Reality check could put the St. Louis Blues at crossroads and that’s not a bad thing

If the St. Louis Blues lose a few more games than they win, the season’s over. Sorry for being so blunt, but this team’s not in a position to make some incredible comeback, not unlike the Edmonton Oilers managed last season. 

I could literally see Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities coming to mind, but something closer to A Tale of Two NHL Franchises Featuring the St. Louis Blues and Edmonton Oilers to fully define the differences in each team’s respective situation. One team is loaded with talent, even with an injured Connor McDavid, and the other is loading its team with young talent.

Yeah, the Blues pried Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway from the Oilers, so it’s definitely not “the worst of times” in Gateway City. But you get the point: One team is currently trending in the wrong direction in the Central and the other is clawing its way back up the Pacific, but maybe the Blues and their fans shouldn’t be demoralized over this. 

It would be good for the St. Louis Blues to stand at crossroads

The more this team loses this season, the more likely the following will happen: A, it raises the likelihood that general manager Doug Armstrong would trade a player or two who shouldn’t want anything to do with this ‘retooling’ effort any longer, and B, that, in turn, raises the likelihood that the ‘retooling’ effort would move a little faster—my apologies if I echoed too many words. 

Yeah, keep a few vets around to help oversee this impending crossroads prophecy when it comes to pass, as that’s always a prerequisite to further ensuring that better days are ahead. This would especially be the case if prospects like Dalibor Dvorsky started getting a longer look.

It’s been so far, so good for Dvorsky in the AHL, with four goals in nine contests, and as the pro game continues to slow for what should be at least a solid NHL player in the future, his productivity will only get better. 

In short, it’s one of those “out with the old” approaches, or better yet, “out with those past their prime or hardly conducive to the future of this team.” So, if the Blues lose tonight vs. the Toronto Maple Leafs and continue to lose often throughout November, we don’t need to panic, knowing the roster restructure should intensify if they ultimately hit crossroads.