Founded: 1967
Arena: Savvis Center
Stanley Cups: 0
2008-09 Blues Preview:
(See below for the team ranking from last season)
A quiet summer for the Blues, who decided to stand pat and see what another year of experience might do for young players like David Perron and Erik Johnson. That plan went off the rails before training camp opened, as Johnson tore up his knee while driving a golf cart. Talk about your bad omens.
Johnson is expected to miss the entire season, a crushing blow to a team that already looked like a candidate for 30th place. Another defender, Jeff Woywitka, will miss the start of the season with an injury. Barrett Jackman remains a bonafide number-one defenseman. But the rest of the group is made up of suspect veterans (Jay McKee, Eric Brewer, Mike Weaver) and prospect Alex Pietrangelo, who ought to be sent back to junior.
At forward, Martin Rucinsky, Ryan Johnson and Jamal Mayers departed over the summer, so the youth movement is underway in earnest. There will be more ice time for Perron (20 years old), David Backes (24), and perhaps rookie T.J. Oshie (21). Greybeards Keith Tkachuk and Paul Kariya remain, though there are plenty of signs that each is well past his prime - Kariya started strong last season, but tailed off in the new year. Either of them might be attractive trade bait come February. The true gem of the offense is Brad Boyes, who scored 43 goals last season and is just entering his prime at the age of 26.
With Johnson gone, the Blues' only significant off-season move looks bigger than ever: Chris Mason arrives from Nashville to share goaltending duties with Manny Legace. That’s a good combo, capable of bailing the team out on many nights. But it doesn't turn St. Louis into a playoff contender.
What the St. Louis Blues did in 2007-08
33 wins - 36 losses - 13 SO/OT losses - 79 points
14th in Western Conference
20th in NHL
