The St. Louis Blues announced their opening night roster Tuesday afternoon and it includes a mix of veterans and young players.
There were some surprises when the St. Louis Blues announced the 23 man roster. It includes four rookies and all of the offseason signings.
St. Louis will carry 12 forwards, 9 defensemen, and 2 goaltenders to start the 2018-2019 campaign.
The Blues will not be 100% healthy when they take on the Jets on Thursday night for the first game of the season. Oscar Sundqvist will start the season on injured reserve after being hit by Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson during the final preseason game.
Robby Fabbri, Erik Foley, Nikita Soshnikov, Luke Opilka, and Carl Gunnarsson are all absent from the roster due to injuries. Newly acquired Jakub Jerabek is still awaiting his visa to get to the United States.
More from St Louis Blues News
- St. Louis Blues Giving Nick Ritchie A Look Is No Lose Situation
- St. Louis Blues Torey Krug Already Injured Before 2023-24 Season
- Former St. Louis Blues Forward Going Into Hall Of Fame
- Can Hofer Upstage Binnington in Starting Goalie Spot for Blues?
- St. Louis Blues 2023-24 fourth line depth chart could be surprisingly strong
Three rookie forwards will be on the roster for the Blues. Jordan Kyrou, Robert Thomas, and Samuel Blais all made the team after impressing the Blues during the preseason.
The Blues said Robert Thomas would be given every chance to make the team out of training camp and he ran with the opportunity and did enough to earn a spot on the roster.
Jordan Kyrou spent a lot of time with some of the Blues top forwards during the preseason. Kyrou was paired with Brayden Schenn and Jaden Schwartz toward the end of camp and very well could be placed on the second line to start the season.
Sammy Blais was one of the league leaders in goals during the preseason with four. He led the team in goals and points six over the preseason and for the second straight year has impressed the Blues enough to make the opening day lineup.
Newly acquired forwards Ryan O’Reilly and Patrick Maroon have been paired together throughout the preseason with Vladimir Tarasenko. These three will start the season on the Blues top line and will be tough against any team in the league.
Schwartz and Schenn will start the season together on the Blues second line. Kyrou and Blais are the most likely to be on the wing on the second line with the two forwards.
Schwartz and Schenn were one of the most dynamic duos in the entire NHL last season. Schenn led the Blues last season with 70 points while Schwartz was third on the team with 59.
David Perron is back, again, and will likely be paired with new Blue Tyler Bozak. Perron found his offensive groove after spending one year with the Vegas Golden Knights. Perron registered 66 points and helped the Golden Knights reach the Stanley Cup Final.
Alexander Steen is not the player he once was but he can still be an effective player for the Blues. He figures to be on the third line with Bozak and Perron.
The fourth line figures to feature Ivan Barbashev along with Thomas and either Kyrou or Blais. Barbashev has been inconsistent for the Blues in his limited time with the team but has shown flashes of offensive potential in the past.
Fabbri is absent from this list and still does not have a definitive timetable for his return to the team. He suffered a lower-body injury after playing just four periods in the entire preseason.
The fact that the Blues are carrying nine different defensemen is interesting. The Blues are going to be shorthanded on the defensive side of the puck for the first week or so of the season.
Robert Bortuzzo is suspended for the first game of the season and Gunnarsson is out with an injury.
The core of the Blues defense still remains from last year. Colton Parayko, Joel Edmundson, Alex Pietrangelo, and Vince Dunn are all on the roster.
There are some surprises on defense, Niko Mikkola has had an outstanding camp and made the team. He could be starting for the Blues on Thursday if Edmundson is not healthy enough to play.
It is a little surprising that Jake Walman did not make the team over Mikkola, he has been assigned to the AHL but still could make an impact on the team at some point this season. Jordan Schmaltz and Chris Butler made the team as depth options for St. Louis.
There were no surprises as to who the two goalies are for the Blues this season. Jake Allen was bitten by the injury bug before camp started, but came back to start the final three preseason games.
Chad Johnson was acquired from the Buffalo Sabers in the offseason to back up Allen after the Blues lost Carter Hutton to free agency.
Allen’s struggles have been well documented, but a better team in front of him could help limit his inconsistent play.
This roster is intriguing for many reasons, a great mix of veterans and young players with so much potential could help propel the Blues to another playoff berth in 2019. There were gaps in the Blues roster at the end of the season and general manager Doug Armstrong addressed all of those issues.