St. Louis Won’t Be Singin’ The Blues For Much Longer…
Club: St. Louis Blues
Fantasy Impact Rating: Lukewarm
Superstars: None
Big Producers: Paul Kariya, Brad Boyes, Keith Tkachuk
Mid-Level Flyers: Andy McDonald, Keith Tkachuk
Rookies/Prospects: T.J. Oshie, Patrik Berglund, Steven Wagner, Lars Eller, Alex Pietrangelo
Sleepers: Erik Johnson, David Perron, Lee Stempniak
Avoid the Hype: None
Analysis:
The future of the St. Louis Blues organization is looking very bright, and those of you in keeper/dynasty leagues may want to pay close attention to the marquee players coming up through the system to ensure that you start your draft out on the right foot.
If you’re looking for some solid production from wingers who may fall a few rounds in the draft, consider Paul Kariya at left wing or Brad Boyes at right wing. Kariya will be entering his 14th year in the National Hockey League and is producing more consistently now than at any point of his career. He’s gone overlooked in early drafts but make no mistake: he’ll be St Louis’ number one option at left, and with a serious drop off in fantasy worthy players at left wing on the Blues after Kariya, don’t expect him to shuffle up and down the depth charts at all this season. Expect significant production on the power play and a 65+ point effort. If you value your wingers, you could easily use Kariya as your 2nd option at left wing depending on your draft strategy. Brad Boyes has really turned up his play a notch since coming over from Boston, and will anchor the Blues’ right side on their top line. There are many skeptics questioning whether or not Boyes can hit the 43 goal mark again this season. It’s very plausible. Because of his dominating performance last season, however, he’s going to go much higher than he probably should, so be weary of using him as your first option at right wing this year. Using Boyes as a 2nd option a may be a much safer play in case he decides to bottom out this season. One more season like last and it we may be able to put a little more faith in Boyes, but he’s still young, and it’s better to be safe than sorry.
Andy McDonald will be centering Kariya and Boyes and is still adjusting to the role of top line center in St. Louis. McDonald joined the Blues last season after a shaky start in Anaheim and jumped right into top line duties for the team. He has picked up his game these past few years, and despite his position on the Blues, he may very well fall to a point in the draft where you could use him as a 3rd option at center. McDonald should hit 50 points this season easy, but what he does beyond that is totally up in the air. He’s got all the right resources around him to be a 70 point player, so hopefully he can elevate his game to the next level and make that middle round pick seem like a steal.
If McDonald falters this season, the Blues have trusty 17 year veteran Keith Tkachuk waiting on their second line to jump up and take the reigns. Tkachuk still has gas left in the tank and can still be considered for 60 points this season if he remains healthy. He’ll fall deep in the draft this year, so consider him a 3rd, or possibly even a 4th option at center.
If you’re looking for a few sleepers this season, you may want to look in the direction of Erik Johnson, David Perron and Lee Stempniak. Johnson is well on his way to becoming a franchise player for the Blues, but is underappreciated by several pre-season ranks and could easily go overlooked in drafts this year. Johnson will be running the Blues power play this season, hoping to improve on last year’s dead last effort. He may fit the profile as a 2nd option at defense, but you may be able to get him late enough to where you could consider him a 3rd or 4th option at defense for your team. David Perron caught a few hot streaks last year and showed us the production he may be capable of reaching. He should start the season on the 2nd line and if you need a late round left winger pick to balance out your team a bit, you may want to consider Perron. He’ll be in good company with Stempniak and Tkachuk this season and could turn a lot of heads. Lee Stempniak had a bit of a down year in 2007-2008 if you were expecting him to exceed the 50+ point performance he put up the year prior. Stempniak is a dynamite talent and should be considered much like that of Perron. Expect Stemps to go a little earlier than Perron, and consider him more so of a 3rd option at right wing, possibly 4th.
To say that the Blues have some talent coming up through their system is somewhat of an understatement. Premier players could be surfacing over the next several years on the Blues’ roster, so it should be good to get to know some of the potential fantasy threats you may encounter in future drafts. T.J. Oshie and Patrik Berglund have a serious chance of cracking the Blues’ lineup this season and could make a serious impact down the road in 2008-2009. Oshie has put up some serious numbers in the USHSW and WCHA and looks to superimpose his efforts at the NHL level. I don’t think there is any doubt in the Blues’ organization that Oshie could slide into that 2nd line, or maybe even first line position when Tkachuk hangs ‘em up, however he brings with him some off-ice baggage that leaves him a question mark for fantasy owners. He should start the season with the Blues on either the 3rd line or the 4th line and should be a solid sleeper in your draft. Use him as a 4th option at center, or stash him on your bench until he shows us what he’s made of. Berglund, like Oshie, is a center competing for a position and brings solid offensive instincts to the table for St. Louis. Berglund could slide into that 4th line center position, which should only merit consideration in deeper leagues right now. Flag him, and see where his production takes him.
If you’re looking for some defensive depth, Alex Pietrangelo and Steve Wagner may be of some interest to you. Wagner made a brief appearance last year with St. Louis tallying 8 points in 24 games and showing a glimpse of what he is made of offensively. If he cracks the Blues’ roster this year, he very well could spend time on the 2nd power play line, but only consider Wagner a stopgap defender to start the season and see where the Blues utilize him before you slide him into your starting defensive core. Pietrangelo was St. Louis’ first round selection in the 2008 entry draft and could make an immediate impact in the organization. He has tremendous offensive upside and could work with Johnson to provide a 1-2 punch from the blue line. If he makes the team this fall, consider Pietrangelo as a bench stash until he works his way up to a top 4 pairing before starting him.
If you’re in a dynasty league, you may want to flag Lars Eller and pull the trigger on him at some point in your draft. Eller has put up monster numbers in the Swedish Junior League and has all the makings of a first line player. If you’re willing to wait a few years for him to get there, you won’t be disappointed whatsoever.
Goaltending:
Situation: Room For Movement
Grade: B
1. Manny Legace
2. Chris Mason
Manny Legace will start this season once again for the Blues and is an excellent 2nd option for any fantasy manager but use a bit of caution when considering Legace for your team. He is getting up there in age and has shown us that he is slightly prone to injury over these past several seasons. He is still a solid goaltender, but the organization showed us that they are looking towards the future when they went out and acquired Chris Mason from Nashville this off-season. Mason still has a lot to prove and very well could see some time this season is Legace goes down or begins to show his age. He’ll probably take over the starting position in the next couple of years here, so look for a possible transition to Mason if things start going downhill for Legace.
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