Bleedin' Blue
Fansided

St. Louis Blues: Projected 2020 Stanley Cup Playoff Lines

By Tyler Andrus

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MARCH 03: Brayden Schenn #10 of the St. Louis Blues celebrates his go ahead goal in the third period against the New York Rangers during their game at Madison Square Garden on March 03, 2020 in New York City. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MARCH 03: Brayden Schenn #10 of the St. Louis Blues celebrates his go ahead goal in the third period against the New York Rangers during their game at Madison Square Garden on March 03, 2020 in New York City. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
6 of 9
Next

Defensive Pairing One: Justin Faulk–Alex Pietrangelo

St. Louis Blues
ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 11: Alex Pietrangelo #27 of the St. Louis Blues is congratulated at the bench after scoring a goal during the first period of a game against the Anaheim Ducks at Honda Center on March 11, 2020 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /

I will be honest, this line straight up does not work very well. But, because the other two defensive lines make more sense, this is the only option.

Plus, these guys are two massively talented players.  They should eventually be able to find a way to work together – right?

Alex Pietrangelo had a fantastic regular season with 52 points and three game-winning goals. He averaged just over 24 minutes of ice time per night and collected 4.3 defensive points shares. The captain showed himself as one of the best defensemen in the game of hockey.

Justin Faulk, on the other hand, has not lived up to the contract extension going in next year. He posted just 16 points and 2.3 defensive point shares compared to 35 points and 4.9 defensive point shares last season with the Carolina Hurricanes.

The new Blues defenseman has received a lot of hate from fans this season, but it is not time to give up on him just yet. He is still a legitimate threat and my colleague Todd Panula recently wrote about why we should continue to have faith in him.

This does not change the fact that we have two right-handed defensemen accustomed to playing the right defensive slot on the same line. They seem somewhat awkward together, but hopefully, they can figure it out if they find themselves sharing ice.

Home/Editorials