St. Louis Blues: Handing Out Team Trophies for 2016-17 Regular Season

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Apr 9, 2017; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Blues celebrate after they defeated the Colorado Avalanche 3-2 at Scottrade Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports /

The St. Louis Blues concluded the 2016-17 with 99 points. That was good for third place in the Central Division and the team’s sixth straight ticket to the Stanley Cup playoffs.

For the second time in three years, the St. Louis Blues will play the Minnesota Wild in the first round of the NHL playoffs. Mike Yeo, who has led the Blues to a 22-8-2 record since taking over as head coach, will face a team in the opening series he previously coached from 2011 to 2016.

While St. Louis finished with the lowest amount of points in an 82-game season during the franchise’s six-year playoff bid, it has been a whirlwind campaign to say the least. The heights have stretched beyond the team’s first Winter Classic appearance and 50th year anniversary festivities.

The Blues have a new identity from last year’s Western Conference Finals roster. Ken Hitchcock was relieved of coaching duties in early February and the Blues have lost veteran leadership in the likes of David Backes, Troy Brouwer, Brian Elliott and Kevin Shattenkirk over the past 10 months.

Despite these organizational changes, St. Louis kept composure and quietly emerged as threat to make deep playoff run. But, this surprise stretch wouldn’t have been possible without players taking leadership roles in times of need.

Within this slideshow are five NHL accolades handed out to Blues on a team scale.

Selke – Patrik Berglund

Placing second on the team with 23 goals, Patrik Berglund‘s offensive emergence has overshadowed the defensive identity he has brought to St. Louis for nearly a decade . The 28 year-old set new career highs in hits (155), blocks (42) and faceoffs won (576), shattering career averages in both departments by double-figures.

Berglund finished with Corsi and Fenwick ratings above 50 percent for the eighth time in five years, allowing the Blues to generate more scoring chances than opponents more times than not. His minus-7 +/- rating may prove misleading toward his pedigree as a defensive player, but it’s also an indicator of increasing responsibilities Berglund embraced outside of special teams and as one of only three Blues skaters to play all 82 regular season games.

The 6-foot-4 center is tied with frequent lineman Zachary Sanford as the team’s tallest forward. The size element, along with the speed component aided by David Perron, has led Berglund to one of the finest two-way player seasons in recent franchise history, resulting in a 5-year, $19.25 million contract extension in February.

Chance of NHL awards recognition

Berglund has not really been in the race for any NHL awards since receiving a few votes for Lady Byng and Calder Trophy recognition after the 2008-09 campaign, his rookie season. While statistics may allude to the value of Berglund’s defense for St. Louis, other players with teams in more favorable playoff positions may carry priority. Anaheim’s Ryan Kesler or Washington’s Nicklas Backstrom are more likely candidates to acquire this year’s Selke Trophy recognition.

Feb 2, 2017; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Blues center Ivan Barbashev (49) in action during the third period against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scottrade Center. The Blues won 5-1. Mandatory Credit: Billy Hurst-USA TODAY Sports /

Calder – Ivan Barbashev

The Blues called up five different players from minor league affiliate Chicago Wolves, experiencing mixed levels of success within the organizational system. But the most pivotal prospect down the stretch proved to be Ivan Barbashev, who was never scratched from a game since his NHL debut on January 26.

While injuries and scoring nearly turned St. Louis’s third and fourth lines into a game of musical chairs, Barbashev adapted to occasional roles as left winger and played his more natural position in center near the season’s end. In fact, he worked his way to some first-line action in final games on non-special teams units.

Barbashev ended the season on a four-game point streak and averaged above 15 minutes of ice time per game during this stretch. The 21 year-old filled a big role following Robby Fabbri‘s season-ending ACL injury and it’s possible both could become linemates in future seasons. Although the Blues may have a crowded situation at center after bringing Vladimir Sobotka back, Barbashev should be a middle-of-the-ice catalyst for years to come.

Chance of NHL awards recognition

Last year’s first overall pick Auston Matthews is almost a lock win with his 40-goal campaign and the Maple Leafs first playoff bid since 2013. Winnipeg’s Patrik Laine will capture attention as well being the league’s seventh best goal scorer. This season’s rookie class offered several household names means, which unfortunately means there’s no realistic chance that Barbashev or another Blues rookie could be recognized for Calder.

Mar 27, 2017; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Blues goalie Jake Allen (34) makes a glove save against the Arizona Coyotes during the first period at Scottrade Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports /

Vezina – Jake Allen

(Second Half)

Basically a two-man race with Carter Hutton, there’s no doubt that Jake Allen‘s goaltending was more important in leading the Blues to playoffs down the stretch. With that said, his first season as the go-to goaltender had a fair share of ups and downs.

