St. Louis Blues preview: Vladimir Tarasenko leads rebuilt forward core
Projected Lineup
The St. Louis Blues have an underrated skater group. Arguably one of the better ones in the league, especially if you’re one who thinks fourth lines and third pairings are a bit overrated.
Forwards
Patrick Maroon – Ryan O’Reilly – Vladimir Tarasenko
Jaden Schwartz – Brayden Schenn – David Perron
Robby Fabbri – Tyler Bozak – Alex Steen
Ivan Barbashev – Robert Thomas – Dmitrij Jaskin
Extra forward: Samuel Blais
On the rise: Jordan Kyrou, Klim Kostin
It appears the Blues are going to break up their top line trio from last year, which featured Tarasenko, Schwartz, and Schenn. But it’s a good thing because now, the Blues have the talent necessary to have three really good forward lines.
O’Reilly has struggled on offense, especially last season. He had the 22nd-worst five-on-five points per hour rate among all forwards with at least 800 minutes played. However, this was partially related to his teammates. Maroon and Tarasenko should be significant upgrades.
Replacing Tarasenko will be Perron, who’s a pretty reliable and steady forward. He’s not outstanding, but if he’s healthy, you can pencil him in for at least 40 points. Perron is an underrated passer and playmaker, which should complement the skills of Schwartz and Schenn.
Fabbri’s injured (shocker, I know) but it doesn’t seem to be significant. He’s an extremely talented forward who could make that third line a very good one. Steen is declining, but in a sheltered role, I think he could still be a productive player.
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Defensemen
Joel Edmundson – Alex Pietrangelo
Jay Bouwmeester – Robert Bortuzzo
Extra defenseman: Jordan Schmaltz
The best thing that happened to the Blues last season was an injury to Bouwmeester. This opened up opportunities for Edmundson and Dunn, who flourished in larger roles. Edmundson is a mobile defenseman who should complement Pietrangelo well. Dunn and Parayko were very solid together last year as well.
Goaltending
Chad Johnson
The Blues goaltending is going to determine how far they go. They have the skater talent to contend, but their goaltending was a huge issue last season.