Welcome to Puck Drop Preview 2014-15, where our hockey department gives you a detailed look at each team from around the NHL leading to the start of this hockey season and offers our insight and analysis. Makes sure to stick around until the end of the series, where we’ll offer our full predictions for the standings in each division, and eventually our collective LWOS 2014-15 Stanley Cup pick. You can check out all our articles on our Puck Drop Page. Today is the 2014-2015 St. Louis Blues.

Last Season

Everything was clicking for the St. Louis Blues in the early stages of the 2013-14 regular season, as they went 19-3-3 in their first 25 games. Alexander Steen was up at the top of the scoring race battling against the eventual Rocket Richard winner Alex Ovechkin, while Jaroslav Halak had recently broken the record for most regular-season shutouts in franchise history, passing Glenn Hall.

Near the end of December, the resilient Blues beat the Chicago Blackhawks in a nerve-racking 6-5 game that ended in a shootout. This marked the third straight time St. Louis conquered Chicago, despite Steen up in the press box thanks to a concussion. Without their leading goal scorer, the Blues went 7-1-1, continuing to climb the ladder among the top teams in the National Hockey League. When the Olympics rolled around, ten Blues would represent their respective countries in Sochi, Russia hoping to come back to St. Louis with a gold medal wrapped around their neck.

However, nobody made a bigger impact overseas than American forward T.J. Oshie.

In a thrilling contest against the host country during the preliminary round, the Blues shootout dynamo scored four goals out of six attempts to give the United States the extra point in the standings. Despite returning to Missouri empty handed, Oshie’s efforts became a countrywide phenomenon. His fiancé Lauren Cosgrove received more than her fair share of the spotlight as well.

With the trade deadline quickly approaching, GM Doug Armstrong was finally ready to get his club over the hump, and it started in between the pipes.

On February 28th, the Blues shipped starting goaltender Halak and Chris Stewart off to Buffalo, while the Sabres sent star netminder Ryan Miller and captain Steve Ott to wear the “Note” in St. Louis. It was a blockbuster trade, one that everyone in St. Louis was immediately on board for. The acquisition of Miller was one Blues fans had been demanding for years, an upper-echelon goaltender who could bring St. Louis their first Stanley Cup in franchise history. Or so they thought.

The Blues set a team record for wins in a season (52) with Miller in the fold, but they also would lose winger Vladimir Tarasenko to a broken hand. A plethora of injuries would arise for St. Louis in the next coming weeks while the season wound down, in fact. Captain David Backes, Oshie, Vladimir Sobotka, Derek Roy, Brenden Morrow, Patrick Berglund, and Alex Pietrangelo all suffered short-term injuries in April. This allowed the surging Colorado Avalanche to take over the Central Division, leaving the Blues to spiral out of control without an end in sight.

St. Louis would still hold home-ice advantage in the opening round of the postseason against the rival Blackhawks, capturing the first two games of the series in dramatic fashion. In Game 1, it was Jaden Schwartz who tied up the game at three with under two minutes remaining in the final frame. Steen, who scored the game-winning OT goal in last year’s Game 1 against the L.A. Kings, struck gold again in the third overtime against the Hawks. It was the longest playoff game in Blues history, lasting 100 minutes and 26 seconds.

In Game 2, the Blues took an early two-goal lead, but the Hawks answered back with three goals to take control of the momentum in the Scottrade Center. With 4:51 left in the third period, Hawks defenseman Brent Seabrook delivered a brutal hit to the head of Backes, knocking him out of the game with a suspected concussion. As a result, Seabrook was given a game-misconduct and a five-minute major penalty. Tarasenko utilized the man-advantage to even up the game with 6.4 seconds left, with help from a screen provided by Oshie to block Chicago goaltender Corey Crawford from seeing the shot.

The ensuing overtime would once again need a hero, and it was Barrett Jackman who answered the bell 5:50 in. His shot from the point somehow found its way through the legs of Crawford, sending the Hawks back to Chicago down 0-2. Seabrook was suspended for three games, with the Blues in the driver’s seat heading into Game 3 at the United Center. But as St. Louis fans have tragically come to know, the franchise is known for its legendary collapses when it matters most.

A lack of timely goals and key stops from Miller lead to the downfall of the Blues, to say the least. Two more games went into overtime and St. Louis had an extreme amount of scoring chances, like in previous years, but were unable to put the puck past Crawford, even when he was scrambling around his crease frantically. Chicago’s superstars were then able to break through the once impenetrable Blues defense, capturing the next four games of the series, crushing the hopes of a Stanley Cup parade down Clark Avenue in June.

Puck Drop Preview: 2014-15 St. Louis Blues

Offseason Changes

Head coach Ken Hitchcock was re-upped in May for another season behind the bench in St. Louis, but assistant coach Gary Agnew and goaltending coach Corey Hirsch were relieved of their duties by Armstrong. Six days later, the Blues announced the hiring of former Carolina Hurricanes coach Kirk Muller to replace Agnew. Jim Corsi would replace Hirsch, who will be working with reigning AHL “Goalie of the Year” Jake Allen and familiar face Brian Elliott to assist them with their play. Elliott was awarded a three-year extension worth $7.5 million on May 19th.

