Ian Cole would immediately cut the number of shots on goal
Like Patrick Kane, there is a good chance Ian Cole re-signs with his current team, the Vancouver Canucks. If Vancouver wins the Cup or even makes a deep playoff run, look for Cole to stay in British Columbia, but for a ‘way too early’ preliminary list like this one, he’s worth mentioning.
Unlike everyone else in this slideshow, Cole is no stranger to the Blues organization, having played for St. Louis between 2010-11 and 2014-15 before they traded him to a mighty Pittsburgh Penguins team. Cole then bounced around the league before he wound up in Vancouver this season and has primarily played second-pairing minutes.
His ice time would drop if he returned to the Blues for a second stint, and he would bring a physical presence similar to what we would see from Lyubushkin. But Cole is less of a hitter, just 70 in 68 games so far this year, and primarily a blocker, as seen with his 2.16 per game at the moment.
St. Louis could use a player like Cole in the defensive zone, as they have allowed the eighth-highest number of shots on net this season. Cole would be second on the team at the moment only to Colton Parayko, who has blocked 182 so far, and his presence could at least decrease the number of total shots reaching the net to somewhere under 30.