The St. Louis Blues will be looking to bounce back in 2023-24 after missing the playoffs for the first time since 2018 last season. This is a far cry from the team that won the Stanley Cup nearly half a decade ago, with Vladimir Tarasenko, Alex Pietrangelo, Vince Dunn and Ivan Barbashev all moving on. Still, on paper, the Blues look good enough to compete for a playoff spot in the Central Division.

St. Louis had its lowest point total in a full 82-game slate since the 2007-08 season, a disappointing 37-win showing that was not expected when the season kicked off. This is a perennial playoff team that always expects to still be playing in mid-April, but things went off the rails last season. Blues GM Doug Armstrong made some shrewd moves this offseason to keep the team competitive next year, including acquiring Kevin Hayes from the Philadelphia Flyers for basically nothing and reuniting with a piece of the Stanley Cup team in Oskar Sundqvist.

Although the team isn't what it once was, the goal for the Blues will be getting back to the dance next year.

Blues must improve defensive game

But a lot of that will depend on a vastly improved defensive game in Missouri next season. That starts with goaltender Jordan Binnington, who has shown flashes of brilliance throughout his career but was ghastly for the Blues last season. Almost all of their defenseman will be looking for bounce-back seasons, especially Torey Krug and Colton Parayko, who showed uncharacteristic struggles almost all year long.

The D-core is a shadow of what it was in 2019, and it showed on the ice last year; the Blues surrendered far too many high danger chances on a nightly basis. What doesn't help that is a goaltender who had probably his worst NHL season. Binnington will be back for the third season of his six-year, $36 million pact. The 30-year-old will need to be much better than his 3.31 goals-against average and .894 save percentage if St. Louis hopes to stay competitive for a playoff spot. He also played a career-high 60 starts last season, so it would make sense for the organization to dial back his playing time to try and get him back to his 2018-19 form.

Upgrading top-six wingers a priority

While the defense has not been a strong suit, the Blues need to replace the glaring loss of Vladimir Tarasenko after he was traded to the New York Rangers at the NHL Trade Deadline and subsequently signed to a one-year deal by the Ottawa Senators this summer. A potential first line of Robert Thomas, Pavel Buchnevich and Jordan Kyrou will be excellent, but Brayden Schenn probably deserves better linemates as the team's 2C.

Currently, Brandon Saad and Kasperi Kapanen figure to occupy the wings on the second line, with Jakub Vrana a potential replacement. It's certainly not great, as all three of those players are better suited to a third-line role on a contending team. On top of that, the Blues lack a bona fide top-of-the-lineup left winger. Buchnevich will play that position and has been, but the left shot is more comfortable on his off-wing. What St. Louis could really use ahead of next season is a proven top-six winger.

Ideal trade targets: Brock Boeser, Nick Schmaltz

Two names that immediately come to mind are Vancouver Canucks winger and Arizona Coyotes center/winger Nick Schmaltz. Both players have seen their names swirling in trade rumors over the past year and more, and one or both could be on the move at some point next season.

Boeser would fit nicely into the Blues top-six, and presumably on the top powerplay unit. He is still young at just 26 years old, and has scored 23 goals or more in four of his last six seasons in British Columbia. The longer Vancouver doesn't trade him, the more likely it is he will re-sign with the team, but he is still one of the more valuable trade chips on the Canucks.

Schmaltz has been excellent for Arizona over the past few seasons; he scored 58 points in 63 games in 2022-23, a year after a 59-point in 63 game breakout season in 2021-22. The 27-year-old is a versatile player who can play both center and wing, similar to Brayden Schenn, and could move all around the team's top-six group. If the St. Louis Blues hope to get back into playoff contention next year, Doug Armstrong would be wise to look into improving their top-six winger group, and should look no further than Brock Boeser or Nick Schmaltz.