Take a look around the NHL. It’s been a very interesting news day.
Kevin Dineen is out as the head coach of the Florida Panthers. There’s talk that Kirk Mueller is on the hot seat in Carolina. Trade speculation swirls around Edmonton and Philadelphia flipping young scoring stars in Jordan Eberle and Claude Giroux because both teams have failed to meet expectations.
Rewind the headlines a bit to find even more instability. A few years after an epic spending spree the Buffalo Sabres are the most broke organization with a rich owner. Already traded was their top offensive threat, Thomas Vanek, and soon to follow is long time netminder Ryan Miller.
Detroit is stumbling compared to their recent history. Nashville is without their Vezina quality goal, Pekka Rinne. Colorado is way ahead of their return to relevance and the eventual regression to the mean will surely make for fireworks with Patrick Roy behind the bench. Never mind their off the ice issues with Semyon Varlamov.
There’s a whole lot of crazy going on… and that’s not even including the reemergence of the fighting debate.
For once, it’s nice that the St. Louis Blues are above all the noise. Watching it happen instead of living through it.
Through 14 games they’ve earned 10 wins and 22 points, have the league’s leading goal scorer, two defenseman in the top 10 in points for their position, and only lost two ancillary wingers to injury. The most adversity they’ve dealt with is losing Maxim Lapierre, their 4th line center, for five games after his reckless boarding of San Jose’s Dan Boyle.
Life is pretty good these days when contrasted against the other 29 teams and where the Blues’ themselves have been over the last 10 years.
As well as things are going that won’t stop healthy jeering. Nor should it. Complacency with the status quo doesn’t often reward. There is virtually always room for improvement. The trick is finding the right time and framing it in the proper context.
Take the line changes instituted by Ken Hitchcock that nearly cost the Blues points in Montreal. Concern regarding the polarization of scoring was warranted, but the reaction didn’t match. The change was too dramatic based on the situation.
The same thought process can be applied to calls to shake up the lineup in a more profound and long term way.
Over the last two post seasons the Blues have been bounced by the LA Kings in very different ways. The first was a four game shelling where size and speed combined to wreak havoc. Shell shocked is a good way to describe it. It wouldn’t happen again. St. Louis matched LA’s pace and only fell due to a failure to convert opportunity in to goals. Amid predictions of glory such failure would be met with stark change?
No, not really.
GM Doug Armstrong and Hitchcock designed a team and scheme best suited for the games really count. Goal scoring and defense failed, so it was addressed. The system tightened by keeping those who bought in and could do what was asked. The ability to turn shots in to goals was lacking, so those who couldn’t handle the rigors at both ends were let go or moved on. Those who could we’re rewarded with the door to their future opening.
These tweaks may seem too minor to those that have a method of producing ultimate victor that differs from the organization they cheer for. For those who just want to see gaudy totals in the wins and points column, the adjustments make sense.
Wins have come at a far more frequent rate with David Backes at center than on wing. Same can be said for the usage of Patrik Berglund and Vladimir Sobotka. The more they’ve been relied upon as they’ve matured the more points add up. No, not individual points. Those are the ones cared about mostly by fantasy hockey participants. Team points are the ones that matter.
So if they keep coming, what purpose does it serve to nit pick and over how they’re produced?
I struggle to come up with a positive one.
Yes, there have been several teams that have won the Cup with more skill and traditional production down the middle. It’s a blueprint to study and incorporate. That said, there is more than one way to win. What the current regime has done is pick and chose the best practices of recent champions and work them in to the Blues’ mold.
It won’t always be pretty and it won’t be how others have done it, but it will be effective.
Instead of screaming “serenity now” when lashing out at the latest nominee for whipping boy, think about the serenity in stability. Many changes have been made between the start of the Dave Checketts era and the dawn of Stillman’s. The heavy lifting has been done. A volatile period has passed. The time for little alterations is now. Save the worry for the next batch of big ones if the small ones don’t lead to the desired outcome.
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Thanks for reading! 
St Louis Blues Blogger • 
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