Time for the fifth of my annual Scouting the Central series, a look at the Central Division team-by-team, what they have done (or not done) to improve themselves (or not) in the offseason starting at the bottom of the division, we’ve done the Minnesota Wild, Chicago Blackhawks, Colorado Avalanche, and Dallas Stars… now it’s time for the team that was the talk of the league, the worst to first Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues.
Last Season – 45-28-9 – 99 points, good for 3rd in the Central Division and 5th in the Western Conference, capturing the 3 seed in the Stanley Cup playoffs where they won the Stanley Cup.
Key stat(s) from last season – 34 – That’s the number of points the St. Louis Blues had gained when the year turned. 34 points and last place… in the division, conference and the league!
Subtractions - Patrik Berglund, Vladimir Sobotka, Patrick Maroon, Jordan Schmaltz
Additions - Zach Sanford, Andreas Borgman
The BIG Question - Will the real St. Louis Blues please stand up… please stand up… please stand up… - The Blues broke some significant ground last season, becoming the first Blues team to win a Stanley Cup Final game in their 50+ years of existence along with winning the franchise’s first championship. But in true Blues fashion, they did it in an unconventional way, going from the outhouse to the penthouse in 23 short weeks. Did the Blues just catch the right kind of tailwind at the exact right time, carrying them all the way to the Cup? Or is this a team that will be in the hunt for the next few seasons? Honestly… it will all come down to the performance of one player…
2018/19 Outlook - St. Louis is one of five teams that I believe, could win the division. They are strong defensively, have what appears to be a solid young goaltender and an elite goal scorer in Vlad Tarasenko. They won’t have the coaching change to springboard off of this season and I will be interested in seeing how the team handles being the hunted. I will be equally interested in seeing how Jordin Binnington handles being the number one netminder coming I to the season. I remember talking to former NHL goaltender (and current Predators color analyst) Chris Mason about the difference between getting the number one slot midseason and handling the pressure of being number one at the start of the season… the pressure is different, and adding the pressure of being the savior of the team in their Stanley Cup winning run, let’s just say it nears watching.
Best Case/Worst Case - The best case scenario is that St. Louis just keeps on rolling, wins the Central Division going away and builds off the momentum they captured in January of 2019 and win a second straight Cup, and that is VERY possible… the worst case for this team is that the goaltending doesn’t live up to expectations and the team returns to their underachieving selves, making the playoffs but going out early.
Summary - Winning the Cup automatically makes you the favorite the next season. They are returning for their attempt at back-to-back championships with essentially the same team minus a few role players. This is such a strong defensive team that they will be in the mix and frankly, if Robby Fabbri can get his career going again after three years impacted by significant injury, it will be an outstanding add to the Blues’ arsenal. This will be a good team and will make the playoffs.
Next up, the Winnipeg Jets
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Random Notes – Presented by
- The Predators camp roster remains at 53 as Philip Tomasino and Egor Afanasyev were sent back to their junior teams on Tuesday after Monday’s doubleheader sweep where Tomasino tallied a goal.
- I would expect a significant cutdown after this weekend’s back-to-back with Tampa. The Preds are in Tampa tonight before taking on the Lightning tomorrow at 7pm at Bridgestone Arena.
- Tonight’s game will be streamed live on NashvillePredators.com and will be on 102.5 the Game with the Voice of the Predators Pete Weber and Hal Gill on the call.
- The Preds will be taking off for Tampa early this afternoon
- Interesting speculation going around that Dustin Byfuglien is contemplating retirement… more great news for Winnipeg
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SlapShot Radio will be back for our 12th season as Zack, Brent and I will be moving the show to Monday night’s this year. The best hour of hockey talk on the longest running hockey show in the southeast will begin the season at 8pm and will settle into our normal 7pm slot after Thanksgiving… Monday’s on 102.5 the Game.
Our season premier is Monday 9/23!
Our sponsor list continues to grow. Not only are we welcoming back Drs. Jane Bacon and Aileen Kruger at Hermitage Family and Cosmetic Dentistry … make your appointment at (615) 872-7762 … And of course… don’t forget our good friend Carter Church! Your Mufreesboro real estate expert with Weichert – The Andrews Group. And our newest sponsors… Cool Springs Wines and Spirits! The largest spirit store in all of middle Tennessee! And the good folks at La-Z-Boy! Locally owned and operated, check out La-Z-Boy!
The new season promises to be the best yet and we get going on September 23rd.
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