The St. Louis Blues are in the middle of a skid. The team has lost five of their last seven games. This includes a pair of 8-1 losses, one on the road and the other in front of their home fans. While the losing skid is frustrating enough, the Blues find themselves with no reinforcements.
Most Recent Lost Stirs Frustration
On Saturday, the Blues were embarrassed on home ice by the Washington Capitals. If it had not been for a two-goal game by Alex Ovechkin, putting him closer to Wayne Gretzky‘s all-time record, Blues fans may have felt like they had wasted their money. The sentiments were expressed inside the Blues locker room as well. The Blues writer with the Athletic, Jeremy Rutherford, shared the comments by the Blues players via X.
Captain Brayden Schenn said, “It all starts with me, with that happening in Ottawa (8-1 L) and then happening again tonight… it all starts with me. I can’t let that happen again this season. You’re going to lose games but to get embarrassed on home ice on Saturday night, you can’t let that happen.”
Defenceman Justin Faulk chipped in with his comments as well. “It’s completely unacceptable. It’s just not right. I don’t think that should ever happen, a situation like that. We need to have respect for each other and the game. You can’t go out there and play summer hockey for a period and think that’s all right at any point. We’re grown men in this league and need to put in an effort that’s acceptable. It’s not going to go your way every night but you can’t let… that’s just unacceptable.”
Reinforcements Not an Option for the Blues
Following another embarrassing loss that extended the losing skid, head coach Drew Bannister is now tasked with finding a way to right the ship. Typically, a head coach make shake up the lines or even make a lineup change or two. However, that is not an option right now with the Blues, as Bannister commented following Saturday’s game.
“Changing guys in and out of the lineup obviously isn’t an option right now, but the players themselves and the group in the room, if they play to their potential, we’ll win hockey games. It’s being consistent from day to day to be able to do that.”
The reason the Blues cannot change the lineup is not because Bannister does not think that is the answer. It is because the Blues do not have any reinforcements to turn to at the moment.
The Blue Note have been bit by the injury bug this season. We are not even going to include defenceman Torey Krug, who was ruled out for the season before training camp. Only factoring in-season injuries, here is the Blues injury situation:
- Mathieu Joseph is on injured reserve. As of now, he has not resumed skating.
- Defenceman Philip Broberg was injured on November 2nd. While the injury could have been much worse, he will still miss some time.
- Former All-Star Robert Thomas was injured in late October and placed on injured reserve. He will not be evaluated until early December.
- Defenceman Nick Leddy is also missing time due to injury.
As a result of these injuries, the Blues have been inserting players into the lineup to fill the void created by the injuries. There are no more players left to swap into the lineup to try and help end the skid.
What About the Minor Leagues?
General manager Doug Armstrong has dipped into the American Hockey League to try and help the Blues end a skid. The most notable example may be Jake Allen in the lockout-shortened 2013 season. The Blues called up Allen was regular goaltenders Brian Elliott and Jaroslav Halak were dealing with ineffectiveness and injury.
So, could the Blues just call up someone from the minor leagues? Certainly it would be interesting to see someone like Dalibor Dvorsky make his NHL debut, or even someone who has had a small sample of NHL experience, like Zach Dean. However, we need to remember that these are still developing players. Is calling them up now the right thing to do for their development? With Allen in 2013, he had been in the minor leagues for quite a few seasons. Furthermore, the team had traded another goalie prospect, Ben Bishop, the season before knowing Allen’s NHL time was coming. The Blues knew Allen’s time was coming, so calling him when they did, was not a rush for his development at all.
There is no one in the Blues minor league system we can say that about. No one is ready for a call up. As a result, the Blues cannot look to the AHL for a solution.
So, Where Do We Find Blues Reinforcements?
We do not. At least not right now. The Blues are stuck with the roster they have for the time being. That is by no means a great situation to be in. However, it is the hand the Blues have been dealt. The best thing Armstrong and Bannister can do is make sure they do not overreact to the situation. Reinforcements would be nice, but if it does not match with the team’s long-term plan, then they should not do it.
For fans, this is certainly a frustrating situation. The last thing a fan wants to be told is to be patient. So, we will say this instead. Familiarize yourself with the situation and be aware that there is no perfect solution at the moment. And if that does not help, here is a video of the Blues winning the Stanley Cup. Party like it is 2019!
Main Photo: Eric Bolte – USA TODAY Sports
The post St. Louis Blues Have No Reinforcements Amid Skid appeared first on Last Word On Hockey.