The St. Louis Blues went out and brought in Ross Johnston, Brandon Carlo, and even called up Dylan Peterson from Springfield for a stint to bring the boom. But, looking at how they are ranked amongst the NHL, this franchise is not really making that much of an impact.
At this time, the Blues have combined for 274 hits this season through 15 games. Not a bad mark, but when looking at the rest of the league, they are tied with Dallas for the 25th most. Not exactly what head coach Jim Montgomery had in mind when those bruisers were gained this summer.
How can they fix it, and is this what has led to this team being a .500 club? Let's talk about it.
Fixing it?
Losing Alexey Toropchenko and Johnston for a short period of time was a downfall. Not to mention defenseman Tyler Tucker still on the sideline from the very beginning of the season. So that is some time missed from some of the biggest hitters on this team.
Down in Springfield reside Oskar Sundqvist and Nathan Walker, who are the two most influential hitters on this complete roster. Especially Walker, who has approached that 300-hit club over the past couple of years.
If the Blues want to get back into the business of laying the body in bunches, those would be the first two names to call. But, bear in mind, that it eliminated two prospects like Otto Stenberg and Aleksanteri Kaskimaki from getting some much-needed playing time.
Does it need to be fixed?
This is the other conversation to have. Do the Blues need to focus on this as being one of the things that can help them win more hockey games?
That is a tough question to answer, as it has not been evident that the Blues are being bullied and pushed around by anyone. They are simply not throwing the body enough to make a lasting impact on the game.
In a couple of other areas of the game, you can say that the Blues need to try to fix faster than trying to hit more than the other team. The power play is still spotty, and the defensive unit is still a revolving door that will be spinning off the hinges very soon when Logan Mailloux returns.
The Blues should keep an eye on this lowly stat with some interest, as the final stretch of the season could depend on a call-up for Walker and Sundqvist to set the tone against other Central Division teams. That is when looking at hits might dictate wins and losses.
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