Western Conference Preview - 2021-22 Season Preview: Nashville, St. Louis, Winnipeg ...
ST. LOUIS BLUES
2020-21 Record: 27-20-9, 63 points
Result: Fourth in the West Division. Lost 4-0 to the Colorado Avalanche in the first round.
Significant Gains: Pavel Buchnevich, Brandon Saad
Significant Losses: Mike Hoffman, Jaden Schwartz, Vince Dunn, Sammy Blais
Strengths: The Blue went through some ups and downs last season offensively, but still managed to place 13th in the NHL in goals for per game played (2.98). David Perron and Ryan O'Reilly were superb, while Brayden Schenn, Jordan Kyrou and Torey Krug had success on the scoresheet as well. The Blues had problems scoring and generating chances at 5-on-5, but recorded the sixth-best power play percentage (23.2.) in the league. St. Louis brought in Buchnevich and Saad during the offseason in an attempt to add more scoring depth up front.
Weaknesses: St. Louis struggled defensively last season, while placing 19th in the NHL in goals against per game played (2.98) and ranking above just 10 teams in save percentage (.900). Jordan Binnington had some consistency issues in the crease, but holes on the back end were much larger obstacles to overcome for a team that was already playing without Alex Pietrangelo, who left for Vegas as a free agent. Colton Parayko also missed most of the year due to a back injury.
Player to Watch: The Vladimir Tarasenko situation is certainly worth monitoring. He requested a trade and wasn’t protected in the expansion draft, but he is still a member of the Blues at this time. Tarasenko may end up starting the year with St. Louis before he is moved at some point. He has been limited to just 34 games over the past two seasons and it is unclear how his shoulder will hold up. If he is relatively healthy, Tarasenko has the skill to make an impact. ...
