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The St. Louis Blues Took A Gamble On The Offseason

By Andrew Martin |

Apr 24, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Blues goalie Jake Allen (34) in the game against the Minnesota Wild during the first period of game five of the first round of the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scottrade Center. The Minnesota Wild defeat the St. Louis Blues 4-1. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

The St. Louis Blues begin their quest for their first Stanley Cup championship in their history tonight with their home opener against the Edmonton Oilers.

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The Blues infamously crashed out of the playoffs in the 1st round yet again at the hands of the Minnesota Wild last postseason. In the early days of the St. Louis Blues’ off season, many thought sweeping changes were coming to the club.

Those changes never really came as head coach Ken Hitchcock signed a 1-year extension with St. Louis and the roster stayed mostly the same. The one big change came with the T.J. Oshie trade for Troy Brouwer. Besides this deal with the Washington Capitals, no other major deals were struck.

Ken Hitchcock feels enough has been done, and is ready to forget last year. He told STL Today, “We don’t have to talk about last year.  We can finally move forward.”

This is all well and good to say, but those playoff scars may not have fully healed from the players and fans. The truth of the matter is the team hears the criticism. They understand failure. They’ll do everything they can to push out of the doldrums of playoff ineptitude. Will the roster be enough as it currently reads?

Feb 15, 2015; Sunrise, FL, USA; St. Louis Blues right wing Vladimir Tarasenko (91) skates on the ice prior to game against the Florida Panthers at BB&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Mayer-USA TODAY Sports

The Blues still have 2 talented goalies, one of the best top lines in the league, and a great deal of depth. They have brought on veterans Scottie Upshall and Scott Gomez to bring their leadership to the locker room. Perhaps Vladimir Tarasenko hits 100 points and carries the team through the playoffs? It’s a lot to ask of the superstar but it certainly is possible.

Sure, Barrett Jackman left in free agency for the Nashville Predators, but GM Doug Armstrong never really made any big moves to adjust his roster heading into tonight’s game with the Oilers. Maybe the team feels last year’s playoffs were an anomaly and players were banged up, and needed the experience of losing once again to prepare for the glory of the 2016 playoffs.

If that truly was the case, then I have no confidence in the ownership of the club. I think they’re gambling on hoping for the best this season and not really making any changes. David Backes may move to the 3rd line, rookies will have more of a chance this year, and Paul Stastny is moved to the 1st line, but these aren’t moves that inspire much confidence in the St. Louis Blues.

Outside the organization, many experts feel this club is one of the more talented groups in the league, but are wary of picking them to do much of anything in the playoffs because of their past failures. In other words, the Blues have become the boys who cried wolf.

You cannot enter each year with lofty promises of championships only to crash out without much of a fight in the 1st round of the playoffs each year. It’s not fair the fans. Let’s hope Army has done enough to bring success to St. Louis yet again, and for the first time a Stanley Cup.

Next: What To Watch For In Home Openerl

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