Early Projections For The St. Louis Blues 2023-24 Lineup

Jakub Vrana, Brayden Schenn, Kasperi Kapanen

For me, this line was kind of tough. I am one of the few that maintains Brayden Schenn would be best served as a winger on the second or even third line.

Given the current makeup of the team, the Blues almost certainly have to use him as a center. Zachary Bolduc isn’t ready for the NHL yet, so the Blues don’t have much NHL ready depth in the middle.

So, the captain gets the nod as the second-line center. His wingers were kind of tough.

Schenn is a guy that plays better when he meshes well with the styles of the players around him. He didn’t quite get along with Vladimir Tarasenko early on because of just that.

Jakub Vrana and Kasperi Kapanen don’t have the high-end skill of Tarasenko and have all the defensive shortcomings too. However, they fit better on the second line than anyone else.

Schenn is more than capable of putting up points, so he can match their offensive abilities. The question for him is whether he will be able to lead them to some defensive efforts or will he get frustrated being the only one busting his rear to get back?

That’s a question we won’t have answered for awhile. Still, the pairing of Vrana and Kapanen is a tasty one for offense and Schenn still has the legs to fit with these two.