2. St. Louis Blues
Sitting at second on the list is a team I’ve talked about a lot — St. Louis.
The Blues season ended in heartbreak last year, as they lost in their final regular season game to come up one point short (94, to be exact) of a playoff spot behind the Colorado Avalanche, who stole the second wild-card spot in the West.
St. Louis, however, did a complete overhaul in their lineup, and arguably had the most activity in the league. Here is a recap of their major transactions since the offseason started.
- Signed LW David Perron to a four-year deal
- Signed G Chad Johnson to a one-year deal
- Re-signed C Robby Fabbri, LW MacKenzie MacEachern, C Oskar Sundqvist, RW Dmitrij Jaskin, and G Jordan Binnington, and D Joel Edmundson to one-year deals
- Signed draft pick Dominik Bokk (25th overall) to a three-year, entry-level deal
- Traded C Tage Thompson, LW Vladimir Sobotka, C Patrik Berglund, a 2019 1st round and 2021 2nd round pick to the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for C Ryan O’Reilly
- Signed C Tyler Bozak to a three-year deal
- Extended RW Nikita Shoshnikov (one-year)
- Signed C Jordan Nolan and D Tyler Wotherspoon to one-year deals
Even though the Blues finished last season with a bad taste in their mouths, their many additions and changes in the locker room could be a sign of hope for the future. It’s not a re-build for St. Louis, but rather a re-load. Below is a look at St. Louis’ roster.
Offense
Steen-O’Reilly-Tarasenko
Schwartz-Schenn-Perron
Maroon-Bozak-Soshnikov
Jaskin-Fabbri-Thorburn
Extras: Barbashev, Sundqvist, Nolan
Defense
Bouwmeester-Pietrangelo
Edmundson-Parayko
Gunnarsson-Bortuzzo
Extras: Dunn, Schmaltz
Goalies
Allen
Johnson
Vladimir Tarasenko, Alexander Steen, and Brayden Schenn are great — but if your team lacks depth, you aren’t going to get very far in the NHL; especially in the Central Division.
However, had the Blues won their last game of the season, this would be a different story, and I’d probably substitute the Colorado Avalanche into this article instead.
St. Louis’ stout defensive play is stellar to watch, especially in the playoffs, where a solid blue line can save a team from elimination.
Now, by adding O’Reilly, Perron, and Bozak, it would be tough to argue against the Blues as one of the most dangerous teams in the Western Conference.