St. Louis Blues: Jordan Nolan Still Has Something Left To Give

The St. Louis Blues have plenty of young forward depth, but they also have some veteran pieces that are capable of contributing, including three-time Cup winner Jordan Nolan.

Jordan Nolan did not have significant contributions to the St. Louis Blues Stanley Cup run in 2019, and he will not have his name engraved on the Cup. However, he still has some game left in the tank.

Nolan signed a pair of one-year contracts with the Blues after spending one year in Buffalo and six years in Los Angeles. The 30-year-old will have to make an impression in training camp to make the team, but it’s not out of the question.

He plays a physical style of game which could intrigue the Blues’ coaching staff into giving him a roster spot. With the absence of Pat Maroon, St. Louis doesn’t have many big bodies they can throw around.

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The absence of physical play sets Nolan up perfectly to make an impact on the team in 2020. In 14 games last year Nolan only contributed two points, but when he did get ice time, he was noticeable defensively.

If he were to make the team, Nolan might be the best candidate to drop the gloves with Andrew Shaw if St. Louis needed an enforcer, although Robert Bortuzzo could fit the mold as well.

The biggest issue facing Nolan’s chances of starting the year in St. Louis, or even contributing to the big club in 2020 is twofold. Age and skill have been on a steady decline over the last five years, and this trend will only continue.

St. Louis has plenty of young players that can do anything Nolan can do and it would give rookies a chance to earn NHL playing time.

Sammy Blais, Mackenzie MacEachern and possibly Klim Kostin are capable of implementing their physical play and can be contributors on the scoresheet every once in a while.

Nolan is also handicapped because of his inability to play anywhere other than the fourth line. It wouldn’t make sense for the Blues to put him on the third line, as they have plenty of other players who need to grab top-9 playing time.

However, none of this seemed to delay the Blues hesitation of putting him in the lineup. Nolan was a candidate to play in game seven of the Stanley Cup Playoffs when St. Louis had a spot to fill.

His playoff experience is still unmatched among his teammates in St. Louis, which gives him a leg up on almost all his competition.

The only way I see Nolan making the team next season is if he makes major waves in the preseason. He, among others, need to impress the Blues staff if they want to make an impact in 2020.