2014-2015 Review
The St. Louis Blues were one of the best teams during the regular season last year, as they won the brutal Central Division with 109 points. Unfortunately, they could not advance in the playoffs and were eliminated in the first round by the Minnesota Wild.
Though the team was solid, questions about its completeness and core plagued the team and vindicated the first round exit. Questioning core players such as David Backes and T.J. Oshie, as well as the skill between the pipes, are inquiries not generally made of truly elite teams.
One players nobody questioned the skill of, however, was Vladimir Tarasenko. Actually, scratch that – the only question regarding his skill was how high his ceiling is, as the 23 year old potted 37 goals and 73 points in just his third season.
New Additions
Troy Brouwer
Acquired in a trade from the Washington Capitals, Brouwer consistently flirts with 20 goals and is a solid winger. He should find a role on the second line, and will probably put up somewhere in the neighborhood of 20 goals and 40 points again.
Key Losses
T.J. Oshie
The shootout hero from the Olympics was shipped to Washington as a shake up of the team after a disappointing playoff flop. While he is highly regarded for his shootout skills, the fact is he will be 29 this year and has never scored more than 21 goals – that is to say, he’s a bit overrated. He’ll probably put up his share of points playing with Alex Ovechkin, but the Blues shouldn’t notice too steep a drop-off between he and Brouwer.
Biggest Strength
Skilled Forwards
In addition to the aforementioned Tarasenko, the Blues also have Paul Stastny and Jori Lehtera up the middle with Alexander Steen, Jaden Schwartz, Dmitrij Jaskin and David Backes (along with Brouwer) on the wings. That is a pretty potent offense, especially with Alex Pietrangelo and Kevin Shattenkirk chipping in from the blueline.
Biggest Weakness
Goaltending
The achilles heel of many teams, the Blues lack a true shutdown goalie to steal games. They currently have two goalies splitting time, Brian Elliott and Jake Allen, and neither really did much to warrant having the crease to themselves. And, as the old saying goes, if you have two goalies, you have none. Allen is supposed to be the goalie of the future, but he has struggled in his limited time in the NHL. At 25, he’s running out of chances, but if he or Elliott can play strong in net, the Blues would take that next step.
Bottom Line
Much of the team from last year is still in place, for better or worse for St. Louis. They should maintain a formidable offense capable of getting the team wins on nights the goalies don’t show up, but to advance in the playoffs they will need a game stealing goalie. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like Jake Allen is there yet, so it might be another premature exit for the Blues.
Fantasy Slant
Most Overrated: Brian Elliott
Elliott has shown flashes of stellar goaltending, but the problem is he can’t seem to maintain his ratios or stay on the ice. He posted a solid .922 in 2013, but only appeared in 31 games and then posted a weak .917 last year (albeit with 5 shutouts). He’ll probably be mired in a timeshare for a good chunk of the season again, making him a matchup dependent option in daily and an avoid in season long.
Most Underrated: Jaden Schwartz
Fellow young gun Vladimir Tarasenko gets the publicity, but Schwartz is a solid up and comer in his own right. Just 23, he posted 25 goals in 2013 and followed that up with 28 last year. He’ll be playing with talented linemates and see plenty of power play time, so don’t overlook Schwartz.
Biggest Surprise: Dmitrij Jaskin
He struggled with consistency last year, and the final line of 13 goals and 18 points in 54 games isn’t pretty. But he’s got soft hands and solid play making ability, and he will have a chance for consistent playing time this year with skilled linemates thanks to the Patrik Berglund injury. He’s just 22, so the breakout may not happen this season, but it’s not too far off.