At the NHL Entry Draft in June, the only major deal revolving around St. Louis was blueliner Roman Polak being dealt to the Toronto Maple Leafs for Carl Gunnarsson. Known as a fan favorite for many Blues fans thanks to the tenacity and physicality he displayed within his game, Polak was a dominant figure who will surely be missed around St. Louis. Gunnarsson’s excellent puck-moving ability and quickness along the boards on breakouts is what led him to land with the Blues.

On July 1st, nobody knew what to expect from St. Louis. The organization had been consumed by trade rumors surrounding Ottawa Senators forward Jason Spezza, but were keeping quiet on the front. A Central Division rival from Dallas was deemed victorious of the Spezza sweepstakes, as the Stars were building up their top-six group of forwards. Miller then moved on to the Vancouver Canucks on the first day of free agency, due to the fact Armstrong and Co. believe they possess stability with their two goaltenders currently on the roster.

Jori Lehtera was inked to a two-year, $5.5 million deal, but that was not quite the news Blues fans were hoping to hear. At 26 years old, the Finnish center is ready to make the jump to the NHL, but time will tell if he is worth the hype. Berglund was also extended a couple of weeks prior for 3 years, $11.1 million, a decision the St. Louis faithful were left conflicted with. Would this be another lackadaisical offseason for the St. Louis Blues? Not this time, answered Tom Stillman and the rest of the Blues ownership group.

This was because Paul Stastny signed a four-year, $28 million deal with the Blues, returning to the area in which he grew up. His $7 million cap hit also makes him the highest-paid player in St. Louis. Another St. Louis native, Chris Butler, was added for depth purposes on the back-end. Joakim Lindstrom, Peter Mueller, and Colin Fraser were also signed throughout the offseason in hopes of cracking the opening day roster.

In terms of who St. Louis lost this offseason, the dagger truly came from Sobotka. A key asset to the Blues in an assortment of situations, the Czech forward shockingly signed a deal with Avangard Omsk of the KHL for three years over a contract dispute with Armstrong that was reportedly over a total shy of a million dollars. He will be getting paid four million a season in Russia, but still owes one year of NHL service to St. Louis, according to the terms of his contract. Ott was retained to help ease the pain brought on by Sobotka’s departure, but Morrow and Roy went their separate ways.

2014-15 Lineup Projections:

Hitchcock has said that his roster combinations will be varying throughout training camp and preseason, but this is how I see the Blues lineup shaping up for the 2014-15 regular season:

Forwards

Alexander Steen– David Backes – T.J. Oshie

Vladimir Tarasenko– Paul Stastny– Jaden Schwartz

Magnus Paajarvi– Jori Lehtera – Patrik Berglund

Ryan Reaves – Steve Ott– Maxim Lapierre

(Joakim Lindstrom, Peter Mueller, Chris Porter)

Defense

Alex Pietrangelo – Jay Bouwmeester

Carl Gunnarsson – Kevin Shattenkirk

Barrett Jackman – Ian Cole

(Jordan Leopold, Chris Butler)

Goaltenders

Brian Elliott

Jake Allen

Players on the Rise:

Vladimir Tarasenko (64 GP, 21 G, 22 A, 43 PTS)– The feisty Russian is progressing more and more as he ages, developing one of, if not, the quickest releases on the team. He is not afraid to go to the front of the net and battle for garbage goals, but loves to get open near the high slot to show off his excellent accuracy with his wrist shot. The first round pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft tacked on 20 goals for the first time in his career in a limited amount of ice time. After he broke his hand, reports were coming out of St. Louis that he would be shut down for the season, or at least until the second round of the postseason.

Tarasenko was instead way ahead of schedule, allowing him to participate in the series against Chicago. He registered four goals in the series, including two in Game 4. “Vladi” arguably was the best Blues player in the playoffs, performing at every end of the ice to the best of his ability. If he is put on a line with Paul Stastny come October, it would be an unbelievable opportunity for the 22-year-old to excel in the NHL and possibly hit the 30-goal mark.

Hitchcock has previously stated that he wants to pair Lehtera with Tarasenko though, as the two shared a line in the KHL, so don’t be surprised if the duo is reunited. All that is certain is that now that Hitch has seen what Tarasenko can do, not just in the regular season but the postseason as well, I can predict that he will be inserted into roles requiring more responsibility that the Yaroslavl native will thrive in.

