St. Louis Blues preview: Vladimir Tarasenko leads rebuilt forward core
After melting down in 2017-18, Vladimir Tarasenko and the St. Louis Blues look ready to contend for a Stanley Cup.
The St. Louis Blues had a huge meltdown last season. They went 0-5-1 down the stretch, narrowly missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs as the Colorado Avalanche wound up passing them. Vladimir Tarasenko and company had a very long summer for all the wrong reasons.
Usually, the Blues are a very quiet team during the offseason. They usually don’t dive into free agency. But this summer, the Blues were extremely active. They overhauled their forward group, adding two centers and a playmaking wing.
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The Blues, on paper, went from being a team that relied heavily on their top forward line to one that could have three very good ones. Though they still have a huge, glaring weakness, they are unquestionably a better team as the 2018-19 season begins.
Led by Tarasenko and an underrated defense, the Blues have done a lot to try to ensure another meltdown doesn’t happen. Despite their meltdown, they actually overperformed a little bit last season. So even if the Blues experience some regression, their additions should help alleviate them.
Offseason Recap
Additions: F Ryan O’Reilly, F Tyler Bozak, F David Perron, G Chad Johnson, F Patrick Maroon, F Jordan Nolan
Departures: G Carter Hutton, F Beau Bennett, F Kyle Brodziak, F Scottie Upshall, F Tage Thompson, F Patrik Berglund, F Vladimir Sobotka
The biggest move of the Blues summer netted them a familiar foe in O’Reilly. Despite his struggles in Buffalo, he’s still one of the best two-way centers in the NHL. O’Reilly should help solidify the Blues center depth. The addition of Bozak should as well. Though he requires sheltered minutes, he can certainly produce in the right situations.
Their biggest loss was Hutton. Usually, that’s not a bad thing for a team to lose their backup goalie. However, Hutton was extremely reliable for them last season. Johnson is a pretty clear downgrade there.