Blues Building Offense Part 2

In each of the past three seasons, the St. Louis Blues have seen their Stanley Cup Playoff hopes ended by two of the premier teams in the Western Conference. The Los Angeles Kings (twice) and Chicago Blackhawks, winners of the past three Stanley Cups, have sent the Blues into the summer earlier than they would have liked. One reason has been a lack of depth at center. Blues general manager Doug Armstrong indicated at the team's exit meetings and subsequent media session that things needed to change. The Blues were one of the teams rumored to be involved in a possible trade for Jason Spezza before the Ottawa Senators sent their captain to the Dallas Stars on Tuesday. Instead, St. Louis opted for the free-agent route and landed the biggest prize among available centers in Paul Stastny. The Blues lured Stastny away from the Colorado Avalanche with a four-year, $28 million contract not long after they signed center Jori Lehtera, a 2008 third-round draft pick, to a two-year contract. Suddenly, the Blues are stacked down the middle. They were strong before with David Backes there. But Armstrong said Tuesday during a conference call that his top-line forwards could very well consist of Alexander Steen and Backes on the wings with Stastny in the middle. Other lines could have Lehtera centering Vladimir Tarasenko (who played with Lehtera with Sibir Novosibirsk of the Kontinental Hockey League) and Jaden Schwartz, and Patrik Berglund in the middle with Vladimir Sobotka and T.J. Oshie. Berglund signed a three-year, $11.1 million extension last week. The Blues understand that regular-season victories, of which they've had plenty in the past few years, doesn't necessarily translate to postseason success. They won the first two games against the Kings in 2013, then dropped four straight. The scenario was the same this spring, when the Blues scored eight goals to win the first two games against the Blackhawks, only to lose the next four and score all of six goals. Stastny, who spent his first eight NHL seasons with the Avalanche, had 10 points in seven playoff games for the Avalanche, who lost in the first round to the Minnesota Wild after winning the Central Division title. He adds a versatile mix to the Blues that should highlight his strengths in coach Ken Hitchcock's 200-foot game. But the fact that the Blues are Stanley Cup contenders enticed Stastny, who grew up in St. Louis and attended a local high school (Chaminade College Prep)] during his freshman and sophomore years. Add Lehtera, who played the past three seasons in the KHL, to the mix, and the Blues feel they have more viable options down the middle against a rugged Western Conference.