The St. Louis Blues have a solid, well-rounded defense, superb goaltending, and a head coach that knows how to get the most out of both. That alone is enough to make them a dangerous team going into the 2012-13 campaign, but it’s not enough to win the Stanley Cup.
As much as goaltending and defense are vital, you still need to compliment it with a great group of forwards. It’s the difference between the Nashville Predators and Los Angeles Kings.
The Kings just barely made the playoffs because they weren’t getting a lot of offensive production for the better part of the regular season. They averaged just 2.29 goals per game, which put them in 29th place in the NHL. However, what’s important to remember about the Kings is that they already had all the pieces for success, they just weren’t all clicking at the same time for most of the regular season.
Los Angeles averaged 2.85 goals per contest in the postseason, thanks to their top-notch cast of forwards that included Dustin Brown, Anze Kopitar, Mike Richards, and their mid-season acquisition Jeff Carter. Only the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers averaged more goals per game during the playoffs.
St. Louis only had five players with over 40 points in 2011-12, including two defensemen. To their credit, they do have a couple of players that might be able to step up and have bigger seasons like David Perron, Chris Stewart, and Andy McDonald. Vladimir Tarasenko might also provide the team with some valuable secondary scoring if he can make the jump straight from the KHL to the Blues.
There’s enough talent there that the team might be able to compete with what they have under ideal circumstances. However, seeing as the best case scenario rarely plays out, they would benefit from acquiring another strong top-six forward, either over the summer or at the trade deadline.
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