St. Louis Blues Play No Favorites

Bowing out of the playoffs after one round seems to be the new trend for the St. Louis Blues. The latest installment of this playoff curse came at the hands of the Minnesota Wild in last season’s playoffs when the St. Louis Blues were sent home in six games. The Blues needed to make a change. This change came in the form of casting off club favorite and locker room leader, T.J. Oshie. The former University of North Dakota winger was shipped off to Washington in exchange for Troy Brouwer, Phoenix Copley, and a 3rd-round draft pick in 2016. Bleedin’ Blue covered this trade in detail last month.

Whenever a club favorite is traded it sends shockwaves throughout the fanbase as well as the players still wearing the Blue-note. The message is clear. St. Louis Blues GM Doug Armstrong is fed up with his team’s thrashing of competition in the regular season only to whither and die in the playoffs. When it truly counts the St. Louis Blues have fallen short too many times, especially with such a talented roster. Oshie may play for the Capitals and win them many games, but he didn’t get the Blues to their first Stanley Cup in team history, and Armstrong felt a change had to be made.

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Apr 18, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Blues right wing T.J. Oshie (74) takes a shot against the Minnesota Wild during the second period in game two of the first round of the the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scottrade Center. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

Oshie was an olympian for the USA, a regular in the St. Louis Blues shootout lineup, and a threat to provide assists every night. Unfortunately, his goal production never took off as the team had hoped when he was drafted. At 28 years old he is in the prime of his career. As seen on the NHL official site, Oshie’s highest goal tally in a season came in 2013-2014 with just 21. The former 1st-round pick rippled the back of the net 19 times last season, and went missing in the playoffs.

His career playoff stats total at five goals and four assists over 30 games. Granted, Oshie is clever in shootouts, perhaps one of the best in the NHL, and has had at least 30 assists in four of his seven NHL seasons. That being said, the lack of goals ended his Blues career more abruptly than most fans had anticipated.

In comes Troy Brouwer, the heir apparent to the right wing slot vacated by Oshie. Brouwer’s goal and assist count is not drastically different from Oshie, but his playoff experience is what makes me feel confident in this trade. Oshie played in 30 playoff games in his career, compared to the 78 Brouwer has seen. His postseason experience with the Blackhawks and Capitals will pay dividends for the young Blues this year. Brouwer is also listed at 6’3, compared to Oshie’s 5’11 frame. While no one will doubt Oshie’s physicality, Brouwer’s build will allow for more of the gritty goals needed come playoff time, as well as free up space for Vladimir Tarasenko to work his magic.

According to the NHL official site, Brouwer has played in 82 games in three of the past four seasons, which brings the word ‘durable’ to mind. Oshie has dealt with some injuries throughout his career. The most notable being a broken ankle suffered during a fight with Columbus Blue Jacket, Samuel Pahllson in the 2010-2011 season which saw him miss three months of games. The former Capital is more balanced in his goal to assist ratio. Last year he scored 21 goals while tallying 22 assists and was a +11 on the season. Brouwer scored the winning goal in last year’s Winter Classic against the Chicago Blackhawks in epic fashion, as seen below. The St. Louis Blues hope that this shakeup will lead to results.

The true value of the trade will not be known until next spring. One thing is for sure, the Blues are all in this season. The Blue-note on the front of the sweater is more important than the name on the back, and no one is guaranteed a roster spot. Will the St. Louis Blues live to regret this blockbuster of a trade? Will Oshie find his goal-scoring touch with Alexander Ovechkin in the nation’s capital? Tune in this fall and find out.

Next: Introducing St. Louis Blues Fan Andrew Martin

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