Following the Winter Classic, Allen fell into a January funk where he was winless over his last five starts of the month and pulled three times. Since Mike Yeo took over as head coach, along with NHL wins leader Martin Brodeur becoming a temporary goalie coach, Allen has prospered to a 22-12-4 record and a .938 save percentage.

The turnaround has resulted in stronger conditioning and a simpler hybrid approach controlling the net. Allen became the Blues’ first 30-game winner of the 21st century with over half of the victories coming in the last month. It also helps playing with a back-up goaltender in Hutton who has limited opponents to one goal or less in his five of his last seven starts.

Chance of NHL awards recognition

If the league split Vezina honors into two halves of the season, Allen’s post All-Star break performance could theoretically put him in contention. That’s not how the Vezina, or any of the other NHL trophies, work. Braden Holtby, Sergei Bobrovsky or Devan Dubnyk are logical choices for this year’s award, but don’t count Allen out in future selections if he can build off of his second half surge.

Mar 25, 2017; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Blues defenseman Alex Pietrangelo (27) skates with the puck during the first period against the Calgary Flames at Scottrade Center. Mandatory Credit: Billy Hurst-USA TODAY Sports /

Norris – Alex Pietrangelo

Had former All-Star defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk remained with St. Louis through the NHL trading deadline, he would have likely topped his season-high points as a member of the Blues and may have presented a stronger case as the team’s best defenseman. Since his departure, Alex Pietrangelo secured his spot as the Blues’ top defenseman this season and no one else was even close.

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In St. Louis’s final 21 games without Shattenkirk, Pietrangelo compiled 17 points on five goals and 12 assists. His offensive surge may have resulted from increased power play time and a weaker slate of opponents in the final two months, but his plus-10 +/- improvement since the start of March suggests more.

Pietrangelo’s recent adjustments have not restricted his defensive abilities either, finishing with a career-high 53 takeaways and reaching 150 blocks for the third time in his career. The 27 year-old came into the season with heightened expectations when taking over the captaincy void held previously by David Backes, but the leadership has been present playing in at least 80 games for the third time in four seasons.

Chance of NHL awards recognition

Similar to Allen, Pietrangelo finds himself in another one of those situations where a strong late-season push may not be enough to capture league interest. Brent Burns, Erik Karlsson and Victor Hedman are likely to compete for Norris honors. It’s worth noting that Pietrangelo had a Top 5 finish for Norris honors as recently as 2014, but it’s difficult to predict how much of a window is left to become recognized as the league’s top blueliner.

Feb 18, 2017; Buffalo, NY, USA; St. Louis Blues right wing Vladimir Tarasenko (91) against the Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center. Buffalo beats St. Louis 3 to 2. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports /

Hart – Vladimr Tarasenko

The man has three consecutive seasons of 70 points and nearly back-to-back 40-goal campaigns. Vladimir Tarasenko just missed elite company that only includes Brett Hull, Brendan Shanahan and Joe Mullen in these feats. But, it’s more than just the stats that tell the story of one of the league’s quietly emerging superstars.

Tarasenko delivered in some of the team’s most significant moments this season, including a two-goal performance in the Winter Classic and his third career hat trick in early December. He also won the heart of an 11 year-old fan battling cancer in Arianna Dougan, as she was invited to a two-game roadtrip during which Tarasenko picked up a goal.

Coming into the season on the cover of the NHL 2017 video game and earning all-star team recognition for the third straight year, Tarasenko is starting to pick up the notoriety of a big-name player that the Blues have lacked in recent years. Ultimately, Tarasenko offers a dynamic for the Blues that is not simple to replace and it’s entirely possible that St. Louis may not stand in a playoff position without him.

Chance of NHL awards recognition

Compared to the previous four accolades, Tarasenko may present a strong case for the Hart Trophy, depending on how the standards of most valuable player are measured. He’s finished 14th and 12th place in Hart Trophy standings over the past two years respectively. While he could climb this ladder once again, Edmonton’s Connor McDavid has statistically performed on a higher level than any other player this season.

These five accolades have a combined 140 games of playoff experience, four of them who played in the Western Conference Finals last year. Each one will be counted on for playoff success in 2017 and beyond. The St. Louis Blues could open up their 2016-17 Stanley Cup playoff run against the Minnesota Wild as soon as Wednesday, April 12.

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