Training Camp Preview — St. Louis Blues

The St. Louis Blues opened its 2017-18 Training Camp on Thursday (Sept. 14, 2017) with few new veteran faces in the lineup.

The Blues spent most of the summer re-signing its players rather than making big changes and why not? Despite losing out to Nashville in the Central Division final in the spring, the Blues have been the most consistently strong team in the tough as nails Central Division for the past couple seasons.

Somehow, Blues’ management has been able to stockpile one of the best defensive corps along with a potent offense, led by one of the league’s top superstars and the goaltending is not too shabby either. And they’ve done it all while staying out of salary cap danger.

Forwards

The Blues did say goodbye to Ryan Reaves, a resilient soldier for the team who appeared in 80 games last season who now goes to the Stanley Cup Champion Penguins where he is expected to discourage opposition clubs from taking liberties with Sidney Crosby. The Blues netted a couple prime prospects out of the deal – Oskar Lundqvist, a 23-year-old Swedish center who played his first 10 NHL games with the Pens last season. The Blues also picked up the Pens First Round (31^st Overall) selection at the 2017 NHL Entry Draft. The team picked up Klim Kostin and the 18-year-old made a nice impression at the recent Traverse City Tournament. The Russian forward has committed to play with Kootenay in the WHL making it easier for the Blues to watch him progress.

One other summer deal saw the Blues trading Jori Lehtera to the Philadelphia Flyers for Brayden Schenn, a hard-nosed forward and a more consistent scorer.

If the team can stay relatively healthy, it could be able to throw three potent scoring lines out each night.

Leading the way once again is Vladimir Tarasenko who has established himself as among the best in the league at right wing. Paul Stastny and Jaden Schwartz were linemates with Tarasenko often, when they weren’t on the sidelines due to injury last season. Schenn could be a good fit with Robby Fabbri and Alex Steen

Other newcomers include Beau Bennett, a defensive forward who will be playing on his third team in three seasons and back from the KHL in Russia, Vladimir Sobotka.

Tage Thompson, 19, from Arizona, the Blues First Round (26^th Overall) selection at the 2016 NHL Entry Draft could get a decent look at camp. Thompson picked up 32 points (19g, 13a) in his sophomore year at the University of Connecticut last year and made his intentions known when he finished the season with the Chicago Wolves, picking up a goal and assist in 16 AHL contests.

Thompson was one of the bright lights on the Blues Prospect Team at the Traverse City tournament in the days leading up to Training Camp along with Kostin and Jordan Kyrou, a 19-year-old Ontario native taken in the Second Round (35^th Overall) by the Blues at the 2016 NHL Entry Draft.

Injuries prevented the team from finishing atop the division last season and it will start with a key cog on the blue line this year as off season played a part in a dislocated shoulder that will keep Patrik Berglund out of the Blues’ lineup, likely until after Thanksgiving.

Defense

It will be difficult for anyone to crack the defensive lineup on this team that has one of the best group of defenders in the league even with Kevin Shattenkirk leaving.

Jay Bouwmeester and Alex Pietrangelo lead the way as the top pair, Pietrangelo with an average of more than 25 minutes played per game and Boumeester a little over 24. Colton Parayko is also over 20 minutes. Joel Edmundson, Carl Gunnarson and Robert Bortuzzo will likely see their responsibilities increase with the departure of Shattenkirk.

Best bet to take a spot lies with Jordan Schmaltz, 23, from Verona, WI, First Round (25^th Overall) pick by the Blues at the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. He got a taste at the NHL level last year, but played most of the season with Chicago Wolves in the AHL.

Young defensemen, Petteri Lindbohm, Niko Mikkola, Thomas Vannelli, Jake Walman and Dmitri Sergeev all made their presence felt at the Prospects Tournament but all are likely at least a year away from the Blues’ blue line.

Goaltending

After several seasons of splitting the work between Brian Elliot and Jake Allen, it was all Allen last season as Elliot left for Calgary and Allen appeared in 61 games. Perennial back up Carter Hutton was brought in and appeared in 30 games with the Blues. Those two likely will return to the crease but there are six goaltenders in camp. Jordan Binnington is likely next on the depth chart, but the Blues will be interested in getting another look at Luke Opilka, its Fifth Round (146^th Overall) selection at the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. Opilka could ultimately head back to Kitchener for his final year of junior with the OHL’s Rangers, but he is looked at right now as the goalie of the future for the Blues.

Other notes

One of the things making it tough for Blues prospects this season will be the lack of an AHL Affiliate. After parting ways with the Chicago Wolves last spring, the Blues are the only team in the NHL with no representation at the American Hockey League level. The Blues do have an ECHL affiliation with the Tulsa Oilers.

The Blues are scheduled to begin preseason play with a trip to Dallas on Tuesday (Sept. 19) and the club will play eight games in total with home and home sets with the Stars, Washington Capitals, and Columbus Blue Jackets and single games against the Pittsburgh Penguins and Minnesota Wild.