NHL Central Division preview: St. Louis Blues
As NHL training camps get set to open this week, here's a brief look at what to expect from the Blackhawks' Central Division foes this season.
ST. LOUIS BLUES
Record: 49-24-9, 107 points, second place
Postseason: Lost in six games to San Jose in Western Conference final
Key additions: Forward David Perron, goalie Carter Hutton
Key losses: Forwards Troy Brouwer, David Backes and goalie Brian Elliott.
The skinny: The Blues finally advanced out of the first round of the playoffs last season by ousting the Blackhawks in a tense seven-game series, before falling to the Dallas Sharks in the conference final. This year's squad will have a much different feel to it as St. Louis lost a pair of locker-room leaders in Troy Browuer and David Backes. Their void on and off the ice must be filled if the Blues want to make a serious run at a title.
St. Louis has a bonafide superstar in Vladimir Tarasenko (40 goals last season) and a roster still loaded with talent, including forwards Alexander Steen, Paul Stastny and Jaden Schwartz, and defensemen Kevin Shattenkirk, Alex Pietrangelo and Jay Bouwmeester. A pair of second-year players who may be turning into future stars include 20-year-old Robby Fabbri (18 goals) and 23-year-old D-man Colton Parayko (9 goals, 24 assists).
A prospect or two must also emerge and give St. Louis bottom-six scoring threats. One of those players could be Ty Rattie, who spent the last three years playing with the Chicago Wolves.
In net, Brian Elliott is gone and the job is now 100 percent in the hands of Jake Allen, who signed a four-year, $17.4 million contract extension.
Ken Hitchcock will retire after this season, and former Minnesota coach Mike Yeo is on the staff and will step in for the 2017-18 campaign. Hitchcock has a way of getting his teams to produce no matter what, but Brouwer and Backes will be sorely missed, meaning a repeat of last year's run would be a major feat.