Please Let This Be The Year: A Comprehensive St. Louis Blues 2018-2019 Season Preview
Now I know what you might be thinking. Yes that is not real life, but rather a picture of a NHL14 simulation where EASports picked the Blues to win the cup, only to see them choke and endure a long offseason. I’m well aware, as are all St. Louis hockey fans who have lived through some portion of 50 YEARS of constant losing. The Blues aren’t a “Cleveland Browns” type of organization who put fans through endless treachery and embarrassment, but rather a team that usually fields a pretty goddamn competent hockey club year after year. President’s trophies, exciting star players (sometimes 5-10 years past their prime), and an optimistic fanbase that springs back year after year like a Golden Retriever ready to go run after the ball for the 50th time as if there surely will be a treat in store THIS time we bring the ball back. I mean LOOK AT THIS list of season results from 1979 to 2004.
Even the best hockey player to ever walk the third planet from the sun, Wayne Gretzky, has played a role in the misery. Had it, lost it, rinse repeat. The past 10 years have fielded some of the most realistic expectations of Lord Stanley in the club’s history. In 2016 when the Blues beat the Blackhawks in a 7 game BLOODBATH, I had never been more sure in my entire life that we were going to witness history. The exorcised their demons vs. Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, and the tomahawk wielding Duncan Keith, and there was nothing else that could stop them. It was one of my favorite sports memories of my entire life.
When they lost to the Sharks in the Western Conference Finals, it seemed like a mistake. A movie where the Director accidentally put the wrong ending in at the last minute. If they were going to do it, that was the year. That summer saw the captain, David Backes, move on for a big ticket in Boston, The Moose also known as Brian Elliot and Troy Brouwer head up to Calgary, as well as Coaches Brad Shaw and Kirk Muller leave for new positions. It felt like a “breaking up the band” moment and the following seasons are somewhat of a new era in my mind.
After another playoff exit and a complete playoff miss last year, this year has a different feel about it. After Doug Armstrong’s acrobatics during this past July, the roster takes a completely new shape. With the foundation built already, I truly believe that these new players could be the ingredients that can mix into a Stanley Cup. Let’s start off up front.
FORWARDS:
The forward group is heavily revamped. Trades and free agency have added a healthy infusion of new bodies into the lineup. Over 50% of the unit will be comprised of guys who were not with the team full time last year. Let’s take a look at the major new additions.
Ryan O’Reilly- The highest profile acquisition to the roster this offseason comes down from Buffalo to a team that should be a lot better than any he played on in Upstate New York. O’Reilly doesn’t have enormous numbers, topping out around 60 points most years, but has been relied on as a #1 Center and can shoulder a heavy workload. He routinely wins 20 faceoffs a night and over 1,000 a year. I think O’Reilly will be very effective while slotted between Tarasenko and Maroon. #91 will score 40 with O’Reilly’s playmaking finally being utilized on a team where they’re not getting shelled every game.
Pat Maroon - The Big Rig will most likely be the most popular athlete in St. Louis by Thanksgiving. In case you live under a Highway 40 overpass or don’t have working ears, let me tell you now that Pat grew up in St. Louis, played for the Oakville Tigers, the St. Louis Bandits, and is now going to be playing at Enterprise Arena for his hometown team. Not only this, but his game lends itself to being a fan favorite as he will likely put up 40+ points while willingly throwing hands with anybody from Zdeno Chara to Tom Wilson. I think Maroon is exactly what this Blues team was missing the past few years. A big body that has the heart to grind and battle when the going gets tough and enough skill to keep up with Tarasenko and O’Reilly. He also leads the Blues in ragers attended from the 4-6AM hour in Barstool HQ.
Tyler Bozak - Bozak was largely known as a Phil Kessel whisperer during his earlier time in Toronto but was able to continue to be a solid pivot after Kessel’s departure. Nothing flashy but a guy who is going to win a lot of faceoffs and provide a steady 35-45 points as well as a dependable veteran presence.
David Perron - DP57 was my favorite Blues player for a his entire first tenure here and he has gone on to have a solid career in the National Hockey League. Its definitely a peculiar situation that he’s on his 3rd stint with the same team. The situation begs the question “What could possibly be different this time?” after going through 7 iterations of strong regular season teams and playoff failures, we have to hope this time is different. Perron was a integral part of the Golden Knights team that surprised everyone last year and set a career high of 66 points in only 70 games. Those numbers are most likely an aberration rather than the new norm, but he brings experience and skill that should be very useful slotting in a 2-3 line role.
Kyrou, Blais, Thomas – The rookies will likely determine the ceiling of the Blues season. Kyrou and Thomas come in with early round resumes while Blais has had a little longer road to get here as a 6th round pick. Here is some tape on each of them.
