With the St. Louis Blues preseason underway and the regular season right around the corner, it can only mean one thing, fantasy puck is right behind it!
I’m a St. Louis, MO native and like my St. Louis Blues I went from dead last to winning it all last season! The Blues seemed to go as my fantasy team went. Just ask the other owners in my league. I thought it would be helpful for everyone if I went ahead and listed out the five players you will want to draft in fantasy from the Blues roster.
Anyone in a fantasy hockey league by now is scouring the headlines, pouring over top 250 players lists, and dissecting the rosters of every NHL team looking for the can’t miss, the sleepers and the stay far away from players in today’s NHL. I myself run a league and participate in two others.
Now before all of you nitpick and rip apart my selections I want you all to know that I am only suggesting players that should be can’t miss picks in the first five rounds of the draft — not trying to sell any sleeper picks or anything like that. Just five guys that will benefit your fantasy hockey team more than not having them.
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In no particular order, the five guys from this Blues roster you will want to draft are Jordan Binnington, Vladimir Tarasenko, Ryan O’Reilly, Brayden Schenn, and Colton Parayko. (Yeesh that fifth person is so tough to choose, but with Jaden Schwartz, David Perron, Colton Parayko, Alex Pietrangelo and Vince Dunn to pick from I guess you can’t go wrong)
Tarasenko has been a staple on my team every season. I love having him. He shoots a ton, scores 30 goals a season and even has a hidden physical side to his game.
I’ve watched Tarasenko’s value drop in the top 250 lists which is intriguing to me as I might be able to snag him in the third round or fourth and still grab some more sought after players in the earlier rounds. Tarasenko is going to hit 50 goals this season. No question in my mind. He’s hungry for more after the cup!
O’Reilly was a point machine for the Blues last season and always a good #2 centerman on any fantasy team. He will get you 20+ goals and 30+ assists every year. His shot totals are lower as he’s more a playmaker and he doesn’t check a lot so be sure to supplement those categories with heavy shooters and hitters.
Schenn can be a tremendous StatCat guy. He hits, shoots, makes plays, and racks up points. With the whole team starting slow he was actually a free agent at the beginning of last season and when the Blues caught fire so did Schenn. You can get him in the lower rounds.
Binnington I believe is going to challenge for a Vezina. Not because I think he is that good, but because I believe the team around him is that good! The Blues aren’t going to help Binner’s numbers in the saves category as we have the propensity to stifle the opposition’s shot attempts getting through, but I believe Winnington will rack up the wins and keep his GAA and SV% among the league’s best.
Parayko I believe comes alive as a potential Norris candidate this season. Colt 55, I think, starts to see more time on the powerplay and with this increased time, especially on the top powerplay unit, will give the Blues and Parayko a much-needed howitzer from the point. I see him setting career highs in SOGs, Goals, Assists, and Points this year. He looks like he is ready for the season from what I’ve seen in practice and preseason play.
I think I am most excited about the season Colt 55 has more than any other player on this roster. I believe he starts to show the NHL what the big guy has to offer and just how dominant he can be in this league on both sides of the puck.
I love hockey! Fantasy hockey is hands down my favorite fantasy league. My draft starts on Sept. 24, and I know who I’m going for in each round. I don’t want to divulge any of my strategies as I like the Blues have my own title to defend. I will say this much, Tarasenko, Schenn, O’Reilly, and Binnington are definitely on my draft boards, and I hope to get two of them!