St. Louis Blues: Four Players The Blues Should Look At During Camp

The St. Louis Blues know their roster, with one or two players that could sneak in. However, given future circumstances, they should bring in a few guys for looks.

The St. Louis Blues have the luxury of knowing who is going to be on their playoff roster without one, single practice ahead of time. There might be a fight for a final spot or two, but overall, the Blues know their 18 skaters.

The one question mark on the main roster is whether Jordan Kyrou might get a spot. I think his playing time will be situational, based on the opponent, if he gets any.

Regardless of that, the Blues do need to bring in players for their taxi-squad. The NHL will allow slightly expanded playoff rosters, just in case of a string of positive covid tests.

With that in mind, we might as well help them out and let them know who to invite. These are going to be players that might have been invited anyway, or some might not, but not automatics.

For example, we know Ville Husso will be on this expanded list. He was already part of the Black Aces in 2019, so with unlimited goaltenders on your roster for the playoffs, you know he will be there.

These are guys that need a look either to see where they are at in their progression, or to get them meaningful ice time with the future in the air. Nobody wants to think about it, but there is a possibility of no minor league hockey in 2020-21, so some guys need all the practice they can get in the meantime.

So, here are the four players the Blues should invite to their “training camp” to give a look.

Klim Kostin

Let’s get the obvious one out of the way first. It would seem like inviting Klim Kostin to camp to be one of the backup players would be a no brainer.

However, there are unknowns about him. Did he go back to Russia for the break? Can he get back or would he come back if only to be an extra?

All things equal, however, the Blues need to bring him in if he is available. Kostin had a decent year in the AHL and showed glimpses of what the Blues are expecting from him.

In 48 games in the AHL, Kostin scored 13 goals and had 30 points. Those aren’t eye-popping numbers, but they are personal bests in North America.

Additionally, Kostin kept his penalty minutes down this season. Normally, that’s whatever, but Kostin was morphing too much into fourth line player with his physicality and fights. That’s fine, but that’s not what the Blues drafted him for.

With him showing positive signs in the AHL that he’s grasping the North American game and what the Blues want, they need to give him another carrot. His first carrot was getting to play in the NHL this season and he showed reasonably well.

He played in four games and scored his first NHL goal. His time on the ice was kept small, but fans seemed to see enough to want more.

Kostin cannot afford to be stagnant. He needs to keep improving and evolving.

Even if he is not going to get a game, having the opportunity to practice with the NHL players is still an opportunity to learn and grow.

Niko Mikkola

If there is any position that the Blues likely don’t need any more of at the NHL level right now, it is defense. The Blues already have seven names from which to choose six players to play each night.

That doesn’t mean they don’t need guys capable of stepping in. Niko Mikkola is just such a player.

Mikkola is not flashy. He won’t wow you with stickhandling or flash by you with skating ability.

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He is a modern defender. He has good feet, good positioning and is strong on the puck.

Mikkola can score when called upon, but that is not his first duty. Nevertheless, he scored two goals and had 14 points with San Antonio before the AHL season was halted.

Unlike Kostin, who almost certainly has a future with the Blues, Mikkola needs more opportunities like this to prove he is capable. The Blues have not given up on him, especially since he’s a more reliable defender than some of their other prospects, but he’s slipping down the list a little.

Mikkola needs this opportunity to get himself back in front of the scouts and coaches. Practice is not the same as games, but seeing someone live is still better than relying on game film.

If nothing else, Mikkola can get a sense of where he stands. Perhaps there would be closed-door conversations about the future of the defense given the possibility of one or two players leaving in free agency.

If the Blues are confident in bringing back the entire defense for 2020-21, perhaps they let Mikkola sign with a European team. The North American minor league system is up in the air, so having him find a place to play would still be important, if there is little chance of him getting ice time in St. Louis.

Nathan Walker

This one might come as a surprise, but it would be a nice reward to bring Nathan Walker into this camp. Walker had a good year in the AHL and getting a chance to come up and practice with the NHL team would be good for him.

At this stage in his career, Walker is likely just an AHL guy. That is not to say he might not make the NHL as a bottom six guy somewhere, but the chance seems a bit small.

He is currently 26. While that’s still pretty young, it’s kind of middle-aged regarding pro athletes.

Walker did feature in five games for the Blues in 2019-20, when they were hit with a string of injuries at forward. He scored a goal and averaged over 11 minutes on the ice.

That was actually the most ice time any team has given him in the NHL. So, the Blues seem to have a bit of trust with him in their system.

Beyond just a reward, it gives him a chance to get on the ice like the other guys. I don’t want to keep harping on this point, but if things do not open back up across the country, there is likely to be no minor league hockey.

That will really set back the development of players. Walker is already what he is going to be, but even then, you lose out on chances for him to mentor players or improve enough to be one of the first call ups.

So, getting him as much ice time would be important too. Plus, he had a good year in San Antonio with 19 goals and 32 points.

It is never a bad idea to keep around a guy that can score. If nothing else, he can challenge your defenders in practice a little.