St. Louis Blues: Turning over a new leaf with Alex Steen

The time where St. Louis Blues forward Alex Steen puts up top-6 numbers may be over, and that is okay. It is time Blues fans accept Steen for who he is and embrace his new role with the Blues.

Steen has spent most of his 14-year career with the St. Louis Blues, and in recent years he has not put up the offensive numbers that he flashed early on in his stint with the Blues.

The former first-round pick by the Toronto Maple Leafs has not put up a 20-goal season since the 2014-2015 season when he put up 24 goals and a career-best 64 points.

Steen was never known for his potent offensive abilities, he put up a career-high 33 goals in the 2013-2014 season, however, since then he has been on a steady decline, scoring 24, 17, 16, and 15 goals in the four years since.

Blues fans have come to expect Steen to return to the 25-30 goal scorer because he was getting placed on the first and second line. However, with the new additions brought in by GM Doug Armstrong during free agency, Steen may find himself in a new role for the upcoming season.

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Steen showed flashes of becoming one of the best two-way forwards on the team, showing that he could produce in the defensive zone even though he was not producing consistently on offense.

The new signings have made the importance of Steen registering top-line scoring numbers less of a priority.

The 34-year-old figures to be on the second or third line this year, but the offensive additions made by Doug Armstrong in the offseason has made Steen scoring goals on a consistent basis less of a priority.

Steen’s points-per-season has steadily been on a decline over the past four seasons and he has been the ridicule of many of the Blues faithful. However, the additions of Perron, Bozak, Maroon, and O’Reilly will hopefully take some pressure off of Steen and allow him to play comfortably in a different role.

The Blues will need to figure out the best line combinations with all the new additions made in the offseason and this could prove to be a challenge. Although, Ryan O’Reilly has played with some of the current Blues players on an international level for Team Canada and could fit in faster than the other newcomers.

A potential third line of Steen-Bozak-Fabbri could bring a great balance of offensive firepower and the defensive ability to match up against an opponent’s first line. Bozak is one of the leagues best in the faceoff circle and Fabbri, if healthy, can be a top line goal scorer.

Pair these abilities with the two-way play of Steen, the Blues could find themselves with three deep scoring lines capable of playing against the best of the central division and western conference.

Steen’s two-way play will make the Blues a better hockey club and will factor into the success that the Blues will have this season. He will no longer be relied on heavily for his offensive input, instead, will be able to play as a third line forward with above-average defensive abilities.

Many fans will judge the point total of Steen at the end of the year, but it is important to remember the defensive ability that he possesses which is where his true value lies.