Kyrou Highlights:
Robert Thomas Highlights:
Sam Blais Highlights (from a 4 point game):
It is very hard to accurately project how the rookies will hold up to the absolute grind that is an 82 game NHL season, but I think they will be extremely effective. Especially given the supporting pieces around them. They will have a lot of opportunity to contribute, but won’t have to do EVERYTHING thanks to the skill that surrounds them in the rest of the lineup.
Returning Forwards - Tarasenko, Schenn, and Schwartz were one of the most productive units in the entire league last year and for the first few months of the season, were racking up points at a world class rate. Its interesting that they won’t automatically start the season together again. If they can make it work with them split up, it could be a 2 headed monster that will be hard to matchup with. The first two lines both have hard forecheckers combined with high end skill. Kyrou could be in store for a big rookie year if he can stick in this spot. Alex Steen is coming off a pretty average year but has shown in seasons like 2014-15 that he has another gear he is capable of. The 3rd unit looks to be very dependable with 3 veterans who all are entering their 10th season or more at this level. The 4th line still feels the absence of fan favorite Ryan Reaves, but I think will be more effective with 3 young and hungry players who have more skill than the traditional grinder types you would find in this position.
Addition By Subtraction Patrik Berglund HAVE FUN IN BUFFALO! “The Big Swede” is by all accounts a great dude and well liked, but I don’t know if there’s a ton of Blues fan that isn’t alright with him moving on to Northern New York. He’s a good player, but we’ve tried it. It’s been like 10 years and the same exact results.
DEFENSE
Petro and Bouwmeester are the foundation that the Blues are built on. Their mobility and skill has allowed the Blues to be a consistently solid team without catastrophe while filtering in younger guys for the past few years. Pietrangelo is one of the most underrated players in the NHL and drives the bus for the entire team. Coming off a career high 54 points last year, I think he can match that total again this year with the infusion of talented forwards.
Bouwmeester is due to a bounce back year and will be a stable force. After playing just 35 games last year due to a hip injury, there is definitely cause for concern when you have a 35 year old guy, but all indications are that he is ready to return to form.
Joel Edmundson is still dealing with a groin injury so it looks like the Blue will start the season without him. The second pair instead will start with Vince Dunn on the left and Parayko on the right. I think both Dunn and Parayko elevate their point totals from last year. Parayko is such a valuable commodity as a 6’6″ meatwagon in possession of a howitzer.
Chris Butler of the Chaminade Red Devils isn’t going to get any pre-season Norris votes, but is a solid 3rd pair defender. Jordan Schmaltz, a first round pick from 2012, looks to play his first full season. Schmaltz has been at the back of a logjam for a few years now and has to be chomping at the bit. Bortuzzo and Gunnarsson figure to be featured as the season goes on as well as Jakub Jerabek who the Blues just acquired from Edmonton for a late pick. It is important to note that Gunnarsson is coming off an ACL injury so its tough to know how spry he will be when he comes back.
Goalies:
Sadly, none of the above components really matter if Jake Allen can’t become the reliable backstop that the Blues have envisioned him as when they drafted him in 2008. Allen has taken a lot of heat over the past couple years in St. Louis with some of it being deserved. While he has been incredible for stints, a couple huge rough spots have had Blues fans on his ass. A Win-Loss of 27-25-3 last year wasn’t abysmal by any means, but his .906 Save Percentage is pretty unacceptable for anyone hoping to be a Stanley Cup contender. After upgrading so much of the roster, the pressure is on for The Snake to hold up his end of the bargain.
Ochocinco is a capable backup who I wouldn’t be surprised to see play 20-35 games as the season goes on. He was solid for Calgary last year and has shown spurts of high end play, but at 32, is probably not going to vary much from the .910 Save Percentage he has accrued over his time in the league so far.
All in all, it is tough to know what will happen with this new mixture of talent. Unlike past years where you could pencil the Blues in for 100 points and an early round exit, I think this team has the potential for a ton more. Tarasenko is as elite of a scorer as you will find in the league and will only benefit from having more support up front. I really think O’Reilly and Maroon will thrive being on a team like St. Louis after playing in some tough spots the past few years. When Maroon was traded to the Devils at this past deadline, he responded to being on a playoff team with 13 points in 17 games as they made a mad dash to the finish. With Pietrangelo and Bouwmeester being as solid of a pair as any, Dunn, Edmundson, and Parayko give the Blues a defense that can skate with anyone. Will I end up being disappointed? I don’t even want to answer that question. It’s been beat into the ground at this point. But for some STUPID STUPID reason, I really believe in this Blues team. I believe that the storybook hometown hero Pat Maroon will bring St. Louis the Stanley Cup for the first time in human history. I believe that O’Reilly and Tarasenko will prove to be a lethal combination and trounce the rest of the thunderdome that is the Central Division. I am going to believe in Jake Allen until I can’t (and then complain a ton), and I think that the infusion of youth is going to bring an ignorant bliss that will bring a man with white gloves to 14th and Clark.
LETS. GO. BLUES!!!!