this league. The 24-year-old recorded a record of 15-12-0 in 27 starts while playing to an impressive .914 save percentage. Overall, he helped the Blues rank fourth in the league in save percentage.

Hofer also had strong analytics to back up the counting stats. The St. Louis puck stopper finished the 2023-24 season with 7.38 Goals Saved Above Average, according to Evolving Hockey. Furthermore, he had 12.36 Goals Saved Above Expected. Finally, he finished with a respectable 13 Goals Above Replacement and 2.1 WAR.

None of these totals bettered Binnington, who had one of the best seasons in his career. In saying this, Hofer certainly showed he can play well when he’s called upon. If he can improve upon these numbers in 2024-25, the net should be his once Binnington’s time in St. Louis eventually comes to an end.

Philip Broberg has a lot to prove

Philip Broberg was named an Oilers breakout candidate as well before his move to St. Louis. However, he was also mentioned as an Oilers trade candidate given Edmonton’s salary cap situation. Broberg was essentially traded, as his former team received a second-round pick in exchange for allowing him to move to St. Louis.

Either way, Broberg showed promise in the few games he played in the NHL. Most notably, he shined during Edmonton’s run to the Stanley Cup Final. The Swedish defender had the lowest Goals Against Per 60 Minutes (0.88) at 5v5 among Oilers defenders in the postseason, according to Evolving Hockey. He also had the highest On-Ice Save Percentage (.967).

It’s certainly worth mentioning that this is a very small sample size. Of the 25 games Edmonton played in the postseason, Broberg played in just 10 of these games. Still, these are very encouraging numbers. Especially since these numbers are from the Western Conference Finals and Stanley Cup Final. He performed incredibly well in the highest-pressure situations the league has to offer.

Broberg won’t usurp Nick Leddy or Torey Krug for top-four minutes. At least, he won’t do so immediately. Having said this, the new Blues defenseman could certainly establish himself as a long-term piece after his two-year contract ends. And he could become a vital member of their roster now and in the future.

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