Count the St. Louis Blues as one of several teams who have expressed serious interest in signing Swedish Superstar Peter Forsberg.
It’s understandable if most people’s initial reaction is “Why would he go to St. Louis?”
I asked a Blues executive the same question and he quickly responded by saying “Why wouldn’t he look here? It’s a great place to play!”
If the playoffs started today the Blues would be on the outside looking in, but anyone who remotely follows the National Hockey League is fully aware of the craziness that currently exists in the Western Conference.
Virtually every team has a shot to make it but it’s likely in the next month or so the contenders will begin to separate themselves.
I’m not throwing out any false alarms or saying Forsberg is on his way to St. Louis, but the Blues are being pro-active and very aggressive in pursuit of a scorer. The idea of not having to give up anything to add a player of Forsberg’s caliber makes acquiring him even more attractive.
The concern over his health is completely legit. He hasn’t played more than 70 games in a season since the 2002-2003 campaign. I’ve been told Forsberg wouldn’t even consider returning to the NHL unless he was healthy.
This is a good sign for Blues fans who should feel comfortable knowing management is exploring all options in attempt to add offense.
They certainly need it.
One of Forsberg’s best friends Dan Hinote told me the former Hart Trophy winner will add six points to whatever club he joins.
I’ve been told it is pretty much a lock that Forsberg will play in the NHL this season. With who obviously remains to be seen. All I can tell you is, the St. Louis Blues are trying.
Is “Rebuild” a bad word?
We’ve heard the constant reminders that the Blues are “Rebuilding” but don’t tell that to the Blues players in the dressing room.
They don’t want to hear it!
How do you tell veteran players like Keith Tkachuk, Jamal Mayers, and Paul Kariya the Blues are in a rebuild?
The answer is you don’t.
I had a player tell me on Monday that he’s not here to re-build, and “what’s the point if we don’t make the playoffs?”
Another player told me Monday night that “We have to make the playoffs.”
The bottom line is the players are the ones who have the most control over the matter.
The Blues are certainly rebuilding from a prospect standpoint when you look at the players who are looking to break into the league in the next few years.
The NHL roster is a different story.
I would argue the Blues have a better team on paper than both the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Phoenix Coyotes, two teams that are ahead of St. Louis in the standings. A solid argument can be made that the Blues are a better team than Nashville as well. All three of these teams are ahead of St. Louis in the standings.
Good teams rise to the occasion this time of year and the Blues have a great opportunity to make something happen.
Davidson knows making the playoffs is a huge part of rebuilding an organization as well. Playing in the post-season would do wonders for the development of Erik Johnson and David Perron, not to mention David Backes, Lee Stempniak, and Jay McClement.
I like the attitude of the Blues players but at the end of the day they are the only ones that can control how they play. you can’t lose to a shorthanded Colorado group at home and expect to get the e-vite to the post-season party. Allowing six goals to that team on Saturday was ridiculous.
The Blues have certainly underachieved against the bottom half of the conference.
If the Blues really want to give themselves a chance they Blues better start protecting the most dangerous part of the ice (in front of the net) and stop blowing coverage assignments in the defensive zone.
How the Blues play in the next two weeks will determine what Davidson and Larry Pleau do at the deadline.
Pleau has gotten pretty good at making deadline deals. The Blues are not about to mortgage the future to add a player though, but you can be sure if the Blues are in the thick of things come deadline time they will try hard to find themselves a scorer.
Atlanta is always a team to keep an eye on for Blues fans, Pleau and Don Waddell work very well together. Waddell gave up an awful lot for Tkachuk last season and I can guarantee you he’ll expect Pleau to return the favor if a deal is there to be made.
Blues Clues!
Expect Pleau and Davidson to meet with Bryce Salvador’s agent very soon.
Patrik Berglund will play an exhibition game against Slovakia with the Swedish Men’s national team on Tuesday. The game will be played in Berglund’s home town.
This will be the only game Berglund plays with the program unless a player goes down with an injury which was the case with Blues prospect Jonas Junland who was recently added to the team after a D-man got hurt.
Rarely do you see 19 year olds play for the National team over in Sweden, Washington’s Nicklas Backstrom was the last player to do it. The team is very hard to make and includes several former NHL players. Swedish Elite League star Fabian Brunnstrom was left off the roster.
Speaking of Brunnstrom, this guy is attracting the attention of nearly every NHL club including St. Louis. He’s a 1985 birth year who was never drafted. Some believe he’s the most talented player not playing in the NHL. Teams cannot speak to him until his season with Farjerstad is completed.
Christian Backman is only expected to miss 7-10 days with a cracked bone in his foot. He was surprised when X-rays revealed the crack. You can say what you want about Backman, but it is obvious the Blues are a better team with him in the lineup. The Blues have won only once without him.
Peoria D-man Roman Polak has begun skating as he continues to recover from a nasty broken ankle. It is still unknown if he will return to play this season.
Keith Tkachuk missed Monday's practice with the flu.
More to come,
Andy Strickland
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St Louis Blues Blogger •1380 ESPN • 
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