St. Louis Blues: Pro Tryouts Have Little Chance To Make The Team
By Todd Panula
The St. Louis Blues have utilized player tryouts to good effect in recent seasons. It seems unlikely anyone will fit this year.
The St. Louis Blues had some excellent contributions by players added on Player Try Out contracts last season. Two of them are still on this year’s team in fact.
Scottie Upshall and Kyle Brodziak were both brought in as extremely late additions to the Blues last year. As with almost anyone brought in on a tryout basis, they weren’t expected to do more than be depth players.
PTO’s aren’t normally expected to play a full season. Tryout players are usually out of options and just looking to hook themselves onto a team to keep their playing days going.
Of course, there are exceptions to that. The two Blues examples just given were exceptions. Some guys use the tryout with one team to latch on with another team.
Dainius Zubrus had a tryout last season with the Blues and translated that into a contract with the San Jose Sharks. It worked out pretty well for him since the Sharks went on to be Western Conference champions.
People will wonder why the Blues couldn’t use a player that contributed to the team that defeated them. It’s not always that simple. The Blues had enough quality defenders to render Zubrus excess. Also, he only scored seven points in 50 games and two points in 14 playoff games.
Regardless, the point remains that pro tryouts can be extremely valuable to teams. These players are usually very willing to accept any role and prove themselves to earn a full-time contract with either the team that signed them or someone else.
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All that said, the Blues don’t seem to have room for anyone this season. The team already announced at least two names signed to tryout contracts.
Forward, T.J. Galiardi and defenseman, Mike Weber are being brought in for the Blues to have a look at during training camp. While both have their strengths, it seems extremely unlikely for either to make the team even though some fans think the Blues are depleted.
Galiardi is the biggest stretch to make the Blues. He scored 39 points with the Colorado Avalanche several years ago, but has not eclipsed 17 since then. He’s also not a physical presence, so his inclusion on the fourth line doesn’t seem a fit compared to what the Blues already have at their disposal.
If either of these two names makes it, Weber would be the more likely. He’s a hard-nosed defender that would settle into a depth role assigned to him. He hasn’t played more than 45 games in a season in two years, so he is more apt to be fine with only playing if there is an injury.
The Blues can always use talent. There’s no doubt of that. Until we see them in action though, there just doesn’t seem to be a need for Galiardi or Weber at this point.
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Nobody knew what kind of contributions Upshall and Brodziak would provide. There were those that chided their inclusion in the first place, but they proved themselves and earned contracts beyond the tryout.
Maybe Galiardi and Weber will do the same. For right now though, the Blues seem to have the roster they are going to enter the season with and any additions will only be to provide depth in an injury situation.