Last season was supposed to be the season in which the Blues returned to the postseason. They traded for Jaroslav Halak after his outstanding playoff performance in net. They had young players on the rise? So, what happened? Halak sunk down to a mediocre .910 save percentage, hardly what the Blues were expecting. Plus, Ty Conklin was horrendous as his backup. Andy McDonald was limited to 58 games. T.J. Oshie only played 49. Most unfortunately, a concussion limited David Perron to a mere 10 games. As such, the Blues finished 11th in the West with 87 points and a plus-6 goal differential.
However, last season wasn't a total wash for the Blues. They traded Erik Johnson, a former first overall pick, for Chris Stewart and Kevin Shattenkirk. I really liked this trade for St. Louis, and it paid dividends immediately, as both players jumped right into the fray for the Blues and played well. A full season of both players should help. I also expect Halak to improve and get closer to his career .916 SV%.
They will also hope Oshie and McDonald can be healthy all season, and both are healthy now. Plus, they still have David Backes and Patrik Berglund, and Alex Pietrangelo is an up and coming defenseman. Plus, I've heard good things about Evgeny Grachev a 21-year-old rookie. They also added cagey veterans Jason Arnott and Jamie Langenbrunner, who add some depth to the team.
Unfortunately, Perron is still dealing with concussion symptoms, and he won't be ready for the start of the regular season. Not having him will hurt the team. At least they lost nobody significant from their roster.
I expect the Blues to be better this season, presuming that Halak does improve his numbers. They should contend for the playoffs, although they are probably one of the lesser contenders. They have a lot of talent, and a lot of young players that should improve. The question is whether or not it will all come together finally for this team.
Last team up: Nashville Predators
Next team up: Calgary Flames
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