Will vets lead Blues back to postseason?
The Blues haven't enjoyed a lot of success of late. They've made the playoffs just once since the lockout and haven't won a postseason series since 2002.
Last year began promisingly enough, as St. Louis rolled to a 9-1-2 start and was still a solid 20-12-5 at the end of December. But the Blues went just 18-21-6 from there and missed the playoffs for a second straight year. There is plenty of young talent on hand to turn things around, and the Blues added some veteran leadership this summer to guide the club in the right direction.
2010-11 record: 38-33-11, 87 points (4th Central Division; 11th Western Conference; did not qualify for the playoffs)
Key additions: F Jason Arnott (free agent); F Jamie Langenbrunner (free agent); F Jonathan Cheechoo (free agent); F Scott Nichol (free agent); D Danny Syvret (free agent); D Kent Huskins (free agent); G Brian Elliott (free agent); F Brett Stirling (free agent); F Evgeny Grachev (trade with NY Rangers)
Key losses: F Cam Janssen (signed with New Jersey); F Paul Kariya (retired); G Ty Conklin (signed with Detroit); D Tyson Strachan (signed with Florida); D Nathan Oystrick (signed with Phoenix); F Dave Scatchard (free agent)
Burning question: How much will the leadership of Arnott and Langenbrunner help the Blues?
While St. Louis has done an admirable job of sticking to its long-range plan to build with youth, this summer they added a pair of veterans with Cup experience to provide some leadership. Arnott and Langenbrunner bring a combined 33 seasons and 2,207 games in the NHL and three Cup rings between them. But how much do they have left in the tank? Arnott managed 17-14-31 totals and was a minus-6 in 73 games last season with New Jersey and Washington, while Langenbrunner had just 9-23-32 totals and was a minus-18 in 70 games with New Jersey and Dallas.
2011-12 outlook: The Blues boast a deep and balanced attack with five players topping 50 points last season. David Backes led the way with 31-31-62 totals and was second in the league with a plus-32 rating. Chris Stewart (28-25-53), Patrik Berglund (22-30-52), Alexander Steen (20-31-51) and Andy McDonald (20-30-50) also had solid seasons, while Matt D'Agostini (21-25-46) and T.J. Oshie (12-22-34 in 49 games) add even more depth. St. Louis will be even better if David Perron (20-27-47 in 2009-10) can recover from a concussion that cost him 72 games last season. The defense is led by talented youngsters Alex Pietrangelo (11-32-43) and Kevin Shattenkirk (9-34-43), while Jaroslav Halak (27-21-7, 2.48 GAA, .910 save percentage) mans the net. There's a lot to like on paper, but the Blues still have to put it all together and finally make some noise in the postseason.
Did you know? No one on either team's current roster was even alive the last time the Bruins and Blues met in the postseason. But even nearly four decades later, the Bruins still have a claim to some bragging rights. Boston rolled to four-game sweeps in each of the two playoff clashes between the clubs. The first came in the 1970 Stanley Cup Final when Bobby Orr completed the sweep with his famous flying goal in overtime of Game 4. The Bruins swept the Blues again two years later in the semifinals en route to their next Cup win. The Bruins outscored St. Louis 48-15 in the two sweeps.
