Schneider a Must for Blues

Let’s face it; the St. Louis Blues do not exactly strike fear into the hearts of opposing offenses.  The Blues allowed 2.83 average goals against per game last season, which sat them at 21st in the league.  They also tied for 26th in the league last season with a total of ten goals against in four-on-four play.  As if these stats were not an eyesore enough for Blues fans to look at, they also ranked dead last in the league in power-play percentage.  Where do our answers lie to fix these problems? 

The easiest answers come from within the organization.  Erik Johnson, who amassed five goals and 28 assists last season, will be coming in for his second full season as a NHL defenseman.  Alex Pietrangelo has an adequate shot of making the team, tallying 53 points in 60 games for the Niagara Ice Dogs of the OHL last season.  And to repeat what critics were saying last season about the current defense of the team, Eric Brewer and Barret Jackman are expected to contribute more offensively than they have in the past.  Looking at the situation on paper though, both players only totaled three goals between them in 2007-08.  It is almost foolish to rely purely on two players under 21 years old and to hope for two veterans to all of a sudden light the lamp constantly.   Bringing in a veteran who is known as a power-play quarterback and a great puck-handler may not be such a bad idea.  Mathieu Schneider is just that man.

This 39-year old defenseman was recently placed on waivers by the Anaheim Ducks due to the team being a little over $3 million over the salary cap.  Schneider was brought in a season ago, when former Duck captain Scott Niedermayer was undecided on whether or not he would return to the club in 2007-08.  He totaled 39 points in 65 games last year, putting him 20th in the league in defenseman scoring (the Blues’ top point-scoring defenseman, Erik Johnson, was ranked 33rd).  Schneider has proven year after year that he can produce, having his best seasons in 1993-94 and 2006-07 when he racked up 52 points both seasons.  The New York native has blasted home 93 goals on the power-play in his 19 NHL seasons. 

A strong offensive defenseman may also help the young players grow more rapidly as well.  Johnson and Pietrangelo are currently receiving the benefits of playing with veteran defensive defensemen such as Jay McKee, but do not currently have a great offensive point-man to learn from.  Schneider, even if for just one season, could help the young players adapt to the current offense-hungry NHL.

Mathieu did clear waivers on September 17, meaning that he will need to go through re-entry waivers (other teams can pick up half of his contract), or simply be traded by the team, if they still choose to move Schneider.  Ducks’ General Manager Brian Burke did publicly state that Schneider will not be put through re-entry waivers and that he will be practicing with the team in training camp.  So where does that leave this defenseman’s availability?

Burke could choose to trade someone else’s salary off in order to get under the cap, or he could try moving Schneider via trade.  But the question is, if Schneider was offered out there for free, why did some team just not snatch him up then?  The other 29 teams could have been hoping for Schneider to go through re-entry waivers just to pick up half of his contract, or maybe it is the fact that all the teams are currently happy where their payroll is at and do not want to pick up the large $5.75 million salary tied to Schneider. 

Here is something that the Blues need to consider; maybe by moving a few low-salary guys, bringing in Schneider will not be such a hit on the payroll.  For example, trading center Jay McClement (paid $950K in 2008-09) and defenseman Jeff Woywitka (paid $725K in 2008-09) for Schneider would place Anaheim $840K under the cap after the swap.  It also would still put the Blues $1.495 million under the cap.  This probably is not a deal that Anaheim would like to do, but if they are still in this bind come start of the season, this may seem more appealing.

This team needs offensive production from its defensemen in some way and bringing in Schneider seems like a sure-fire way to do it.  Otherwise, we could see another season full of miss cues on the power-play.  I think St. Louis has seen about all it can stomach of a lackluster blue-line.