Blues center Jori Lehtera says a raise in salary and a drop in confidence led to a decline in his production, a trend he plans on turning around in 2017-18.

Despite playing with leading-scorer Vladimir Tarasenko most of the season, Lehtera finished with just seven goals and 22 points. He was out of the lineup twice with a concussion.

"It was a different summer because of the World Cup and that was like a weird start of the season, it was a lot of games to go through," Lehtera said. "When you don't play at the level you want, new coach comes and then the injury, everything, it was just a lot of things going (wrong). But that can't happen anymore. I think next year. it's a most important season for me."

The Blues drafted Lehtera in the third round of the 2008 draft, but he remained in Europe for the next five seasons. He eventually signed a two-year, $5.5 million contract, and as 27-year-old rookie in 2014-15 showed some of the chemistry with Tarasenko that had been built playing together in Russia's Kontinental Hockey League.