Blues report card: Final forward grades, from Zack Bolduc to Robert Thomas to Nathan Walker

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If report cards for the 2024-25 St. Louis Blues had been drawn up at the midpoint, there would’ve been a lot of failing grades.

Fortunately for them, there was another semester, and many of the players took advantage of the extra-credit opportunity to pull up their average.

Robert Thomas put up numbers that put him in the same breath as Brett Hull and Pierre Turgeon. Jordan Kyrou added some much-needed defense to his game. And Jimmy Snuggerud and Dalibor Dvorsky offered exciting glimpses into the future.

Others, such as Brandon Saad, left a lot to be desired.

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

Players had to appear in a minimum of 20 games or finish the regular season on the roster to be assessed, and the grading is done on a curve based on their role. There are 16 forwards, and they are listed alphabetically.

Zack Bolduc

72 games, 19 goals, 36 points, plus-20

Lessons were learned along the way, but overall, Bolduc took a major step. He was sixth on the team in goals (19) in the regular season and averaged at least three minutes less than the five forwards ahead of him in ice time per game (12:48). He tied for first in power-play goals, and from Feb. 5 until the end of the regular season, he led the team in goals (14).

Grade: A-

Pavel Buchnevich

76 games, 20 goals, 57 points, plus-10

I find it hard to fault Buchnevich for his lack of production at center, where the Blues forced him to play the first two months of the season. In his first 54 games, well past the point he was moved back to the wing, he had just 11 goals and 34 points. Perhaps due in part to injury, he rarely looked like himself. They need him to be a 30-goal, 75-point winger again.

Grade: C

Dalibor Dvorsky

2 games, 0 points, even

Dvorsky played just two NHL games this season, but I put him on the report card because he was on the roster at the end of the regular season and because his development is imperative to the team’s future. It was clear in his two games that it’ll take time for him to get physically ready, but he’s only 19. It was good for him to get a taste.

Grade: B

Radek Faksa

70 games, 5 goals, 15 points, minus-2

A salary dump by the Dallas Stars, Faksa was a solid pick-up by Armstrong last summer. He jelled extremely well with Alexey Toropchenko and Nathan Walker on the fourth line and won a team-high 57 percent of his faceoffs. When he missed 11 games in the middle of the season with a leg cut, the club went 5-6-1, illustrating his importance.

Grade: A

Dylan Holloway

77 games, 26 goals, 63 points, plus-21

Holloway couldn’t have scripted a better first season in St. Louis. When he got injured April 3 with six games remaining in the regular season, a 30-goal, 70-point campaign was still within reach. His tenacity rubbed off on teammates, and he brought out the best in linemates Brayden Schenn and Jordan Kyrou. The premature ending hurt the team.

Grade: A+

Dylan Holloway became a tone-setter in his first season with the Blues. (Bruce Bennett / Getty Images)

Mathieu Joseph

60 games, 4 goals, 14 points, minus-6

There was promise in the beginning. Joseph brought speed to the lineup and contributed on the forecheck. There was a stretch when the third line — dubbed “That ’70s line” with Joseph, Bolduc and Oskar Sundqvist — provided a real boost to the team. But Joseph had a tough time holding on to the coaches’ trust and thus staying in the lineup regularly.

Grade: C-

Jordan Kyrou

82 games, 36 goals, 70 points, plus-23

In the past two years, I’ve given Kyrou a B and B- on the report card because he couldn’t be counted on defensively. This season, he was on the ice for just 35 five-on-five goals against, which was the fifth fewest among forwards. There were still some costly turnovers, and he needs to play with more grit in the playoffs, but all in all, it was a strong improvement.

Grade: A-

Jake Neighbours

82 games, 22 goals, 46 points, even

Neighbours had five fewer goals this season (22) and six fewer goals from the high-danger area in front of the net (14). He more than doubled his assists (24), though, and 12 were primary helpers at five-on-five. He also improved the number of five-on-five goals he was on the ice for/against (46/41, improved from 37/44).

Grade: B

Brandon Saad

72 games, 13 goals, 30 points, minus-8 (with the Blues and Vegas Golden Knights)

He’s been a vanilla but productive player for most of his career, and it’s worked for him. But this season, he just didn’t look engaged. In 43 games, he had seven goals and 16 points, while in 29 games after signing with Vegas, he had six goals and 14 points. Kudos for walking away from $5 million, but it never should’ve come to that.

Grade: F

Brayden Schenn

82 games, 18 goals, 50 points, plus-3

A year ago, many were wondering if Schenn’s performance was declining and if he was holding his teammates accountable enough. That narrative has changed, to say the least, as he’s now seen as a player who found his game and became the perfect captain. He was the same person, so it’s likely more true that the players around him changed and he pulled everyone together.

Grade: A-

Jimmy Snuggerud

7 games, 1 goal, 4 points, even

There were certainly expectations when Snuggerud turned pro and jumped into the NHL, but everyone would’ve understood if he took time to get acclimated. Instead, he might have gotten fans even more excited about his future with his ability to play on the top line and not look out of place in the playoffs. His vision and stickwork stood out.

Grade: A

Oskar Sundqvist

67 games, 6 goals, 20 points, minus-6

He’s a tough player to grade because he gives it his all, but with the number of injuries he has overcome, his all can leave something to be desired. You would like more goals (he had six, including four on the PP) and points (20) from your third-line center, along with fewer penalties (16 minors). But he’s a gamer and makes young players around him (Bolduc) better.

Grade: B-

Alexandre Texier

31 games, 6 goals, 11 points, minus-3

He has tremendous skill but is wildly inconsistent. Texier will score and then turn the puck over. In his first 17 games, he had one goal and three assists. His production picked up in the second half, but not enough to stay in the lineup. He was out with illness and frequently a healthy scratch, and the club chose Joseph over him in Game 7 against the Winnipeg Jets.

Grade: D+

Robert Thomas

70 games, 21 goals, 81 points, plus-20

Despite missing 12 games with an ankle injury, Thomas led the Blues with 81 points, including a 12-game point streak and an 11-game assist streak. He put himself in some rarified air, becoming the first Blues player since Brett Hull in 1995-96 and ’96-97 to post back-to-back 80-point seasons and having the longest assist streak since Pierre Turgeon (1999).

Grade: A

Alexey Toropchenko

80 games, 4 goals, 18 points, minus-1

If the standard is his 14-goal season in 2023-24, then fans might be disappointed with his offensive output. He finished with just four goals, though he was only a few points off last season’s total (18, down from 21). Sure, he can’t go 51 games without a goal, as he did this season, but the fourth line was, without a doubt, the team’s most consistent all season.

Grade: B+

Nathan Walker

73 games, 8 goals, 16 points, minus-5

St. Louis is known as a blue-collar hockey town, and if there’s a short list of players who epitomize the hardworking style of play over the years, he is near the top. The fourth-line winger never takes a night off, and his intensity is infectious. He finished No. 7 in the NHL in hits (281) and was tied for second on the Blues in fighting majors (five).

Grade: A+

Nathan Walker was among the NHL’s leaders in hits in 2024-25. (Cameron Bartlett / Getty Images)

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

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