Jaden Schwartz (80 GP, 25 G, 31 A, 56 PTS)– Chosen two picks ahead of Tarasenko in 2010, Schwartz had a career year in 2013-14. His 25 goals ranked him third on the team and he also finished fourth in total points. At only 5’10, Schwartz acknowledges the fact that he needs to make up for his size with his speed. He is able to utilize his explosiveness to break through the defense to create scoring opportunities. While possessing great hands around the net to finish, he is also becoming a terrific penalty killer. One of the most intriguing facets about his game is that he will win puck battles in the corner boards against guys three inches taller than him; this is strictly due to the fact that he is one of the hardest-working players in St. Louis. His approach on and off the ice is simply one to admire, and nobody around the NHL can disagree. The sky is the limit for Schwartz as he heads into next season.

But there’s one problem: Schwartz remains unsigned heading into training camp. As a restricted free agent, Schwartz is most likely going to get a bridge deal from Armstrong, one that will make him earn his worth. According to Armstrong, it’s not a matter of if he’s going to sign, but when:

“(We’re) just going with the flow now. The thing that would be best for the process is to keep (negotiations) between Jaden’s representatives and myself from this point forward. The next time that I’ll talk publicly about Jaden is when we sign him.”

Brian Elliott (31 GP, 18-6-2, 1.96 GAA)– The 29-year-old has certainly paid his dues, but Elliott has finally regained the starting role in St. Louis. He battled Halak for a couple of seasons, never truly earning the #1 spot. When Halak was injured around the postseason, Elliott was determined the Blues goalie for the playoffs and performed up to par in 2012 and 2013. This year, he was buried again thanks to the Ryan Miller trade. His regular season numbers don’t lie, though. With a .922 save percentage and a 1.96 GAA (that ranked 2nd in the NHL), there is no doubt Elliot deserves this chance to prove himself. His lateral movement has improved tremendously, but his glove has been a known strong suit throughout the past few years.

Sure, he suits up for a St. Louis team that boasts one of the best defenses in the NHL, but the fact that Elliott has stayed positive throughout countless ordeals proves that the Blues are ready to ride off into the sunset with him in between the pipes. He has shown flashes of brilliance where it seems as if he covers the entire net, but he also is prone to minor setbacks, even being sent to the AHL at one point in his tenure with the Blues. Despite all the distractions and controversies involving his name, Elliott will be relied on heavily as the Blues last line of defense by Hitchcock this season.

Players on the Decline:

Patrik Berglund (78 GP, 14 G, 18 A, 32 PTS)- Berglund has had a roller-coaster career with St. Louis filled with its share of highs and lows. Last season, it was another step backwards for the Swede. The inconsistency of his play has plagued his production the last three years, as he hasn’t registered over 40 points since 2010-2011. Even though he is 6’3,” Berglund has not used his height to his advantage on a regular basis recently. He is constantly put in the doghouse by Hitch if he doesn’t perform, which prompts him to pick up his play, but only for a short amount of time. Blues fans wondered why Berglund was kept on board with a three-year extension, although his name was tossed around along with the Spezza rumors.

Coming into this season, his head coach has a simple mindset for the 26-year-old left winger:

“We need to get him back to being a scoring player,” Hitchcock said. “We need him at the net, around the net, heavy on the forecheck. We need that back again. We need him to be a scoring player again. He’s got the ability … on his worst season, he gets 20 goals. We need that dynamic from him again. “I think he felt at the end of the year that he had to bring way more quickness and agility into the game. He’s obviously lightened up. He’s got way more quickness and mobility back from everything he did, (including) diet. This is an all-encompassing thing that he’s done during the offseason. This is not just training. This is fitness, this is nutrition, this is basically a lifestyle. Pretty impressive.”

Magnus Paajarvi (55 GP, 6 G, 6 A, 12 PTS)- Acquired in the trade for established NHL forward David Perron, Paajarvi has not yet proven to the coaching staff that he belongs on the ice in St. Louis instead of the press box. He still has room to grow, there’s no question. The first round pick in 2009 obviously expected to be a bigger part of an NHL team, but he is patient and ready to pounce on any bone the team throws him. Usually when he is able to finally get minutes, he is put in a fourth-line role, which simply doesn’t fit the speedster’s style of play.

I think that he can add an element to this Blues team in need of pure acceleration throughout the three zones, so let’s see if he proves the critics wrong and finds his place in St. Louis. It might be unfair to put him into this category, but I’m not sure if he ever will see top-nine minutes, especially with the recent acquisitions the organization has made.

2014-2015 Season Expectations:

Every year, we talk about how the St. Louis Blues need to take the next step. The regular season success should come easily with the amount of depth they have up and down their lineup. But do they finally perform in the postseason? Stastny provides a scoring touch that the Blues haven’t had for the past several years, and Gunnarsson can help the defense break out of their offensive funk in prime situations.

Still, question marks will always remain unless they prove what they are worth this season. The core pieces are set, the ownership has completely bought in to this select group of guys. Will the offense show up on a consistent level? If it doesn’t, then you can expect the Cup drought for St. Louis to continue. But if it does, count me in for the parade on Clark Ave.

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