|
Blues top six looks solid (even without Tarasenko) |
|
|
|
|
|
To this point, the Blues have had a relatively quiet offseason, especially when you only consider the additions. Still, the two players Doug Armstrong has added to the ranks (Brandon Saad & Pavel Buchnevich) should provide substantial impact.
As we've discussed on countless occasions, a major question mark remains with Vladimir Tarasenko's future. Who knows whether or not he will be a member of St. Louis's roster at the start of the 2021-22 NHL season. Obviously, both sides appear to prefer that he not be. So for this exercise, let's imagine that Armstrong does indeed send Tarasenko elsewhere by summer's end.
Even without Tarasenko, St. Louis's top-six forward group looks pretty solid. Similar to what many have drawn up, I picture their first two lines looking like this:
Saad - O'Reilly - Perron
Kyrou - Schenn - Buchnevich
The group may lack the sex appeal of some other organizations' key forwards, but the Blues possess six quality players that deserve top-six minutes without debate.
With O'Reilly remaining the key fixture among forwards, Saad and Perron give St. Louis a top line that should accrue their fair share of points. Assuming Perron can maintain his level of play from a year ago, the Blues top-line comes with three players that can rack up 20-plus goals a season.
The second line comes with its own level of intrigue. Schenn (another 20-plus goal-scorer) will center a line with two wingers who still haven't put together their best season (especially with Kyrou. Expecting Buchnevich to at least repeat his performance from last year and projecting that Kyrou will continue to progress, St. Louis potentially has six players in their top two lines that can provide a respectable amount of point production.
Additionally, bringing in Saad and Buchnevich can assist with improving the team's overall physical play. Still, Craig Berube will need to call on everyone to make that aspect of the game better.
Now, just for a second, let's imagine a world where Tarasenko is not traded. What does that do to the Blues top-six?
In all seriousness, I have no idea.
One would imagine that a player of his caliber needs to be a part of that group. However, I am having difficulty demoting any of the wingers that currently reside in the lines constructed above. I really want to see Kyrou receive top-six minutes. I also think you are doing Buchnevich a disservice by placing him on the third line. The best move could be slotting Tarasenko on the third line and then assessing game-by-game. If he returns to his previous form, you gladly slide him up the line-up. If he doesn't, maybe he can benefit from slightly fewer minutes.
Regardless, the St. Louis Blues are in a good place in terms of their top-six. Armstrong may not have completed a ton of acquisitions so far this offseason, but they have certainly been the right moves.
Boston Bruins Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»