The St. Louis Blues were the Cinderella of the regular season, but the slipper fell off right as the playoffs began. After posting the best record in the second half of the season, the Blues got swept out by an even hotter Vancouver team. This year will be different.
Previous Season:
What can we say about last season for the Blues? Erik Johnson, franchise defenseman, destroys his ACL in a golfing mishap. Paul Kariya has surgery on not one but both of his hips. And Andy McDonald breaks his ankle and misses significant time.
The Blues got off to a miserable start and were staring at the basement very early on. The team also traded fan favorite Lee Stempniak for failed first round picks Carlo Colaiacovo and Alex Steen from Toronto.
But something happened through all the injuries and inconsistent goaltending. This team came together, young and old, and started winning. The Blues posted the best record in the second half and essentially stole a playoff spot earning the six seed in the West.
Everyone on the team stepped up to make this happen. Chris Mason supplanted Manny Legace as the starter after rebounding from a horrific first two months. Mason finished the season going 24-8-6 in his last 38 games.
David Backes, TJ Oshie, Patrik Berglund, and David Perron all stepped up in their roles as scoring threats to help out Brad Boyes, who only had to tally 33 goals this year.
Finally Colaiacovo and Steen finally lived up to their hype as they both played very well after the trade. Colaiacovo played in 63 games with the Blues, which was a career high. He also led Blues defensemen with 26 assists.
Offseason:
The Blues didn't do very much in the offseason to help or hurt their team. They were bandied about in trade rumors for Dany Heatley but GM John Davidson quickly put the lid on that. St. Louis did buy out defenseman Jay McKee after his play didn't live up to the contract he was given.
Once free agency hit the Blues quickly snared backup goalie Ty Conklin from Detroit. Conklin will be a huge upgrade from Manny Legace, who just lost it last season. The Blues also signed Derek Armstrong and Darryl Sydor to help tutor the young players on the team.
The other big news was that the Blues would open their season in Stockholm against the Detroit Red Wings. This won't be the first trip to Europe for the Blues, but it will be the first time it will mean something.
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