The St. Louis Blues have had quite a few sensational players in their long history, including point producers who have sailed well over the century mark and Hall of Famers who seemed to do nothing but wow us with the number of single-season hat tricks they put up.
So that may lead you to ask the burning question, “What about those playmakers?” You know, those who helped players like Brett Hull set single-season franchise records in scoring, points production, and hat tricks?
Today, we’re talking about the top five players in team history who have registered those helpers, popularly known as assists. You won’t see Brett Hull listed, but you will find quite a few familiar names who hold a legacy in St. Louis Blues lore.
Although we’re talking about the top five, you’ll only see three names mentioned because two of these extraordinary players are listed twice.
Bernie Federko, 1980-81, 1984-85
If we ranked the top 10 assists leaders of all-time instead of the top five, Bernie Federko would have his name mentioned five times. In 1983-84, he logged 66 helpers, and he had another 68 in 1985-86. Fast-forward to 1987-88, and Federko put up 69 assists, but none of those campaigns were good enough to break into the top five.
Let’s flashback to 1980-81, a season that saw the Hall of Famer hit 73 helpers to go with 31 goals and 104 points. While it was one of his best seasons in a Blues uniform, Federko’s 1984-85 campaign was almost as good, seeing him end the year with 103 points and 73 assists to go with 30 goals.
Adam Oates, 1989-90, 1990-91
Adam Oates is another Hockey Hall of Famer who didn’t spend much time with the Blues and is probably better known for his stints with the Boston Bruins, Washington Capitals, and Detroit Red Wings. Still, Oates made his mark in Gateway City after he enjoyed an incredible regular season that ended with 79 assists and 102 points.
But as impressive as that year was for Oates, it was nothing compared to what he had in store for the NHL the following season that saw him hit the 90-assist threshold and 115 total points. To be fair, Oates was on his way to enjoying an epic 1991-92 season with the Blues, but a trade to Boston ended his stint in the Midwest after he put up 59 helpers in 54 contests.
Craig Janney, 1992-93
Lastly, we got Craig Janney, a player who never received many accolades throughout an NHL career that lasted from the late 1980s until the late 1990s. But that doesn’t mean Janney wasn’t an effective player, as his four seasons (two full seasons and two partial) with the Blues saw him finish 185 assists in 186 games, meaning he logged nearly one per contest.
An astounding 82 of those helpers came in 1992-93, when Janney finished the year with 106 points and 24 goals. Overall, Janney was one of the Blues top playmakers that season, and it was a mark he only came remotely close to once more in his 12-year career - 1993-94 when he put up 68 during his final full season in St. Louis.
(Statistics powered by Hockey-Reference)