2014-15 LEADING SCORERS
RW Vladimir Tarasenko (37 G, 36 A, 73 P)
LW Alexander Steen (24 G, 40 A, 64 P)
LW Jaden Schwartz (28 G, 35 A, 63 P)
LAST SEASON
The St Louis Blues had a great regular season player wise. The most coveted headline of the Blues season was the breakout of Russian winger Vladimir Tarasenko. An absolute monster of a season saw him record 73 points in 82 games for the Notes. Many fans questioned whether the Blues would be okay the following season without without a proven starting goaltender, but Brian Elliott and Jake Allen proved the doubters wrong, as they were once again able to solidify a playoff spot.
Trades made during the regular season for the Blues included sending Jordan Leopold to the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for a 2016 5th round pick, and also trading Maxim Lapierre to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for Marcel Goc. Nearing the trade deadline, the Blues made several moves to help with depth, such as re-acquiring Adam Cracknell from the Blue Jackets in exchange for future considerations, acquiring Zybnek Michalek and a 3rd round pick from the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for prospect Maxim Letunov, trading Ian Cole to the Penguins in exchange for Robert Bortuzzo, and finally acquiring Olli Jokinen from the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for Joakim Lindstrom and a 2016 6th round pick.
The Blues ended up finishing the 2014-15 season with a record of 51-24-7, good enough for 1st in the Central Division and 2nd in the Western Conference. However, the playoffs were the same old song and dance for the Blues. They were eliminated in round one by the Minnesota Wild in six games, ultimately putting head coach Ken Hitchcock and the rest of the team under the microscope.
OFFSEASON
IN
Konrad Abeltshauser
Phoenix Copley
Troy Brouwer
Jordan Caron
Danny Kristo
Peter Harrold
Kyle Brodziak
Andre Benoit
Justin Hodgman
OUT
Benn Ferriero
Colin Fraser
Zybnek Michalek
Chris Porter
John McCarthy
Jonas Junland
Olli Jokinen
Marcel Goc
Adam Cracknell
Sebastian Wannstrom
Philip McRae
David Shields
T.J Oshie
Martin Rucinsky
The St Louis Blues did not own a first round pick heading into the 2015 NHL Draft, but given the amount of solid prospects in this particular draft, this wasn't a problem. They managed to pick up defenseman Vince Dunn in the second round, a prospect who was a wildcard to go either in the first or second round, so they weren't upset about it. Heading into the offseason, they didn't make too many big signings, but they made a big trade. They dealt fan favourite T.J Oshie to the Washington Capitals in exchange for forward Troy Brouwer, prospect Phoenix Copley, and a 3rd round pick. They signed a couple of players for depth, such as Kyle Brodziak, Peter Harrold, and Andre Benoit, and also signed young forwards Danny Kristo and Jordan Caron. They said goodbye to veterans Chris Porter, Marcel Goc, and Zybnek Michalek, but were pretty quiet aside from that.
NEXT SEASON PT 1. OFFENSE
The biggest storyline for the Blues' offense will be how the Blues can replace T.J Oshie on the right wing and if Troy Brouwer can be a serviceable replacement. Another big headline will be whether or not Paul Stastny can rebound and live up to his $7 million dollar contract as he was expected to last year. Aside from that, the Blues will look to the services of Vladimir Tarasenko, Jaden Schwartz, and Alexander Steen for most of their offense. Look for Ty Rattie, Robbie Fabbri, and Ivan Barbashev to all push for roster spots on the Blues this coming season.
NEXT SEASON PT 2. DEFENSE
The Blues' defense is pretty straight forward. Alex Pietrangelo and Jay Bouwmeester will man the top pairing, with Carl Gunnarsson and Kevin Shattenkirk right behind them. After that, anything goes prospect wise. They lost veteran Barret Jackman via free agency, so the bottom pairing is a battle between Robert Bortuzzo, Petteri Lindbohm, Andre Benoit, and Chris Butler.
NEXT SEASON PT 3. GOALTENDING
The Blues don't neccesarily have a true number one goaltender set in stone for this coming season, but expect Jake Allen to play backup behind Brian Elliott to start the season between the pipes.
POSSIBLE 2015-16 OPENING NIGHT LINEUP
Alex Steen - David Backes - Vladimir Tarasenko
Jaden Schwartz - Paul Stastny - Troy Brouwer
Jordan Caron - Jori Lehtera - Dmitrij Jaskin
Steve Ott - Kyle Brodziak - Ryan Reaves
Alex Pietrangelo - Jay Bouwmeester
Carl Gunnarsson - Kevin Shattenkirk
Petteri Lindbohm - Andre Benoit
Brian Elliott
Jake Allen
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