One year ago, Erik Johnson was coming off a 39-point season and many believed the young defenseman was ready to show why the Blues made him the No. 1 overall pick in 2006.
Meanwhile, Alex Pietrangelo had been sent back to junior hockey for the second straight season, and some thought the No. 4 overall pick in 2008 might be a bust.
The landscape of the Blues' defense a year later best illustrates the guessing game of drafting and evaluating young defensemen. Johnson struggled to live up to expectations and was dealt to Colorado for Chris Stewart and Kevin Shattenkirk last season. Pietrangelo soared to the top of the depth chart and will help anchor the blue line in 2011-12.
"I understand that's the nature of where we're at in our game, in our society ... you want immediate results," Blues general manager Doug Armstrong said. "So you draft somebody and then (ask), 'Why aren't they the best thing since sliced bread?' But that's just not reality.
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"Petro' is 21 years old. By some obscure quirk in the NHL rules, he wasn't considered a rookie. He'd be going to Las Vegas (for the NHL awards show) this week if the rules made any sense. But Erik is going to be a really good player, too. Defense takes time. That's the risk of trading a young defenseman.
"You always have to be looking for ways to improve your team and assess your team honestly. You have to really have your vision be long term. You better make sure you're not reactionary, but you also have to make sure you don't fall in love with your own players just because they're your own players."
The Blues will return to the NHL draft table this week, but if they come home with any immediate help on defense it will be in the form of a trade.
The back end has Pietrangelo, Shattenkirk, Barret Jackman, Roman Polak, Carlo Colaiacovo and Nikita Nikitin. The Blues also have youngster Ian Cole, who saw some NHL action last season. The club likes the shape of the group but says it may look to add a veteran, if not at the draft then in free agency.
"We really only have two young players back there in Pietrangelo (21) and Shattenkirk (22)," Armstrong said. "Obviously, we need them to play at a level of the minimum of what they played at last year. I don't consider Nikita Nikitin (25) a young player. He played four or five years in the KHL. Carlo's got the experience, Jackman's got the experience, Roman's got the experience.
"But you're always looking to improve your team, and experience of any form is something that if we can add it would be good for our group."
If the Blues add a veteran defenseman, look for it to be a player with a lefthanded shot. The group seems solid on the right side with Pietrangelo, Polak and Shattenkirk.
"We have a big strong player in Roman, we have a very gifted puck player in Shattenkirk and a very well-balanced player in Petro," Armstrong said. "I think we have all three elements in place for the long term on the right side."
The Blues are mapping out the future of the left side of their defense with the team's prospects in mind. In addition to Nikitin and Cole, they also have Brett Ponich, a 2009 second-round pick who is 6-foot-7 and 225 pounds.
"If he matures and continues to grow, you could see maybe he and Shattenkirk paired up in a couple of years because they complement each other," Armstrong said. "He's going to have the opportunity to have a big impact because he has an element (size) that we don't have."
The Blues don't have a pick in the first round of this year's draft, but they have three picks in the second round and two in the third. If the Blues use those picks on defensemen, look for them to continue the trend of selecting players who have to duck to come through the door.
"Size is starting to show the effect it can have on the game again," Armstrong said. "Now the bigger players skate like the smaller players. They have range.
"Obviously, the more offense they can produce while still being a good two-way player is better. But if you're going to get a player that has that much offensive skill, he's probably undersized. He's probably 5-foot-10, 6-0. To get the full package, you have to pick in the full-package area.
"Right now, you have to be realistic when you're picking where we're picking. You'd obviously love to get the diamond in the rough, the guy that goes on to be a superstar. But going in, you just want to get NHL players."
