Skip navigation
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up

Could veteran leadership put the Blues back in the playoffs?

Kevin Shattenkirk, David Backes

St. Louis Blues’ David Backes, right, is congratulated by teammate Kevin Shattenkirk after scoring during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday, April 5, 2011, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

AP

The St. Louis Blues added some much needed veteran leadership to their organization when they signed Jason Arnott and Jaime Langenbrunner to 1-year deals on Wednesday. The veteran pair join a team that finished 11th in the Western Conference in 2010-11; their final standings would have been worse if it weren’t for a strong finish to their season. But even though the Blues were the Central Division’s 4th place team a season ago, there’s reason to hope the Blues will be a much improved team next season.

The most important trait that Arnott and Langenbrunner bring to the table is unquestionably their veteran leadership—both players have been around the block a few times. They’ve both been through the rigors of the Stanley Cup playoffs and both know what it takes to win a Stanley Cup.

It’s a perfect fit from the team’s point of view. The Blues are a team filled with young players with plenty of potential, but there’s very little veteran leadership to show the kids the correct way to play and handle themselves off the ice. That’s where the new acquisitions will come into play for GM Doug Armstrong.

Since this is the NHL, the newest members of the Blues will be expected to bring more than the sage wisdom of respected elders. Langenbrunner and Arnott may be on the downside of their respective careers, but both players are still capable of playing in secondary roles in the NHL. Jeremy Rutherford thinks the lines will look something like this on opening night:

With David Perron:

McDonald-Backes-Perron
Oshie-Berglund-Stewart
Steen-Arnott-D’Agostini
Sobotka-Nichol-Langenbrunner/Crombeen

Without David Perron:

McDonald-Backes-D’Agostini
Oshie-Berglund-Stewart
Steen-Arnott-Langenbrunner
Sobotka-Nichol-Crombeen

Rutherford isn’t the only one throwing out roster projections either. Any way you cut it, the Blues have plenty of forward depth for the first time in years. Players like Evgeny Grachev, B.J. Crombeen, and Scott Nichol will have to fight for their spot on the roster instead of having it handed to them in training camp. Remember, this is a team that only two seasons ago looked like one of the good, up-and-coming young teams in the NHL. The majority of the foundation is still in place—now they just have some veterans to point them in the right direction.

Andy Strickland gets to the heart of the matter in a roundtable over at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:

“It’s hard to argue both players won’t be welcome additions on and off the ice. The Blues didn’t bring them on board to babysit and watch over the Oshies, Berglunds, and Perrons. They obviously bring a ton of experience and I think their game will benefit from playing in a youthful, enthusiastic environment. Doug Armstrong wouldn’t have signed either player unless he honestly believed they could upgrade the roster. Are they the players they once were? No, but they can still contribute and complement a core of offensive players lacking winning experience. They aren’t signed to eight-year deals and therefore won’t be fully ingrained in the Blues organization, but for one year they can certainly give some much needed direction. Signing these types of players is long overdue.”

Just as important as their play on the ice (or leadership in the locker room) is the symbolic nature of the veteran signings. Over the last few years, Blues ownership was either unwilling or unable to pull the trigger on veterans with higher price tags. They’d claim that they were in the midst of a rebuild—but sooner or later veterans needed to be brought in to augment the youthful exuberance. For a team that was consistently in the bottom third of payroll, fiscally responsible excuses were wearing thin for a hungry fanbase. As Jeff Quirin explained on Blue Note Zone, the credit for acquiring the proven veterans should be shared between the general manager and ownership:

“In Armstrong’s tenure the handling of personnel decisions has turned 180 degrees from his predecessor. With the rebuild complete, the next step was to convert all the Pleau era stockpiled potential in to results. Moving assets in and out is required once needs are identified. With the Halak and Stewart trades a willingness to gamble on transactions have been proven. Not just by the man brokering the deal, but the one who ultimately gives his blessing to make it happen.”

For the first time in a while, the Blues have put their money where their mouth is. They have young pieces in place through great work at the draft table. With Jaroslav Halak, Chris Stewart, and Kevin Shattenkirk, they’ve been able to add even more young talent to their strong prospect pool within the last calendar year. They’ve spent years putting together a finely-tuned machine of young players with the potential to compete with any stable of youngsters around the league.

Now with Arnott and Langenbrunner, they have someone behind the wheel.