New Blues general manager Doug Armstrong stayed out of the fray during the opening day of free-agent spending.
He did re-sign restricted free agent Alex Steen to a four-year deal. And he got newcomer Vladimir Sobotka, another RFA, under contract for next season too.
But Armstrong skipped the Ilya Kovalchuk sweepstakes, allowed unrestricted free agent Carlo Colaiacovo test the market and passed on the first wave of free-agent defensemen. He expressed confidence in the team nucleus already in place.
So let us consider the assets the Blues currently possess:
GOALTENDER
Jaroslav Halak: Based on his steady progress to this point of his career, it is reasonable to project him as a cornerstone player. He is a restricted free agent, but the market has trended away from netminders this summer. Teams are filling needs on the cheap. Evgeni Nabokov might have to return to Russia to get paid. And what will become of Marty Turco?
Ty Conklin: He is a solid back-up making appropriate money ($1.4 million) this season. He and Halak could be one of the better combos on this side of the NHL this season.
DEFENSE
Erik Johnson: Is this the year he breaks out? He scored 39 points last season, up from 33 in his rookie season. He scraped off the rust that accumulated during his year-long absence after knee surgery. He has the skill to become a 60-point scorer, but does he have the defensive instincts to become a Norris Trophy candidate some day? That remains to be seen.
Roman Polak: He has become a solid top four defenseman, improving from minus-15 to plus-7 in one year. While some of the younger Blues went the wrong way last season, Polak took a quantum leap forward. He is the big hitter on this unit, but his positioning is solid and he is good with the puck. Polak is under contract this season for $1.2 million, but the Blues should lock him up for the long haul.
Barret Jackman: He improved from minus-17 to plus-3 last season. You should split the credit for that between him and his defense partner, but the upgrade is still notable. Ideally he would play in the third paring with a poised puck-mover.
Eric Brewer: In five seasons as a Blue, he has posted plus-minus ratings of minus-17, minus-10, minus-18, minus-14 and minus-17. He has played hurt for most of his time here, but that doesn’t make fans feel better about his performance. Imagine what this unit would look like with a power-play specialist in this salary slot. Did we mention that Sheldon Souray has hit the waiver wire?
Alex Pietrangelo: He has just played 17 NHL games in two seasons. Due to the rules of the collective bargaining agreement, he could not get extensive training in the AHL. His stint at the World Junior Championship helped him, as did more productive work in junior hockey. But is he ready to make an impact as an offensive defenseman? Or will need substantial time at Peoria first?
Tyson Strachan: He got caught in the old numbers game last season, so he had to spend the bulk of last season in the AHL-—here he got hurt. But he is a tough kid with surprisingly steady hands in his own end. He should become a solid third-pairing player.
Ian Cole: He played in nine Rivermen games after turning pro, so that’s a start. Cole has the potential to become a top four defenseman – solid in his own end, good with the puck, willing to get involved. But how much AHL time does he need?
Nikita Nikitin: He is the wild card of this group. He put decent numbers as a two-way defender in the KHL. He appears to have the puck skills this team desperately needs on the blue line. But how long will it take him to adapt to North American hockey? The Blues will need to fast-track him to see what they have here. Russian players don’t like to dawdle in the AHL or on the bench, given all the options they have back home.
FORWARDS
Andy McDonald: In a perfect world, he would reemerge as a No. 1 center. He will make $5.2 million this season and $4.5 million per year the next two. He led the team with 57 points last season, but he has 85- and 78-points seasons in his past. He still possesses the speed needed to generate offense in today’s NHL.
Brad Boyes: His goal production declined from 43 to 33 and 14 goals the past three seasons. He scored just five goals from January on last season. How can that happen? The Blues must build better combinations and chemistry at even strength and on the power play, but Boyes still must take it upon himself to regain his old form.
David Backes: Should he be the new Blues captain? You bet. It would also be nice to see him settle in on a wing and flourish in the power forward role. We always compare him to Brenden Morrow in this space. After sliding from 31 goals to 17 last season, he needs to resume his offensive development.
David Perron: He has progressed as a goal scorer, from 13 as a rookie to 15 and 20 the last two years. But what is his real potential? Is he a 25-goal winger? A 30-goal guy? A potential 40-goal scorer? The Blues are trying to figure that out while negotiating a new deal with this restricted free agent. Had the Blues kept Lars Eller, he could have become trade fodder – but it would hard to move him now.
T.J. Oshie: He regressed offensively last season like many other teammates. After scoring 39 points with a plus-16 rating in 57 rookie games, he scored 48 points in 76 games last year – with a minus-1 ranking. Like Perron, he is still defining his offensive upside. Will he be a 60-point player or could he grow into a 75- to 85-point threat?
Steen: He delivered a peak 24-goal season in the “walk year” of his previous deal, so he got a four-year deal for more than $13 million. Don’t expect him to become an offensive catalyst, but he should continue to provide heady play at both ends of the ice and in all game situations.
Patrik Berglund: He has the ability to become a 60- to 70-point center. Instead, he slid from 47 rookie points and a plus-17 rating to 26 points and a minus-5. You don’t want to blame him for the team’s failure to reach the playoffs last year, but you could. His disappearance did that much damage.
Sobotka: He became a dynamic “energy line” center in Boston last season. His AHL track record suggests he is capable of more. He hits hard and is strong on the puck, but the Blues would like to see the offensive side of his game develop at this level ASAP. They need more firepower.
Jay McClement: He has progressed nicely as a No. 3/No. 4 center, scoring 22, 26 and 29 points the last three seasons. His plus-minus improved from minus-17 to minus-10 and even the last three seasons. He is solid penalty killer and a decent checker.
T.J. Hensick: The former University of Michigan star adds much-needed depth up the middle. He has 35 points in 99 NHL games and he scored 70 points in the AHL last season in just 58 games. He has the skill the Blues need, but will must play harder overall and more vigilantly in his own end.
Matt D’Agostini: Back in 2008-09, he scored 12 goals for a Montreal team that got into go-go offensive mode. Last year he scored twice in 47 games for the Canadiens and Blues. He looks like a player, but hasn’t become one yet. He will get every chance to take that step here, given the lack of depth up front.
B.J. Crombeen: He has become a handy hit man here, scoring the odd goal (18 in two Blues seasons) while providing some much-needed toughness. If the Note can skate downhill with any consistency this season, he’ll have a bigger impact on the forecheck.
Cam Janssen/D.J. King: Both are RFAs. Both have qualifying offers in hand. It’s hard to imagine getting both under contract, since the Western Conference isn’t especially rugged these days. Many nights the Blues won’t dress a tough guy. Janssen is the better overall player, but King is one of the NHL’s leading heavyweights when healthy.
You can see how the above group could coalesce into a playoff-caliber team, but fans would be a LOT more comfortable if Armstrong could somehow add another scorer and change out one of his higher-priced defensemen (Brewer or Jackman) for somebody with a big point shot.
The summer has just begun. Or has it?
