The Western Conference wildcard picture is a bit of a mangled mess right now. The Central Division and Pacific Division are closely knitted together, with each section of teams having their three top teams locked up pretty much already.
Colorado is running away with the Central, followed by the rest of the three-headed monster with Minnesota and Dallas. All three teams have had a firm grasp on the top three spots in the St. Louis Blues division all season long.
For the Blues, they are stuck in no man's land, and it is not a great place to be. Following the action on January 19, and prior to their game against Winnipeg on Tuesday night, the Blues hold a record of 19-22-8 for 46 points. That is eighth-place in the wildcard race, and seven points behind the second wildcard spot, which is currently held by Ahaheim with 53 points.
That abysmal 5-0 breakdown against Edmonton will surely have some residual damage for the rest of this season.
At the same end, the Blues have the third-best odds at the No. 1 overall selection in next season's NHL draft. To move up to having the best odds, they are only ahead of Vancouver by nine points. This team can really move in either direction, depending on what kind of future General Manager Doug Armstrong thinks is best for them.
A lot of games left against teams ahead of them in wildcard
It starts with Winnipeg on Tuesday, and then the Blues have Los Angeles, Nashville, and Dallas, three more times, as important Western Conference opponents prior to the Olympic Break. That is a lot of ground to make up against teams in front of them in both the Central Division and the wildcard race.
After the Olympic break, assuming that the teams currently ahead of the Blues are still in their respective spots, they start with the first wildcard spot-holder, Seattle. March is going to be an interesting month, because at that point, leading up to the Trade Deadline on March 6, Armstrong and the Blues should have a clear-cut plan on what direction they are going in to end the season.
The Blues wildcard standing is a complicated one. They are amazingly still within striking distance of both making the playoffs and landing Gavin McKenna as their future star winger.