St. Louis Blues: Early Guesses At Defensive Pairings

The St. Louis Blues now know their defensive list for 2018-19. However, the places they get played could be quite fluid within the lineup.

The St. Louis Blues pretty much have their 2018-19 roster set. The only major questions left is whether any of the prospect players the fans have fallen in love with manage to crack the lineup.

That mainly deals with the forwards, however. On the defensive side of things, the Blues have a set six now that Joel Edmundson signed his one-year contract. The only thing let to decide there is who the seventh defenseman will be and who gets paired with whom.

So, with that in mind, let’s take a look at some possible pairings for the Blues defensive core.

Lines I’d Like To See

Jay Bouwmeester, Alex Pietrangelo
Joel Edmundson, Colton Parayko
Vince Dunn, Robert Bortuzzo

People will freak out over the top pairing, but we’ll get to that. Starting on the bottom pair, perhaps I’m one of the only people that still has faith in Robert Bortuzzo. He might not be an every day defenseman, but I think he can be good for 60-70 games given the right atmosphere.

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He’s also a more stay-at-home defender, which would allow Vince Dunn more freedom to venture forward. I also like the idea of keeping an older defenseman with Dunn since he still has learning to do.

The reason I would put Joel Edmundson on the second pairing instead of the first is because I was really let down by that pair during the 2017-18 season. I had been advocating forever to put Edmundson with Alex Pietrangelo and when it happened it was just north of a disaster. The did not compliment each other at all.

You could argue it was just a bad season for all involved due to the injuries. I am just not willing to trust it yet.

I am also one of the few people that believe Jay Bouwmeester has something to offer. He has become injury prone after being the league’s iron man, but if he’s healthy he is still one of the team’s best defenders. That might say something about the quality of the other guys if you do not like Bouw, but it is still a true statement.

Lines Many Fans Would Like To See

Edmundson, Pietrangelo
Dunn, Parayko
Bouwmeester, Carl Gunnarsson or Jordan Schmaltz

Despite the shocking lack of chemistry between the two, most fans still want 6 and 27 together. It is understandable since they are the two best left and right-handed defenders. I’m just not sold it will work this time.

On paper, I like putting Vince Dunn with Colton Parayko. They should, in theory compliment one another. The issue I have with it is whether Parayko has taken his next step. Dunn had cracks in his defensive game as it is, so any sophomore slump will make those cracks into canyons. Has Parayko cleaned up his own game to lead another young player? Time could tell.

Some fans want Bouwmeester completely out of the lineup. Rational ones know it won’t happen, so they’d be willing for a third pairing. The problem there is there is an irrational dislike of Bortuzzo for some reason. So, many fans would rather he not be in there, which causes an imbalance in the left-right matchup. I’m not sure Jordan Schmaltz is ready to play full time, so you’d have to switch Carl Gunnarsson in and out, keeping two left-handed defenders together at times.

Lines We Are Likely To See

Bouwmeester, Pietrangelo
Edmundson, Parayko
Gunnarsson, Bortuzzo and Dunn

Whether we like it or not, the bottom line is that Bouwmeester will likely still be on the top pairing if/when he is healthy. He is still a good defender, even if he has lost a step. If they do put Edmundson on the top line, Bouwmeester would go no lower than second. He is still a better defender than Gunnarsson.

Some might not like the fact that Dunn could be the odd man out, but if they stick with the lefty/righty matchups then there is not much choice. If he does not have a great camp, I’m not sure the team sees him as an upgrade over Gunnarsson yet. He can and probably will be, but isn’t there quite yet.

Unless the team is ready to look at Schmaltz full time – remember, he’s not officially signed yet – then Bortuzzo is your third right handed defender.

Overall, it is nice to have options. We all have things we like and dislike about this player or that. The bottom line is that, while nobody on here is likely to win the Norris Trophy, it’s a solid defensive lineup when healthy.

The Blues have some good depth. The major question now is if they can teach these guys to fire away from the point on the power play. That’s another article entirely though.