Player Profile: Klim Kostin

Will Kostin finally break though this season?

Some Blues fans are frustrated to watch Klim Kostin get one step closer to success, only to see him come up short. Hopefully, he’ll find his game again and retain a spot on the Blues’ roster.

Kostin is expected to make $832,500 this season. His contract comes with a cap hit of $863,333. He first signed his contract with the Blues on July 5, 2017.

The St. Louis Post Dispatch’s Jim Thomas confirmed Friday that Kostin made the Blues’ opening day roster. So, the biggest question is whether or not he’ll stay on the Blues’ roster. To me, it’s possible — especially if the Blues are going to counter speed with size. But he has to continuing striving to get better after each practice and game. Head coach Craig Berube has made it clear that this is his expectation of Kostin.

At 6’3” and 207 lbs, Kostin is a 22-year-old Russian winger from Penza, Russia. He was born and raised in Penza, where his family owned a butcher shop. He had bigger dreams than deboning, cutting, and grinding meat. He moved to his grandmother’s home in Moscow to pursue a hockey career — and he eventually made his way to North America.

Kostin has been described as a power forward due to his ability to score and help others score. He has the talent. He won the KHL’s 2021 Gagarin Cup, scoring five goals and accumulating nine points in 24 postseason games with Avangard Omsk.

I believe Kostin will split his time between the Blues and the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds, but we’ll see. He has to click with both the veterans and rookies and do the most that he can with increased playing time and high expectations from the coaching staff.