The Blues were a formidable team last year, continuing to succeed as they did in 2011-12. They played very good hockey all year long, finished second in the Central, and then were up 2-0 on the Los Angeles Kings before dropping four of the next five and getting eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. Seeing the opportunity to add more pieces in free agency, they got stronger and tougher by trading for Magnus Paajarvi and signing Derek Roy, Brenden Morrow, and Maxim Lapierre. Roy will also provide offense for a group that finished 17th in scoring last year, so they could use the boost from his talents. The two-headed monster in net is now a three-headed monster with the strong play of youngster Jake Allen stealing the show at times. The Blues appear poised to challenge Chicago for the Central Division crown and could find themselves in a conference final, or perhaps more.
Projected Forward Lines:
Patrick Berglund - David Backes - T.J. Oshie
Vladimir Tarasenko - Derek Roy - Alex Steen
Brenden Morrow - Vladimir Sobotka - Chris Stewart
Jaden Schwartz - Max Lapierre - Magnus Paajarvi
Keith Aucoin - Ryan Reaves
The Blues are fortunate in that they have a logjam at pretty much every position on the ice, from the forwards on back to the net. They could very well prove to be the deepest team in the NHL this season. None of their lines will absolutely blow teams away, but the way they can roll four and wear opponents down, that's their true strength. Each line has scorers, quick skaters, bigger guys who can bang along the boards, and good faceoff takers. You can't single out a weakness in the forward group, because with all the different types of talents and abilities this team has, I'm not sure there is one.
Projected Defensive Pairings:
Jay Bouwmeester - Alex Pietrangelo
Jordan Leopold - Kevin Shattenkirk
Barrett Jackman - Roman Polak
Ian Cole
The defense should once again be solid under coach Ken Hitchcock. St. Louis was tied for 7th in the NHL in goals against, only surrendering 2.38 per game. They would tell you that they're capable of doing better, and I can't say that I disagree. The Blues have two talented and young offensive defensemen in Pietrangelo and Shattenkirk, and the veteran leadership of the remaining players ensures that they are steady, responsible, and disciplined on the ice. Make no mistake, this is a team that starts its offense with good, strong defense, and that trend should continue in 2013-14.
Goaltending:
Jaroslav Halak
Brian Elliott
Jake Allen may be the #1 of the future, but for now Halak and Elliott each have one season left on their contracts before becoming unrestricted free agents. It's silly to think that the Blues will bring them both back next season, but how much they believe in Allen will determine if either of them return for another year in St. Louis. In effect, the two goalies who will dress every night are playing for new contracts with the Blues and auditioning for other teams at the same time. The result will be two highly motivated men between the pipes who shouldn't disappoint.
Special Teams:
The Blues used their depth and balance to turn the power play into a strength last season, finishing 12th in the NHL with a 19.5% success rate. With the ability to give opposing penalty kills many different looks, the Blues can cause chaos and unrest for other teams. The one issue the Blues had was getting the power play on the ice. They were 24th in power play opportunities with 149. Though they were a -1 in differential, their penalty kill was 9th in fewest times shorthanded (150), and 7th in efficiency (84.7%). Special teams should again be an area where the Blues excel this year.
X-Factor:
Do they have a player or line who can take over a game? If someone emerges, the sky is the limit for this team. They're very good, well-balanced, and have built themselves a hard-working, skilled group of players, but is there someone on the roster who can put the team on his back if needed? I'm not sure. Backes, as the captain, would seem to be the likeliest choice, but there's also Stewart, who led the team in scoring with 36 points last year. Maybe one of the goalies gets hot and they can ride him to the top of the standings. I'm sure that someone will carry the load for small stretches, but who will it be?
The Blues will make the playoffs if...
... everyone does their job, the Blues can dictate the pace and style of games, and the goaltending remains strong. This is a veteran team that knows how to win, and with a much weaker Central Division to deal with they seem almost assured of at least a second-place finish and therefore a trip to the playoffs. I think this team is capable of winning 50 games this year, should everything go right. I believe that they are now built for the playoffs and can go deep in 2013-14.
The Blues will miss the playoffs if...
... the wheels fall off in net. It's really the only thing that would stop this team from qualifying for the playoffs. In another division, perhaps I think twice about declaring the Blues to be a lock for the postseason. In the Central, with nobody other than Chicago on their level, I can't in good faith argue that the Blues could miss.
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