Zizing ‘Em Up: Blues being rewarded for sticking together at Trade Deadline

NHL.com staff writer Mike Zeisberger has been covering the NHL regularly since 1999. Each Monday he will use his extensive network of hockey contacts for his weekly notes column, "Zizing 'Em Up.”

TORONTO -- The most remarkable aspect of the St. Louis Blues’ franchise-record 12-game winning streak is just how close management came to shaking up the roster.

Or at least shipping out talent.

What a difference six weeks makes.

When the NHL regular season resumed Feb. 22 after the highly successful 4 Nations Face-Off, the struggling Blues were a sub-.500 team at 25-26-5 for 55 points, eight behind the Vancouver Canucks for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference. With their postseason hopes dwindling, general manager Doug Armstrong admits St. Louis was strongly considering breaking up the band before the NHL Trade Deadline on March 7.

“If you took basically the time coming out of the 4 Nations, I would say we were likely going to make deeper cuts,” Armstrong told NHL.com on Sunday.

As the Deadline approached, names like captain Brayden Schenn and goalie Jordan Binnington were prominent in trade speculation.

Then the Blues started winning. Everything changed.

They haven’t stopped. In fact, their 5-4 victory against the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday gave them 12 consecutive wins for the first time in Blues history.

In the process, they went from being on the cusp of a retool to being on the verge of a playoff berth in what has been one of the most improbable turnarounds of the 2024-25 NHL regular season.

“It really has been, especially when you look where we are now,” Armstrong said. “I mean, it wasn’t until probably 48 hours before the Deadline that the decision was made to stick with the group we have.”

If ever there was validation to the long-time hockey credo that sometimes the best trades are the ones you don’t make, this is it.

“I would say each win eliminated a percentage point or two,” Armstrong said, regarding the odds of the Blues dealing away key cogs. “And then, all of a sudden, it got to be quite a bit because our guys had worked their way back into the playoff hunt going into those last couple of games.

“It’s the players who dictated by their play that we wouldn’t be moving players the last two days before the Deadline. The odds were stacked against us at the time in terms of winning percentage needed to make the playoffs, but the players had earned the right to stay together. If we’d done anything, it would be a hockey trade.”

The standings reflect just how meteoric this rise has been.

From the conclusion of the 4 Nations Face-Off to the Trade Deadline, St. Louis went 6-1-1 to put itself back into contention, moving within one point of the second wild card. Once the Deadline passed and Blues players realized the team would remain intact, they’ve gone 12-2-1 and hold the first wild card in the West with 93 points (43-28-7).

In summation: Since the 4 Nations Face-Off, the Blues are 18-2-2 heading into their game at the Winnipeg Jets on Monday (7:30 p.m. ET; Prime, NHLN, FDSNMW).

And they’ve done it without some significant contributors.

Defenseman Colton Parayko, a member of Canada’s 4 Nations championship team along with Binnington, is week to week since injuring his left knee March 5. Forward Pavel Buchnevich missed four games due to illness during the winning streak but has since returned to score in consecutive games. Finally, forward Dylan Holloway is week to week with a lower-body injury sustained against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday.

And, still, the beat goes on.

“They’ve shown their resiliency,” Armstrong said. “Parayko was hurt right at the Deadline, Buchnevich was out for a bit. Holloway now. But we’ve received good goaltending. Special teams have been good. And look, you play the teams on your schedule, but the majority of the teams we’ve played in this stretch were on the outside of the playoffs looking in. You still have to beat those teams to do it.

“I’m excited the way they’ve handled it.”

Specific praise went to forward Robert Thomas, who has 23 points (four goals, 19 assists) in the past 12 games, the most in the NHL in that span. The leadership shown by Thomas, the 26-year-old who Armstrong said “is becoming a special player right in front of our eyes,” and 25-year-old forward Jordan Kyrou (33 goals in 78 games this season), have the GM believing the recent success is sustainable.

“Look, we haven’t clinched anything yet when it comes to making the playoffs,” Armstrong said. “There still is work to do, but our guys believe in themselves, and that’s a big thing.

“It’s been impressive to watch.”

Especially given how close the Blues were to being sellers at the Deadline.

BLAZING BINNINGTON

Remember when one of the biggest question marks heading into 4 Nations was the perceived wobbly state of Canada’s goaltending?

Leave it to Binnington to silence the critics.

The Blues goalie proved to be a difference-maker in the tournament, especially in the championship game when his three enormous saves against Auston Matthews in overtime set the stage for the tournament-winning goal by Connor McDavid.

His dominance didn’t stop there.

Since the conclusion of the tournament, Binnington has gone 12-2-0 with a 2.15 goals-against average and .917 save percentage, a key reason for St. Louis’s surge down the stretch. In the process, his victory against Colorado on Saturday set a team record for consecutive wins (12), matched the franchise mark for consecutive home wins (10) and was his 100th home win with the Blues, also a franchise record.

“It doesn’t surprise me,” Armstrong said. “I’ve been with Jordan from the start. There were a few years where his numbers may have dipped, but that’s because the team we had in front of him wasn’t good enough.

“His track record speaks for itself.”

Binnington has been on runs like this before, none more memorable than during his rookie season of 2018-19. He started his first NHL game Jan. 7, 2019, and went on to post a record of 24-5-1 before helping to the Blues win the Stanley Cup.

For Toronto Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube, it is not surprising to see Binnington’s current success. Berube was the coach in St. Louis for its championship season and knows just how much his former goalie rises to the occasion when his talents are questioned.

