Sitting at the bottom of the NHL’s Western Conference with 2 wins in 9 starts, the St. Louis Blues will be challenged to extend their league leading 25-year playoff run.
GM Larry Pleau and Coach Mike Kitchen (a former Kansas City Scouts draft pick!) opted to entrust the starting goaltending job to Patrick Lalime, and the brass may already be regretting the move. The former Senator puckstopper is sporting a chubby 3.60 GAA after 9 starts and a 27th best save percentage. Lalime posted above average numbers during his 5 years in Ottawa, but benefited from playing in Jacques Martin’s highly defensive and disciplined system. The Senators timed out on Lalime after watching him surrender too many big goals in critical situations.
The offseason trade of Chris Pronger to the Oilers and the retirement of Hall-of-Famer-In-Waiting Al McInnis left huge holes on the blueline. The two steady defenders led the Blues in icetime in 2003-04. The void is being filled by Eric Brewer (acquired in the Pronger trade) and Christian Backman, both logging 25 minutes a game. The Blues have big expectations of Brewer who has already chipped in with 3 goals, including a game winner. Despite the loss of their big two, the Blues defence is solid, with Barret Jackman and veteran Eric Weinrich rounding out the top 4. Jackman, the 2002 Rookie of the Year, is among the best and toughest young defencemen in the league and appears to be coping well with the loss of McInnis, his former defence partner.
Up front the Blues are struggling to replace the goal scoring of Pavol Demitra who is loving his new home in Los Angeles. Not surprisingly, 33 year old Keith “Big Boy” Tkachuk is off to a very sluggish start since arriving at the Blues training camp looking more like a beer league player than a $7.6 million a year pro. Tkachuk, the league’s second highest paid player, has skated in only two games and remains on the IR list since butt ending himself and cracking three ribs. Despite suffering a minor shoulder injury in training camp, Doug Weight has played in all 9 Blues games but has only scored once and is a –3.
Weight is playing with Scott Young, who returns to the Blues after a two-year stint in Dallas. The 38 year old but still speedy Young has 2 goals and 4 assists while leading the team in shots taken. The Blues also acquired journeyman Mike Sillinger. The former first round draft pick (Red Wings, 11th overall in 1989) is listed as a right winger, but remains among the league’s elite faceoff specialists and is currently sitting third in the league in faceoff percentage. After 9 games the Blues' leading scorers are Czech Peter Cajanek (1G, 8A) and Jamal Mayers (5G, 2A).
The Blues are not only rebuilding their on ice product. The Laurie family is attempting to sell the team and the Savvis Center to Sports Capital Partners, a group led by former NBA executive Dave Checketts. The Blues are averaging 14,000 fans a game, but drew an anemic 10,882 for a recent game against the Ducks.
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