Playoff Hopes are Unnecessary

The St. Louis Blues have made a recent push to make the playoffs, climbing out of the cellar of the Western Conference to six points out of the 8th and final seed.  As of late, Blues media and fans are talking about a possible playoff run, putting the team in the big dance for the first time since 2004.  Are these dreams necessary?  Should Blues fans even want a playoff try this season?

Currently, the Blues have 58 points which places them 14th in the Western Conference, while the Minnesota Wild, currently in 8th, have 64 points.  The pace that the Conference is going has the 8th seed ending the season with about 90 points.  The Blues will need to go about 16-7-0 the remainder of the season to have a chance of making it.  Keep in mind the Blues still have 3 games against the Red Wings, 1 against the Blackhawks and Sharks, as well as playing six of their last seven games on the road.

STLToday.com recently asked all of the Blues analysts to answer a question of what the Blues need to do to make a strong playoff attempt.  Most responded with thoughts on Chris Mason needing to be the absolute strongest player in the lineup and also with the goal-scoring being positively top-notch.  The biggest question mark I see with the Blues is their lackluster defense.  Yes, Mason will need to be strong, but every team that has ever had a chance of winning the Stanley Cup has always shown gritty and hard-nosed defense to their opponent.  Granted, the Blues have allowed just 28.7 shots per game against, which places them seventh in the league.  But the quality of those shots is what is troublesome for me to swallow.  Currently, Blues goaltending is being subjected to odd-man rushes and forwards are being forced to cover a roaming defenseman much too often.  It may just be the coaching system put in place by Andy Murray, which seems to always have one of our defenseman behind the opposing team’s net, leaving a forward covering back on the blue-line.  This kind of pressure in the offensive zone must stop in order for the Blues to make a playoff push.

Games are won in the playoffs by a tight-defense and stingy back-checking.  The defensive play of this team has been mediocre at best all season. This mostly contributes to the fact that players such as Erik Johnson, Eric Brewer, Jay McKee and Roman Polak have all seen considerable time off the ice due to injury.  But the defense that is on the roster now simply has to play the body better in the defensive zone.  All too often opposing forwards are being left open in front of the net, as well as given free range behind the net.  Barret Jackman in particular has played better as of late, but had a horrid start defensively to start the season.  He has not taken the body like he used to before his shoulder surgery far back in the summer of 2004.  He has been hitting more and staying in position better, although he still ranks tied for last on the team in plus/minus with a -14

In my opinion, the Blues have some of the greatest pressure on point-men from the forwards in the league.  Jay McClement has had a strong season exemplifying this, constantly being the go-to-guy for penalty kills and defensive situations.  McClement, Dan Hinote, David Backes and Alexander Steen need to continue to play tough in order for the Blues to have any chance of winning games the rest of the season.

Latest rumors for the Blues include the possible trading of winger Keith Tkachuk.  But with a recent resurgence by the Blues to the middle of the pack for the playoff hunt, those rumors are dying down, and there are beliefs that Tkachuk may remain a Blue to give them more playoff experience.  The bottom line is this:  Tkachuk has not won a Cup and the Blues know that he could possibly bring in some more young talent from the Bruins, Rangers, Devils or any other team in the market for a forward.  Management needs to think about when Patrick Berglund, T.J. Oshie and Erik Johnson are better prepared for a Stanley Cup race.  The team could use Tkachuk to bring in some talent that could compliment those players, as well as give the aging veteran a chance at Hockey’s Holy Grail.  This decision is ultimately Tkachuk’s choice though, as he does have a no-trade clause in his contract.

Another rumor started by Blues media is that the Blues are actively searching for a veteran defenseman in the league to help them in the playoffs.  If John Davidson and Co. can land a Chris Pronger from Anaheim or a Jay Bouwmeester from the Panthers and lock them up for a few seasons, this deal may be worth looking at.  But if they plan on getting someone to help with this season alone, trading a player and hurting the rising chemistry on this roster may not be a smart move for the coming seasons.

It is this writer’s belief that if the Blues sneak in to the eighth spot and play either the San Jose Sharks or the Detroit Red Wings, the series would not end fairly for the Blues.  The defense is too weak as of right now and the goaltending is too much of a question mark.  Putting that much effort and risking losing impact players for a spot in the playoffs this season is unreasonable.  Davidson and General Manager Larry Pleau have been preaching the idea of “building for the future” to Blues fans and media since 2005.  This is a time that they need to listen to their own sermons.