St. Louis Blues: Are Fans Really Ready For Massive Change?
By Todd Panula
While most people are gearing up for the playoffs after the St. Louis Blues clinched, there are always those looking to the future. Since they’ve never won a Stanley Cup, the Blues are always one of those teams that fans want to tweak. Sometimes the question must be asked: Is anyone really ready for the change?
Following last season’s meltdown against the Minnesota Wild, there was understandably an uproar among the fans. Many wanted a new head coach. Some wanted the change to go as high as the general manager. Others wanted the entire slate wiped clean and fresh faces brought into the locker room.
All of those things were possibilities and each individual item could have been easily explained had it happened.
To the dismay of some and the mild bother of others, very little was changed about the St. Louis Blues in that offseason. Younger players were brought in and given a chance, and they have shined, but there was not the upheaval that some had called for.
Doug Armstrong kept his job. Ken Hitchcock was oddly signed to a one-year contract – something he claimed would keep him hungry. The only major roster change was trading TJ Oshie to the Washington Capitals in exchange for Troy Brouwer.
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A few extra pieces were brought in on tryout contracts, but not the earth shattering explosion of change that the vocal were crying out for.
The Blues ownership instead chose the slow and steady path. Where has it led them? As of right now, they are tied for first place in the Western Conference.
Was it the right choice? Only fate and any higher power truly knows that. What we know is that this team has done much more than anyone thought they could.
They have lost half their lineup at various times during the season, for long periods and lost key players as well. Nevertheless, they have remained a top regular season performer.
If anyone had told people the amount of injuries this team would sustain and still have a chance to get home-ice advantage in the playoffs, most people would have laughed and walked slowly away.
As of right now, it seems to have been the smart move to not make changes. However, the playoffs will be the true judge of that sentiment. All this feel good stuff about overcoming adversity will scatter like dust in the wind if the Blues have another gut-wrenching playoff exit.
Win or lose though, change is coming and despite the yearning for it, fans may not be totally prepared.
The Blues have nine free agents with which they will need to decide whether to attempt to resign or let go this summer. Some of those names are fourth line players and more easily replaced and Joel Edmunson is likely to stay if given a modest raise from his current average salary of under $1 million.
There are bigger names on that list though. David Backes, Brouwer and Jaden Schwartz‘ deals are all up in the offseason. Also included in potential change are deals coming up in the summer of 2017.
There are eight names on that list with marquee billings like Alexander Steen, Kevin Shattenkirk, Patrik Berglund and both Brian Elliott and Jake Allen.
When you really analyze those names, when they’re available for free agency and the decisions that are looming for this franchise, it becomes rather head-spinning for fans. Players actually have it easy in just focusing on this year’s postseason and letting things fall where they may.
Fans, however (love it or not), are the constant. Coaches, players and management come and go but the fans are always there. They are the ones left to ponder these larger questions.
For them, this playoff season really will be a defining moment for the franchise as it stands. One more first-round failure could send this team several steps backwards.
Hitchcock would surely not return and Armstrong might have his bags packed as well. Then you would face a college recruiting situation where new management and coaching staffs would need to be put in place quickly due to all the contracts that have to be worked out.
If a new GM/coach pairing comes in, not only do they have to make decisions on the current crop of free agents but they must quickly decide whether they can do better by trading some of the 2017 free agents or attempting to sign them.
No team can stay the same forever. Even teams that win face changes. The key is to keep a core group together that you feel will take you to the pinnacle and keep you there. The Chicago Blackhawks laid out the blueprint and the Blues have been trying to follow it.
The scary thing is that with the playoff failures, the blueprint for the Blues may need a reboot rather than a rework if massive changes happen. Some might say that’s good. Pick up this player or that player and put them in place of Blues player A or player B and the team is good to go.
For some people that isn’t frightening. They can see the road ahead. For others, sameness and cohesiveness are like a blanket that might be ripped from them, leaving them in the cold. For those people they don’t see championship teams built through massive free agency pickups or gigantic trades.
Regardless of how any one person feels about any one individual or their performance, the amount of change that could be on the horizon is a bit frightening.
Come the start of the 2016-17 season, the St. Louis Blues might be devoid of names like Hitchcock, Armstrong, Shattenkirk, Backes, Brouwer, Schwartz and Elliott or Allen.
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No team should be kept together for the sake of it. Hoping change will magically happen in the locker room is a foolish task. However, when you sit down and analyze that over half your team could be gone in one summer, maybe two, then the idea becomes a little harder to digest.
Win or lose, the change will still come in either minor or major form. As a movie I hold dear once said, “you cannot stop the change anymore than you can stop the suns from setting.” Change is still scary on massive scale and again I ask: Is anyone really ready for change?