The St. Louis Blues were not able to land the biggest fish out there, which disappointed many. However, we forget that sometimes quantity can equal quality and thus be better.
It’s always interesting to hear the different narratives that make the rounds in the St. Louis Blues community. Even when the excitement of the deals was at its peak, there was a vocal minority that was still upset about the Blues not landing the big fish.
Of course, in this instance, John Tavares is the big fish. He was the big star out there – the guy capable of scoring 30-plus goals and 80-plus points.
When you look at things through that narrow prism, it is understandable why getting a guy that can score 60 points is disappointing. You only see the numbers or only see things through the narrow window of having the best instead of what might be better for your team.
To put it in a baseball analogy, some fans are only satisfied when you sign that ace pitcher or get that cleanup hitter that will jack you 40-plus home runs. What the Blues did was more akin to signing a leadoff hitter, a second hitter, a sixth hitter and a solid back of the rotation guy as well.
No, it doesn’t create the splash of the other things, but there are times that the quantity is actually better. The Blues did not sign the biggest fish, but they signed enough fish to fill their tank to capacity.
More from Editorials
- St. Louis Blues Need Kasperi Kapanen To Be On Best Behavior
- Hayes’ Debut And Other Bold Predictions for the St. Louis Blues
- St. Louis Blues Captaincy Is Suddenly A Huge Problem For 2023-24
- St. Louis Blues National Games Cause More Problems Than They’re Worth
- St. Louis Blues Brayden Schenn Has To Be An Impact Player In 2023-24
The detractors will say that the Blues still don’t have a true number one center. Even if we say that is true, it’s not always about having that clear cut guy. Sometimes having two of the best B-players is equal or better than having just one of the A-players.
Real life is not a video game where you have to know exactly who your top center is and it’s always the best player. It is not always beneficial to have the best, when good is more than good enough.
Call me silly, but I would much rather have a team full of quality players than have that one top-player on my first line. I would rather have a team with Ryan O’Reilly, Brayden Schenn and Tyler Bozak as my top three centers than a team where you are struggling to still figure out who your centers are after the first or second line.
The Blues have been there too many times before. Who was the best center after Adam Oates? Who was the second line center below Pierre Turgeon? I don’t even want to go through the laundry list of names the Blues have used as centers underneath either David Backes or Paul Stastny, when they were given their shot at the top line.
No, the Blues did not get the Ferrari in this year’s shopping spree. They got a Lexus, a couple sportscars and an SUV instead though. That’s more than enough to fill the garage, instead of just filling it with one car and some ego.
Think about it logically. Even if you do not consider Schenn or O’Reilly top centers, they have both proven capable of scoring 60-plus points in a season. When was the last time you had two players on the team you could say that about, let alone two centers?
Jeremy Rutherford said on 101 ESPN, and I agree, the Blues signed Bozak with the intention of him being their second center since they thought the O’Reilly trade was dead. When was the last time St. Louis had players playing lower than they could instead of higher than they should? It’s been quite some time.
The results of 2018-19 will depend on coaching and performance. However, you cannot deny the flexibility this team has.
If things go right and prospects come through, you could honestly have players like Pat Maroon or David Perron on your fourth line. Things almost never go to plan, but that’s an incredible thought. To think you have enough depth, even if not superstars, to have guys capable of scoring 20 goals on your bottom six is impressive.
Maroon, by himself, is an incredible asset to this team. He can be the muscle for your top line or he can be the skill for your bottom line and anything in between.
None of this is to say there are not flaws in this team, because there are. They still lack a balance between left and right-handed shots, especially on the power play. We do not yet know how these new pieces will affect the power play either.
I’ll take this unknown though. This is something different and new. The Blues tried the single superstar angle with Brett Hull and Tarasenko and having lesser pieces around them and we still have no rings.
Sure, it would have been neat to see Tavares wear the Note. I’ll take some smaller fish though when it makes your team better. Fish tanks with the right fish in them look much better than a tank with one or two huge ones jammed in there, afterall.