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St. Louis Blues: Five Things Fans Should Be Thankful For

By Todd Panula

Nov 17, 2016; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Blues left wing Jaden Schwartz (17) is congratulated by defenseman Petteri Lindbohm (48) center Kyle Brodziak (28) and right wing Ryan Reaves (75) after scoring his second goal of the game against the San Jose Sharks during the second period at Scottrade Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 17, 2016; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Blues left wing Jaden Schwartz (17) is congratulated by defenseman Petteri Lindbohm (48) center Kyle Brodziak (28) and right wing Ryan Reaves (75) after scoring his second goal of the game against the San Jose Sharks during the second period at Scottrade Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports /
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May 23, 2016; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Blues right wing Vladimir Tarasenko (91) controls the puck against the San Jose Sharks in the third period in game five of the Western Conference Final of the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scottrade Center. The Sharks won 6-3. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
May 23, 2016; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Blues right wing Vladimir Tarasenko (91) controls the puck against the San Jose Sharks in the third period in game five of the Western Conference Final of the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scottrade Center. The Sharks won 6-3. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports /

3.  Vladimir Tarasenko

This one almost goes without saying. The Blues have been longing for a true scorer and it took years to finally find one.

In fact, it almost did not happen. The Blues took Jaden Schwartz with their 14th overall pick in 2010.

That was the team’s only original pick. They had acquired the 16th pick from Ottawa in return for David Rundblad.

The Blues wisely picked Vladimir Tarasenko with the choice. The interesting thing is they were surprised he had fallen that far, but wanted Schwartz enough to take him first.

Thank goodness they still made the move to get that other pick. Tarasenko is looking like he could have been worth a top five pick, if not the overall number one – no offense to Taylor Hall, who was taken first that year.

It took a little longer to get Tarasenko into the NHL. That was not so much due to talent as he was just comfortable playing in his native Russia.

It did not take him long to convert to the game, even if getting used to the culture took a little longer. His rookie season, he put up 19 points in 38 games.

He scored 21 goals and 43 points in his first full season. His goals went up each year, having a 40 goal season in 2015-16.

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He doesn’t have the blistering shot like his countryman, Alex Ovechkin. He may never lead the league in goals or scoring, simply because he looks to his teammates more than many superstars.

Even so, he is a bona fide scorer. That’s something the Blues have not had since Brett Hull left.

Sure, there were guys like Demitra or Tkachuk. The odd name would pop up like Young or Boyes.

As a pure scorer though, it has been the Golden Brett that we all wanted someone to replicate. Tarasenko may never put up 80 in a season, but he’s the kind of player you expect to score every game.

That’s good enough.

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