*Regular Season Finish: 6th in Western Conference’*Postseason Finish: Eliminated in Western Conference Quarterfinals’
In 2008-09, St. Louis made their first trip to the playoffs since the lockout. Previous to the lockout, the Blues had made the postseason for the past 25 seasons, dating back to 1980. Since the lockout however, St. Louis has been plagued by a number of issues, including a terrible rash of injuries and consistently poor goaltending. In 2008-09, however, despite the fact that the Blues still suffered a large number of injuries, including the losses of Paul Kariya and Erik Johnson for most of the season, St. Louis put together one of the best records in the league over the second half of the season and made the playoffs.
This offseason, St. Louis didn’t make many moves, as they continue to adhere to the successful gameplan of rebuilding from within with talented youth. The Blues already have some of the top young defensemen in the league, with a similar makeup as the Los Angeles Kings. Johnson and Alex Pietrangelo were both top 5 picks, and the Blues drafted another strong defenseman in 2009. David Rundblad was considered one of the breakout players in the Elitserien in 2008-09, and helped perennial underdog Skelleftea reach the semifinals for the first time in nearly three decades. Rundblad is expected to play another year in Sweden, but will be a welcome addition when he does make the transition to the NHL.
For now, the Blues will hope they can stay healthier in 2009-10, than they did this past season. If Paul Kariya can play more than 11 games, he should give St. Louis a significant boost in their offense, as would a healthy Andy Macdonald, who played in only 46 games last year. Youngsters like Patrik Berglund and TJ Oshie seem poised for breakout seasons, and should give the Blues plenty of offense. As long as Chris Mason keeps playing as well as he has shown he can, St. Louis should be back in the playoffs next season.