St. Louis Blues Looking Forward

COMMENTARY | Many of my readers have been emailing me and asking why I have ignored the start of the NHL season, there is not some profound reason as to why I have been so quiet. Simply put, I have been very sick and the start of the NHL season was the farthest thing from my mind! I am very happy to report that after almost 6 weeks of being in and out of doctors’ offices and countless prescriptions later, I am feeling much better and cannot wait to get back into the swing of things.

That said, let’s talk hockey! The St. Louis Blues have been off to an interesting start. From key injuries to bacterial infections to uncertain coaching and inexperienced goalies, the Blues players have gotten off to a rocky start. First, let’s talk injuries.

Key Injuries:

Paul Stastny -- Paul Stastny was injured (shoulder) on October 18^th and has not played since then. Although, Stastny is currently participating in team practices doing limited puck handling it may still be a while before he returns fully to the line-up.

TJ Oshie -- Oshie is suffering from a concussion. With Oshie out for an indefinite amount of time due to the concussion as well as having a bacterial infection, the team has to look elsewhere for leadership both on the ice and in the locker room.

David Backes -- The fearless captain of the Blues has also suffered a concussion. Backes is out indefinitely. Since the Blues are near their salary cap so even the option of calling up talented players to fill the void is no longer an option!

Carl Gunnarsson -- Gunnarsson went through hip surgery and missed the start of the season. While I would like to say that he was greatly missed, he was not. The presence of Roman Polak on defense is what was greatly missed. I have to question how long he will remain active. He is an injury prone player and it is being hinted that he has to be babied along after games, missing team practices the day after a game.

Bacterial Infection -- As if the injury plagued Blues were not tormented enough, many players became infected with a bacterial infection that was picked up on the west coast. This left many with flu-like symptoms and swollen jaws. Not the ideal situation for any team to step out on the ice and face their opponents. It is suspected that TJ Oshie is one of the affected players with a bacterial infection.

Uncertain Coaching Situation:

I have been a proponent for Hitchcock since he arrived in St. Louis and I think that given the right combination, Hitchcock could help bring the Stanley Cup to St. Louis. It is my belief that Hitchcock was sabotaged last season. He had the winning combination that was needed to go all the way within his grasp, but then management decided to court disaster by making the infamous Miller trade. This disrupted the entire flow and feel of the team both on the ice and in the locker room.

The team has many new faces and it is Hitchcock and his staff that have to determine where these new faces fit. Not an easy task for such a short training camp and pre-season. He is still shuffling and trying to find the right combinations. Last season the Blues were a heavy favorite because they were able to work so well together. Hitchcock spent much of the previous year building that team into a winning unit. Then upper management shattered the bonds of the team and now Hitchcock is charged with re-building and doing so quickly to keep his head off the chopping block.

Inexperienced Goalies:

With the ungraceful exit of Ryan Miller from the Blues organization, which I have to say, “Thank God”, Brain Elliot was given the nod as the starting goaltender. Taking a back-up goalie and inserting him into the starting slot is a risky thing. Elliot spent the off season getting ready for his chance to shine. Since the start of the regular season Elliot has been good between the pipes and has shown the fans and his opponents that he really can handle the rigors of day to day play.

The Blues decided to promote from within the organization rather than go courting experienced goalies and gave Jake Allen the go-ahead as back-up goaltender. Allen is quickly becoming a fan favorite and helped his cause with a shut-out against the Anaheim Ducks. This was his second shut-out in his short NHL career.

Overall, the St. Louis Blues have not had the impressive start to their current season as they did last season. However, they are starting to pull together as a team and become the unified group of players with the ability to win hockey games. Once the team is able to fully get healthy and work together consistently they should produce a solid season of fun hockey for everyone to enjoy.