The St. Louis Blues finished the 2016-17 season on a high note after reaching the playoffs under head coach Mike Yeo and then upsetting the Minnesota Wild in the opening round. It was an interesting turn of events as Yeo was previously the head coach with the Wild but he couldn’t get the job done with them. As a result, he was fired. The Blues had Ken Hitchcock as the team’s bench boss heading into the season but the team simply wasn’t responding to him anymore. In what looked like it would be a lost season, the Blues fired Hitchcock, switched to Yeo and that seemed to light a fire under the squad.
A lack of scoring punch ultimately led to their elimination at the hands of the eventual Western Conference champion Nashville Predators in the second round. St. Louis attempted to address its lack of offensive punch via the trade market in the offseason with the hope that they will also have some better luck when it comes to injuries. The Blues are trending in the right direction heading in to the 2017-18 NHL season but will face an uphill climb in a loaded Central division once again.
How They Finished Last Season
An in-season coaching change helped spark The St. Louis Blues down the stretch as they clinched a playoff spot as the third seed in the Central division. They were 31-27-5 at the beginning of March but then won nine of 10, and only lost three other games the rest of the way. That allowed them to head into the playoffs with momentum.
The Blues upset the Wild in the opening round as they took the series in five games while allowing a total of just eight goals. St. Louis pushed the Predators to six games but lost each of its three road games in the series en route to postseason elimination. While it seems like it was a small win for the Blues, remember that this team had previous problems of getting out of the first round of the playoffs. They now head into the coming season with some momentum.
What Changed In The Offseason
The biggest move of the offseason was when the Blues traded Jori Lehtera to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for Brayden Schenn. Schenn was buried in Philadelphia but he is still just 26-years-old and he could have a substantial impact in St. Louis where there is a chance he could be the team’s No. 1 center. The St. Louis Blues somehow managed to get a first round pick from the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for Ryan Reaves and then acquired Chris Thorburn to help make up for the loss. St. Louis will also help for better health overall after Paul Stastny and Robby Fabbri both missed substantial time a year ago due to injury. If the Blues can avoid the injury bug, it will put them in a much better position to contend in the Western Conference this season.
Most Valuable Fantasy Hockey Asset
Vladimir Tarasenko has been the Blues most dynamic offensive player for a couple of years now and he has the potential to be even better this season. Tarasenko has scored at least 37 goals with 73 points in each of the past three seasons. He will turn 26 in December so he is only now entering the prime years of his career. With the addition of a capable No. 1 center in Schenn, Tarasenko could be in line for the most productive season of his career in 2017-18.
Regular Season Win Total Outlook
All signs point towards the St. Louis Blues trending upward heading in to the 2017-18 season. St. Louis added Schenn and top prospect Ivan Barbashev to their top-nine forward core. They also couldn’t do any worse from an injury perspective after they were hit hard last season. Another year under Yeo combined with some intriguing additions up front could help the Blues take another step forward in the Western Conference this season. It won’t be a surprise if they exceed the 44.5 wins listed as their NHL futures regular season win total projection for 2017-18.
Pick: Over 44.5 Wins
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