Offseason Roundup: St. Louis Blues
Over the next month, theScore's NHL editors will review all the offseason moves for each team around the league.
The St. Louis Blues were aggressive leading up to the trade deadline last season and acquired Ryan Miller in an attempt to overcome their recent playoff struggles, but fell in the opening round for the second straight year.
The loss left the Blues wondering what they need to do to add some postseason success to their regular-season dominance. They were knocked out by either the Los Angeles Kings or the Chicago Blackhawks – two teams with four cups between them in five years – in each of the last three seasons, so to be the best, they will need to beat the best.
St. Louis remains a young team deep with talent and should remain a contender for years to come, but it is reaching the point where simply contending isn't enough.
Offseason Overview
The Blues parted ways with Miller, electing to give Brian Elliott a chance as the team's undisputed starter. Elliott posted a .924 even-strength save percentage in 2013-14 – the best among St. Louis netminders – but he has never made more than 38 appearances in a season since joining the Blues.
Along with Miller, veterans Brenden Morrow and Derek Roy were also left to join the open market.
St. Louis invested the cap space saved by not re-signing Miller to get stronger down the middle, signing Paul Stastny to a four-year, $28 million deal. Stastny brings 458 points in 538 career games with him to the Blues and will get a shot at playing top-line minutes after being stuck behind Matt Duchene on the Colorado Avalanche.
The Blues also added a draft pick from 2008 to their roster, signing Jori Lehtera to a two-year deal worth $5.5 million. Lehtera has been a leading scorer for the KHL's Novosibirsk Sibir for three seasons and played with fellow St. Louis forward Vladimir Tarasenko in 2011-12. He is expected to center the third line.
While the Blues gained Lehtera from the KHL, they lost restricted free agent Vladimir Sobotka, who signed a three-year deal with Omsk instead of accepting a $2.725 million arbitration award. Sobotka played important minutes for St. Louis, which will miss his contributions on the penalty kill.
Staying in Europe, the Blues brought Peter Mueller back to the NHL on a two-way contract, giving the oft-injured former eighth-overall pick another chance after a strong season in Switzerland.
On defense, St. Louis dealt Roman Polak to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for Carl Gunnarsson, who should bring more stability and puck control to the third pairing. Gunnarsson averaged 2:05 more ice-time than Polak and led the Maple Leafs in shorthanded ice-time last season.
The Blues wrapped up their offseason by inking restricted free agent Jaden Schwartz to a two-year deal worth $4.7 million, ending months of negotiations. Schwartz is an electrifying offensive talent who recorded 56 points as a 21-year-old and a vital piece of St. Louis's offense.
Key Additions
F Paul Stastny
F Jori Lehtera
D Carl Gunnarsson
F Peter Mueller
F Robby Fabbri
Key Departures
G Ryan Miller
D Roman Polak
F Vladimir Sobotka
F Brenden Morrow
F Derek Roy
2014-15 Outlook
It's easy to like what St. Louis did this offseason, addressing areas of weakness – like center depth – while bolstering its blue line, where the team is already strong. Shedding veterans like Miller, Morrow and Roy gives the team cap space and ice time to the Blues' abundance of developing talent like Schwartz and Tarasenko, while also dispelling the notion that experience automatically equates to playoff success.
Chicago and Los Angeles remain the cream of a competitive Western Conference crop, but St. Louis is making the case that this is its year.