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Kevin Shattenkirk Says St. Louis Blues Future Bright

By Kate Cimini

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St. Louis Blues star defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk spoke with his hometown paper, Greenwich Time, on the Blues defense and what he personally pinpointed as issues St. Louis needed to overcome on the ice for a successful postesason run.

Despite their disappointing finish to the 2014-2015 playoffs Shattenkirk was positive about his club’s future last week, highlighting offseason moves and strong team chemistry.

Next: Postulation Post: Blues Defensive Pairs

Offseason fitness regimens and preparation for October are old hat to Shattenkirk, who was confident that October would see a strong start from him.

“Every year seems to get better and better,” said Shattenkirk. “Last year, the fitness and conditioning I put in over the summer allowed me to play the type of game I wanted to. It allowed me to skate well and have stamina, which makes your confidence rise.”

“Defensemen have to be able to skate and make that first pass up the ice, not just knock guys into a corner all the time,” said Shattenkirk. “The game now is all about speed and transition and the fastest teams make good, clean passes, which is what we pride ourselves on. More than ever, defensemen need to do that.”

“In the playoffs, we just didn’t find ways to score goals…”

Shattenkirk is no slouch in the transition department, often leading to a point for him. Shattenkirk registered 44 points (8g, 36a) in 56 games last season, and 8 points in the post. However, recent offseason developments, such as the Blues letting the now-Predators defenseman Barret Jackman walk, have shaken things up a bit for the 27 year-old.

“We have a group that has been together for a while,” said Shattenkirk,. “I just lost my long time defensive partner Barret Jackman but as a whole we have been pretty tight and we haven’t had to change much the last few years. That’s helped our chemistry a lot.”

While team chemistry is bound to change after losing a defender and trading a few other pieces, the addition of new players such as Troy Brouwer might help the Blues find their way to the back of the net in the postseason.

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“We’ve found a way to piece together our team game for most of the season and that’s allowed us to be so successful,” said Shattenkirk. “Now we have to figure out how to do that in the playoffs. It’s tough come playoff time, because every team in our division has a fighting chance.

“In the playoffs, we just didn’t find ways to score goals, so this year we are going to work on our systems to improve that. Hopefully, we can put some new pieces into the puzzle and they can chip in as well.”

He was confident that the tweaks St. Louis Blues GM Doug Armstrong made to the lineup would bear fruit in the way the team approached the postseason.

“The offseason was good for us, as great a regular season we had last year, it wasn’t a matter of blowing the whole team up,” said Shattenkirk. “More than anything, we know what it takes to get it done in the regular season. We plan on having another great regular season and we are looking forward to getting another crack at winning in the playoffs.”

Next: Brouwer Brings Right Mentality To St. Louis

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