St. Louis Blues 2016 Success Hinges On Stanley Cup

Believe it or not, but the 2015-2016 NHL season is now just weeks away.

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This got me to thinking about the recent criticisms of the St. Louis Blues front office, coaches, and players, for their lack of success in the playoffs in recent seasons.

I truly believe that the only way for this current Blues regime to have a “successful” season is to get to the Stanley Cup finals. Winning the Cup would be the ultimate goal, but anything less than getting to the finals is going to be a failure for this team.

This failure will trigger a mass exodus out of St. Louis. Team owner, Tom Stillman, will cut ties with GM Doug Armstrong and head coach, Ken Hitchcock over a playoff finish of anything less than getting to the finals.

This is a far cry from the definition of success just a few seasons ago. I can remember following every game the Blues played in the 2008-2009 season as they squeaked into the playoffs for the first time since 2006. The Blues defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets to clinch that playoff berth in 2009. The St. Louis Blues went on the lose in the first round to the Vancouver Canucks.

That was a very different Blues team. It was a team with the “kid-line” of youngsters David Perron, T.J. Oshie, and Patrick Berglund. Berglund is the only remaining player from that line on the roster today.

Goalie, Chris Mason, played every game down the stretch that season to ensure the St. Louis Blues finished in the top 8 of the Western Conference. Back then, the Blues were a rebuilding team. That rebuilding team under Andy Murray overachieved to get into the playoffs.

Mason played in 57 games for the Blues in the 2009 season and brought the team 27 crucial wins.

The 2008-2009 campaign saw the St. Louis Blues craft what many believed to be a team to be reckoned with for the next decade. Here we are six years later, and the Blues have as many Stanley Cup titles as they had in 2009. A big zero in that stat column.

Now, in 2015 it is apparent the Blues have the firepower to blast through the competition in the regular season, but lack the personnel to get them to the promised land of the Stanley Cup finals.

The Blues crashed out in the first round against the Minnesota Wild this past season. The season before, they couldn’t get past the Chicago Blackhawks in the first round.

These epic failures have culminated in a win-now mentality for the St. Louis Blues and their fanbase. Doug Armstrong has made some headline-grabbing moves this offseason, including a trade for Troy Brouwer. Brouwer was sent to St. Louis in a deal for Blues alternate captain, T.J. Oshie.

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If the Blues fail to get to the Stanley Cup finals, there will be even more changes to the roster and front office. St. Louis has never seen a victory parade showcasing a Stanley Cup, and this current team is certainly built to bring them to the promised land.

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