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This is the latest file in THN.com’s ongoing analysis of every NHL team’s off-season moves. Today, we’re looking at the St. Louis Blues.
2021-22 record: 49-22-11
Finish In The Central Division: 3rd
Available salary cap space (per CapFriendly.com): $625,000
Unrestricted free agents: Tyler Bozak, F; James Neal, F.
What St. Louis has: An impressive core of experienced and skilled talent; a fully signed list; an accomplished and respected management team in GM Doug Armstrong and head coach Craig Berube; an elite starting goalkeeper in Jordan Binnington; a deep defense corps whose top four players are signed for the next four seasons; a group of the six best forwards, eight of whom scored at least 20 goals last season
What St. Louis needs: salary cap flexibility; a trade that satisfies disgruntled star winger and top scorer Vladimir Tarasenko, and addresses the needs that will come after his departure; a solid season supported by goalkeepers from new acquisition Thomas Greiss; good health and production of his fourth line of forwards
What’s realistic for St. Louis next season: The Blues had a fair degree of tumult in 2021-22, first dealing with a trade request from cornerstone winger Vladimir Tarasenko, then overcoming regular-season struggles from starting goalkeeper Jordan Binnington. But they overcame adversity, found a way to keep Tarasenko in St. Louis and had enough patience with Binnington to see him bounce back later in the year and into the postseason. As a result, they eliminated the Minnesota Wild in the first round of the playoffs and gave the eventual Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche a scare before falling to them in six games.
Now, not reaching the Western Conference finals for the third straight season after winning the first Cup in franchise history in 2018-19 isn’t the Blues’ idea of success, but let’s face it: Winning just one Cup is quite difficult, come on. just by winning multiple Cups with the same group of players. All the stars have to line up for one team to win it all, and St. Louis has to keep pushing with its core of talent while everyone can continue to contribute.
His tightness against the salary cap meant saying goodbye to departed unrestricted free agents David Perron and goalie Ville Husso, but the Blues still have a collection of high-impact forwards, a collection of smart and mobile defenses, and a group of owner willing to spend toward the maximum limit each year. That said, Tarasenko is believed to still want to get out of town, and with just one year left on his current deal, he could offer an important mix of prospects, salary-cap space and NHL-ready talent in any trade. Such a move would be painful, but Tarasenko was a solid citizen for them last season, and it’s probably not worth the risk of keeping him in St. Louis if it means having an openly unhappy player in the locker room.
Regardless, the Blues will be a playoff team again in 2022-23, and another matchup with the Avs is looming. This may be the last hurray for this particular group, as captain Ryan O’Reilly and forwards Noel Acciari will be unrestricted free agents next summer, and winger Jordan Kyrou will be a restricted free agent. The Blues will have salary-cap space, but with Tarasenko out one way or another, is it time for them to revamp on the fly? That’s a question general manager Doug Armstrong will have to grapple with very soon. But for now, at least, they remain one of the most dangerous teams in the league, and could easily overtake Minnesota for second place in the Central Division, giving them home-field advantage in the first round.