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St. Louis Blues Season Expectations: Worst Forward

By Todd Panula

May 19, 2016; San Jose, CA, USA; San Jose Sharks goalie Martin Jones (31) defends against a shot by St. Louis Blues right wing Dmitrij Jaskin (23) in the third period in game three of the Western Conference Final of the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs at SAP Center at San Jose. The Sharks won 3-0. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports
May 19, 2016; San Jose, CA, USA; San Jose Sharks goalie Martin Jones (31) defends against a shot by St. Louis Blues right wing Dmitrij Jaskin (23) in the third period in game three of the Western Conference Final of the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs at SAP Center at San Jose. The Sharks won 3-0. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports /
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There’s a lot of questioning of scoring ability going on by the St. Louis Blues faithful these days. While I do not share that opinion, there is still the potential of a player or two throwing a wrench in the works. Which one?

Credit where credit is due. I got this idea from an article Allison Scott, who wrote a similar piece for BlackOutDallas.  Now, we are going to apply the idea to the St. Louis Blues.

That out of the way, the season is getting close enough that fans are getting the itch. The potential cooler weather projected for this weekend will only further that.

The St. Louis Blues have some firepower in their lineup, but it’s going to take everyone living up to or surpassing expectations. However, it’s near impossible to tell how anyone will perform.

You can almost count on Vladimir Tarasenko to be the top scorer. After that, it’s all up in the air. Players are going to have peaks and droughts. Who might have more droughts than prosperous periods though?

Worst Forward

The St. Louis Blues are going to be leaning on some younger players in 2016-17. The question is whether or not they can live up to expectations.

St. Louis Blues
Apr 3, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; St. Louis Blues right wing Dmitrij Jaskin (23) controls the puck in the third period against the Colorado Avalanche at the Pepsi Center. The Blues defeated the Avalanche 5-1. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports /

Expectations is the key word for someone like Dmitrij Jaskin. He’s been built up for a few years, whether by the coaching staff or by fans and he has been a bit of a disappointment.

He showed a brief glimpse of what many want to see expanded upon in 2014-15, but it just has not been enough. He played 54 games in what would be regarded as his first true season of NHL hockey and came up with 13 goals.

That’s not exactly anything to write home about, but you chalk it up to playing on the third and fourth line and settling into a new country with a new playing style. With a lot of regression the following season, the excuses are beginning to dwindle even for those that want to sing his praises.

Jaskin played in 64 games in 2016-17, but only managed four goals. He also ended up with 13 points, which was five fewer than the previous year.

Jaskin was all but an afterthought in the playoffs, not featuring until the team needed a shakeup. He did end up playing in six games and scoring a goal and setting one up. Even so, he was only averaging a little over eight minutes on the ice.

Which player are you going to get?

Jaskin’s problem is very similar to what the Blues have had with Patrik Berglund. Both are big bodies that are hard to get off the puck when they chose to bull their way around.

Unfortunately, those times aren’t often enough. Jaskin is listed as 6’2 and 217 lbs, so he’s not huge by professional sports’ standards, but he’s still a big body.

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He needs to utilize that. He needs to be tough to get off the puck. He’s got some speed too, so he needs to be able to either skate around or plow through them.

So far, it’s been anything but that from the Russian. It’s hard to know what to expect from the youngster even though he’s still young in his career.

He’s still got some room to grow and improve, but two years in he should have been showing signs of improvement each time out. Instead, there was a good showing in his rookie season with a huge step backward.

It’s completely fine to have ups and downs. Going from 13 goals to four is very worrying though.

What to expect in 2016-17

This one is really hard. Jaskin could very well have a rebound season and get back into the teens or even 20’s for goals.

That part will be up to him and the work he has put in this offseason. The part that doesn’t help him is the uncertainty with the roster.

While he will likely be pushed further up the roster due to the exit of some high profile names, he also might not have the support. There’s a lot of wondering going on right now about who is going to play on which line, so Jaskin does not have the benefit of knowing who he will be playing on the wing for.

I’ve said in a few different articles that I’d like to see Jaskin on the wing with a line of Jori Lehtera and Berglund. The problem with that line is that it has the potential to be a big spark but each player brings their own baggage.

There would not be anyone to pick up the others if they are faltering since they each go through their droughts. Sadly, Jaskin might be the weakest link on such a line even with the souring of people on Lehtera.

Jaskin can’t have another season with goals in the single digits. Even 13 would not be enough at this point of his career.

If the team struggles to score the way some fans think they will, there is almost no way Jaskin is going to have a breakout year. So, it becomes a bit more frightening that the team will need him to produce for them to not struggle to score.

Next: Petro Only 16th Best Defenseman?

I still hold out hope that Jaskin can live up to his potential. The St. Louis Blues need him to.  He’s only 23 and still somewhat adjusting to the NHL game.

Yet, for someone Ken Hitchcock saw and believed was going to a top four forward it needs to happen sooner rather than later. Jaskin has the tools, but right now he might be the weakest link for a team that might have trouble scoring anyway.

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