Paul Kariya

l accounts how smaller players can be victims of poor puck control against bigger defensemen.  Paul Kariya, Brad Boyes, David Perron and T.J. Oshie, all 6'0” or smaller, faced many problems last season keeping the puck in the offensive zone and on their stick in the corners.

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e Blues this summer.  They have plenty of players they will consider for a contract-extension (Paul Kariya, David Perron, Erik Johnson, Carlo Colaiacovo and Chris Mason), but Steen has to be brought back to prove that he is the real deal.  His current deal has him listed at $1.70 million, but he will be asking for a raise after his performance in 2009-10.  His asking price should be anywhere between $2.30 - $2.80 million, which is about his league-value and that is reasonable for the play he has given the Blues. 

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Brad Boyes posted 33 goals last season; he has just nine at this moment.  Seven-time All-Star Paul Kariya was expected to put up big numbers after an injury-riddled 2008-09; he has just eight goals and 19 points.  Probably the biggest disappointment is 21-year old Patrik Berglund.  Expected to pick up from his 47-point rookie season, Berglund has just 12 points in 34 games played.  He has been a healthy scratch at times and has even seen games where he plays less than ten minutes a game on the fourth line.

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uction from the core of the lineup.  Before being injured Sunday against the Sabres, left-wing Paul Kariya, who also happens to be drawing $6 million in the final season of his contract, has racked up just eight goals and 19 points in 38 games.  For a former six-time 30 goal scorer, the numbers can speak volumes for the lack of effort the team is seeing from Kariya.

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on?

When it comes to rebounding, no one on the Blues' roster needs that more than winger Paul Kariya.  After being signed in July of 2007 to a 3-year, $18 million contract, Kariya put up just 16 goals and 65 points in 2007-08.  The Blues thought that Kariya had found his scoring touch yet again, when he ignited 15 points in the first 11 games of 2008-09.  As everyone knows, injuries took a toll on the Blues shortly after that, and Kariya was no exception.  The veteran left-winger suffered a severe hip injury, which required numerous surgeries throughout the rest of last season and over the summer.  He has returned beautifully this pre-season, scoring 2 goals and 2 assists in 4 pre-season games played. 

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ive pre-season games to get back in their groove, but quick recovery cannot be expected.  Both Paul Kariya and Erik Johnson will have to be ready for action if they are to beat this hungry Swedish squad.

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id Perron play in their second full season together, they will also be glad to see Erik Johnson and Paul Kariya return from long injuries.

The Columbus Blue Jackets had an intense season in 2008-09.  After starting with rookie Derick Brassard scorching the ice for the first 31 games, he would fall to a season-ending shoulder injury.  But the Blue Jackets just kept winning with the likes of hot rookie goaltender Steve Mason and top point-getter Rick Nash leading the way.  Finishing seventh in the Western Conference, the Jackets can only get better with Brassard coming back for training camp.

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bsp; If those two remain unsigned, who can Tkachuk play with and still remain effective?  With Paul Kariya expected to make a full recovery and play on one of the top two lines next season, Alex Steen will most likely be bumped to more of a checking role.  Not only did Steen prove to be a strong penalty-killer last season, but he excelled in passing and stick-handling.  If Steen can make some things happen, these two players could prove to be 2/3 of a strong third line.

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With injuries to NHL-regular forwards Paul Kariya, Andy McDonald, T.J. Oshie and Dan Hinote, the St. Louis Blues have had to mix and match players throughout the entire season.  Blues fans have seen the likes of Rivermen Cam Paddock, Brad Winchester, Steve Regier and Chris Porter so far in 2008, not to mention the waiver wire going directly through the Blues, as tough guys David Koci and B.J. Crombeen were picked up at different points (Koci has since been dropped).  With all of these players bouncing around between Peoria and St. Louis, why have there not been any Lemtyugov sightings for Blues fans?

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keeping the puck in the zone and never seems to be in the right position to take a good shot.  Paul Kariya should always be along the boards, ready to rip a shot to the net for Tkachuk to deflect or knock in a rebound.

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, but there are still a couple of question marks going into Friday night.  The first one is if Paul Kariya can bounce back from a lackluster 16-goal season.  Although he did tie for first on the team in points with Boyes, he was not brought in to rack up the assists.  Kariya is a sniper and a guy that loves to shoot; there is no reason for him not putting up at least 25 goals in 2008-09.

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ference from walking all over the young club.  So what needs to be done?

First and foremost, Paul Kariya needs to rebound from a poor opening season in a Blues jersey.  Granted, he tied for first on the team in points, but he did not seem comfortable on the rink.  Paul only put sixteen pucks behind other teams’ goalies in all 82 games played.  The team brought in this speedy-winger to fire pucks on net, and to create multiple opportunities every game, but that simply did not happen last season.

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