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St. Louis Blues Add Insurance With Black Aces From San Antonio

By Todd Panula

VANCOUVER , BC - JANUARY 4: Klim Kostin #24 of Russia skates against the United States during a semi-final game at the IIHF World Junior Championships at Rogers Arena on January 4, 2019 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. (Photo by Kevin Light/Getty Images)
VANCOUVER , BC - JANUARY 4: Klim Kostin #24 of Russia skates against the United States during a semi-final game at the IIHF World Junior Championships at Rogers Arena on January 4, 2019 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. (Photo by Kevin Light/Getty Images) /
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The St. Louis Blues have their lineup pretty well set, especially after winning a playoff series. That does not mean you do not plan for the worst.

The St. Louis Blues are keeping their fingers crossed regarding the health of their roster. They have already knocked off one of the best teams in the Western Conference in the Winnipeg Jets.

They also were one of the hottest teams in the league down the stretch. Most of that was due to the consistency of their roster.

Guys knew whether they would be playing or not, as long as they were healthy. They also knew what line they were going to be on as long as everyone was playing up to snuff.

Even so, the Blues are taking no chances since the playoffs up the intensity and players pick up a lot of bumps and bruises. So, the Blues have recalled seven players from their AHL affiliate, the San Antonio Rampage.

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Included in the call up is Chris Butler, Mitch Reinke, Jordan Nolan and Nikko Mikkola, all of whom have been with the Blues before. Klim Kostin, Jake Walman and Austin Poganski all got their first call ups to the big club.

So, the Blues have called in the Black Aces. In case you’re wondering why they are called that, these players are that since they are aces in the hole.

The reality is that if they are needed, something has gone seriously wrong. The Blues will have picked up several injuries if any of these guys actually see any game action.

The Blues already have some insurance pieces on their roster. Zach Sanford started the Winnipeg series, but got replaced by Robby Fabbri.

Mackenzie MacEachern is probably itching to get back in the lineup. He has not played since March 17.

Chris Thorburn also got called up prior to the playoffs. While that was more a reward for being a professional and not stirring the pot when sent to the AHL, he still has enough NHL service to see the ice before any of these current call ups.

Nevertheless, it is important to get these guys ready just in case. You do not want them needing a new player and having to rely on guys that did not even skate for a week or more.

Also, for those concerned about Jordan Kyrou getting a slight, he is still injured from the end of the AHL season. The same goes for Ville Husso. So, there is no need to panic that the Blues are giving up on either of those players. They are simply not fit enough to join the team at this moment.

All in all, this is good for these guys. They get exposure to the NHL and might even be able to suit up for a pregame warmup if Craig Berube sees any value in that.

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If nothing else, they get to see the work ethic that goes into practice at this time of year. Also, it takes some of the pressure off the current roster guys. You can have a full squad practice and still give anyone that needs a maintenance day the day off.

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