Here we go again…

Yes, for some it’s a tired subject.

I’m tired of yapping about it, actually.

But I press on, anyway …

When the Blues won at Montreal on Tuesday night, rookie David Perron played only 5 minutes 55 seconds over 10 shifts.

The purpose of the game is to win, and the Blues did that … and of course I realize that. Perhaps that should be the focus; the Blues won — so who cares about an individual player’s ice time?

Sorry, I can’t fully accept that.

At this stage of the season, with the playoffs out of reach for The Note in 2008, the priorities should be rearranged.

The Blues didn’t have to keep Perron at the NHL level this season. But once that decision was made, to place him in St. Louis, then it makes sense to use him, especially now.

And it’s not as if by playing Perron the Blues will sentence themselves to additional losses.

Perron, 19, has been an eye-opening presence on the ice. Perron hasn’t scored a goal for a while, but he’s a dangerous and opportunistic player. The puck seems to find him, and he seems to find the open spaces. His skill level is glaring.

So to make the best use of the remaining games on the schedule, the Blues should be playing the kid as much as possible, to speed him up on the learning curve and get him the exposure and experience he needs to be a more meaningful contributor for the 2008-2009 season.

Rookie defenseman Erik Johnson, 19, clearly has improved through additional minutes. In his first 47 games, Johnson clocked 20 minutes in a game only four times. But he’s now played 20 or more minutes in 10 of the last 13 games. And EJ’s skills are expanding. We can see that on a daily basis.

(Sidebar: Johnson has been compared to the great Scott Stevens. As a rookie, Stevens had 9 goals 16 assists for 25 points. Johnson so far has 4-24-28).

In radio, TV, print and online interviews, members of Blues management constantly pitch the youth movement, and use the youth movement in their request for patience.

Now I’m starting to wonder if they are using the youth movement as a protective shield to insulate themselves from criticism.

The credibility of that marketing strategy is undermined when we see a kid like Perron playing only 5 minutes 55 seconds in a late-season game at Montreal, in a situation that’s made-to-order for expediting the development of a key piece of the franchise.

And more prospects are coming.

We’re told that T.J. Oshie is on the way, and that Patrik Berglund is on the way, and that Lars Eller is on the way….

Well, on the way to what?

A seat on the Blues bench?

A chair in the press box at Scottrade Center?

Thanks for reading.

–B