On a celebratory night, the St. Louis Blues were manhandled 4-1 by the Florida Panthers. It was the Tkachuk show, as Keith was celebrated for his enshrinement into the Hockey Hall of Fame, while his two sons took it to the Blues during the game.
There were a couple of uncomfortable truths that came to be from the Blues' losing effort. Let's go over them below.
Truth: The Blues are not a playoff team
It pains me to say, but this is not a playoff team. Not that this should be a shocker to Blues fans, but the idea of seeing postseason hockey is not in the cards.
Injuries have plagued this team, despite the anthem of a "next man up" policy. The "stars" of this team have been good, but not great, and there are still some key areas of the game where they are lacking.
The Blues faced off against a playoff team in Florida, and the difference is stark.
Truth: Florida has what the Blues desperately need
Matthew and Brady Tkachuk, Sam Bennett, Carter Verhaeghe, Seth Jones, and Sam Reinhart. Those are some superstar-type players, while the Blues are still hanging on to the thread that Robert Thomas is considered a superstar.
The Blues need to approach this trade deadline and the pending offseason with the idea that they can land a big fish. A dependable x-factor that will change the game with the puck on his stick every single night. There is a good chunk of this roster that has contracts due this offseason, but General Manager Alexander Steen has to start thinking of now, and no more thoughts of years from now.
Members of this younger core have started showing the signs of being great players, and one day they will get there. But, grabbing a top-tier talent from an external source has to be the next logical move.
Truth: Blues cannot stand up next to former champs
After also getting molliwhopped by Carolina on October 24, 4-0, a trend has started to occur. The Blues cannot keep up with the former Stanley Cup Champions.
Carolina is the reigning champs, followed by Florida and their back-to-back wins, and then it was Vegas and Colorado. Of those four teams, which are the last five Stanley Cup champions, the Blues only beat Vegas.
1-3 is not a great look when looking at who they could face off against in the playoffs in the near future, as all four of those teams are still deep in a championship window.
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