“He’s such a competitor,” Berube said. “And if there are any doubters and doubts, he understands it, he hears it, and he’s going to do anything and everything in his power to turn it the other way. He’s got a lot of jam. He’ll fight for everything. He’s done it before, right?

“You never want to doubt him.”

He certainly believes in himself, although there will be no chest pounding on his part. That is not Jordan Binnington’s way.

“I know better,” he said. “It’s a humbling league, so you’ve got to just keep your head down and keep working and find a way and try and find your times to enjoy the moments.”

There has been no shortage of those moments for Binnington these past two months.

JOBU MAGIC, BLUES STYLE

During the Blues’ 2018-19 Cup run, their rallying cry came in the form of the song “Gloria,” the 1982 hit tune for Laura Branigan that St. Louis adopted as its celebration song.

Six years later, the team’s bonding outlet has come in the form of “Jobu,” the voodoo doll featured in the 1989 hit movie “Major League” that was presented with rum, cigar and incense offerings by slugger Pedro Cerrano in his locker in the hopes the bobblehead would spiritually help him hit a curveball.

Jobu first appeared in St. Louis’ dressing room on Feb. 22, the day the Blues played the Winnipeg Jets in their first game after the 4 Nations Face-Off. To a man, Blues players claim they don’t know how he got there (nudge nudge, wink wink) but have been using him (it?) as inspiration ever since.

"I have no idea where it came from,” Armstrong said. “It’s a players’ thing. I try to give them their space. But it’s brought them together, and I’m all for that.”

Jobu now has his own locker in the dressing room between rookies Zack Bolduc and Dalibor Dvorsky and was credited by Binnington as helping St. Louis to a 2-1 win at Colorado on March 29.

“His second intermission speech got us going,” Binnington said.

In the end, one team’s Gloria is proving to be another’s Jobu.

“I think he’s been a part of this run for us, and we will give him the credit,” defenseman Cam Fowler said. “A little bit of Jobu magic that’s helped keep this thing alive.”

Whatever works.

MONAHAN STILL STRUGGLING TO COPE

Seven months after the tragic death of Columbus Blue Jackets forward Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan is still trying to find a way to cope with the loss of his beloved friend and teammate.

“Obviously, we were really close and, honestly, to this day I don’t know how exactly to deal with it myself,” the Blue Jackets center told NHL.com on Saturday. “It still hits me in waves.

“It’s something I think about every day.”

Johnny and his brother Matthew died Aug. 29 when they were struck by a car while riding bicycles at home in Salem County, New Jersey. Johnny, who played 11 seasons in the NHL with the Blue Jackets and Calgary Flames, was 31. Matthew, who played professionally for five seasons in the American Hockey League, ECHL and Sweden, was 29.

Johnny Gaudreau left behind wife Meredith and three children, all of whom provide Monahan with inspiration and hope.

“His wife and kids live across the street from us, so I think seeing them, it helps me,” Monahan said. “(Johnny) was a great dad, so being around his kids, it makes you smile.

“He’s got a great family, and obviously he picked a great wife. She’s going to raise three amazing kids that are going to live through some great memories of the best dad those kids could ever hope for.”

Monahan and Gaudreau were longtime teammates with the Flames from 2013-22. Gaudreau signed with Columbus as a free agent in 2022 and, two years later, Monahan did the same, wanting to play with his pal again.

That chance would not come.

Once the season started, Monahan faced more adversity when he injured his right wrist on Jan. 7 and had surgery Jan. 24, leading to a 28-game absence. He returned March 24.

Now, he’s trying to help the Blue Jackets, easily the Cinderella story of the 2024-25 season, qualify for the playoffs. Columbus currently has 77 points (34-33-9), eight behind the Montreal Canadiens for the second wild card in the Eastern Conference.

“There’s a special bond in this room,” Monahan said. “Guys really care about each other and everyone pushes each other to get better. That’s been the case down the stretch here.

“Win or lose, we have a lot of competitors in here. It’s a really fun team to be a part of.”

And, as such, good therapy for an ever-mourning heart.

QUOTE/UNQUOTE

“I don’t want Berube’s fingerprints anywhere near me.”

-- Blue Jackets coach Dean Evason when asked if he can see Berube’s fingerprints on the Maple Leafs by the adopted north-south style they are playing. “Obviously he’s a great coach,” Evason added. “He won a Stanley Cup. Have a great deal of respect for him and how he conducts himself and how hard his teams play. Whenever you play a team coached by him, you’re going to get effort from them. There’s no question about that.”

THE LAST WORD

A look at one key game with playoff implications for each day this week with less than two weeks remaining in the regular season:

Monday, St. Louis Blues at Winnipeg Jets: St. Louis is closing in on clinching a playoff berth, while Winnipeg looks to win the Presidents’ Trophy.

Tuesday, Toronto Maple Leafs at Florida Panthers: The defending champions are in danger of falling out of the race for first place in the Atlantic Division.

Wednesday, Maple Leafs at Tampa Bay Lightning: Could go a long way in determining who gets the No. 1 seed in the Atlantic.

Thursday, New York Rangers at New York Islanders: The Islanders are looking to keep their slim playoff hopes alive while trying to squash those of the rival Rangers at the same time.

Friday, Canadiens at Ottawa Senators: In the wild wild-card race in the East, each team has a good shot to make the playoffs.

Saturday, Canadiens at Maple Leafs: Montreal’s playoff aspirations could get a significant boost with a win against its oldest rival.

Sunday, Edmonton Oilers at Jets: Will either member of the Oilers’ banged-up dynamic duo of McDavid and Leon Draisaitl play? Just how healthy, if at all, will they be for the start of the playoffs?