Blues Make Strong Move and Re-Sign Brian Elliott

The St. Louis Blues have made a strong move to regain their equilibrium when they re-signed goaltender Brian Elliott and announced that they would not be seeking a contract with goaltender Ryan Miller. In a tweet on May 19^th, Elliott thanked the fans for making his decision easy to stay in St. Louis.

Photo courtesy of blues.nhl.com

Elliott has been a member of the Blues organization since signing as a free agent in July 2011. In the three years short years he has been in St. Louis, Elliot has become a household name and a fan favorite. His wife, Amanda, has also made her presence felt through the charity work she spearheads throughout the community.

It is true that the Blues have not had a successful playoff run since Elliott joined the team. To be honest, the Blues have never had a successful playoff run since the inception of the team. Many people feel the Blues should be shopping for two new goalies since their ungraceful exit from the first round of the playoffs this past season. But Elliott has had limited playoff time between the pipes.

The Blues made a tremendous error when they traded for Ryan Miller and gave up Jaroslav Halak, Chris Stewart and a strong prospect. This will be a move that people will reminisce about with a grimace. Doug Armstrong, general manager for the Blues, looked like a class A moron for making one of the worst deals in Blues history.

Miller imploded and head coach Ken Hitchcock kept him in goal even though Elliott was waiting in the wings. So, I guess fans should really being placing the blame for a horrible playoff run at the feet of Armstrong, Hitchcock and Miller.

As the Blues look toward next season, it is a given that Brian Elliott will be a part of the team. His three year deal will make him a mainstay and help this team pick themselves up. The Blues will need to regroup and rebuild a strong bond on and off the ice to give them any hope of making a playoff run in the 2014-2015 season.

I am happy to see Elliott returning. The big question mark will be which other goaltender will join the Blues. Will they bring up their hot prospect, Jake Allen or will they go fishing for a seasoned goaltender? Allen has proven to be good, but he is not ready to take over the number one slot. He still needs experience at the NHL level.

Either way, I am excited for the start of the 2014-2015 season and watching the Blues built themselves back up into the powerhouse they have the potential to become.