2012-13 record: 29-17-2 (60 points)
Lost to Los Angeles in Conference quarterfinals
Captain: David Backes
With higher expectations than in 2011-12, the St. Louis Blues fell a little short of them, struggling for a part of the season before making it to the playoffs. However, they ran into a familiar problem in the playoffs: the Los Angeles Kings. The offense dried up, and Los Angeles would end the Blues' season. This year, expectations are even higher, and on paper, the Blues are a team that can dethrone the Chicago Blackhawks. For that to happen in real life though, a lot of things need to happen. First, the goaltending needs to be consistent, as neither Brian Elliott nor Jaroslav Halak were any good in the beginning. While Halak was fighting injuries, Elliott would eventually find his game and Jake Allen would help save the day for the Blues. Goaltending figures to be a strength once again, but can any or all remain at the top of their respective games? Defensively, they had their issues, but the mid-season acquisitions of Jay Bouwmeester and Jordan Leopold solidified the unit. Now with Ryan Whitney competing for time, the Blues are seven strong and will likely roll out at least two pairings throughout the season (Bouwmeester and Alex Pietrangelo, Leopold and Kevin Shattenkirk) with a third consisting any among Whitney, Roman Polak and Barrett Jackman. The offense should be better than it is (they were 17th in goals per game), and the hope here is that Derek Roy will facilitate the wingers. The problem here is that there isn't one consistent player that can be counted on for offense, though Chris Stewart did amass 18 goals in the regular season. Roy will be looking for a good year, something he hasn't had since the 2009-10 season, when he last amassed over 40 assists in a season. The wild-card is Magnus Paajarvi, who came over in the trade that sent David Perron to the Oilers. Paajarvi has yet to find his game, and the Blues hope he can unlock his potential.
Prospects: With all of the roster spots spoken for (that includes Brenden Morrow and Ryan Whitney), there just simply isn't any room for any rookies to crack the roster. Allen is technically not a rookie, but he is ready in the event either Elliott or Halak go down. Dmitrij Jaskin and Ty Rattie are the most likely players to see time with the big club during the season.
Prediction: 2nd in the Central Division
The Blues have the pieces to win it all. However, consistency is the one thing the Blues lack, and it has come back to bite them in consecutive playoff exits at the hands of the Los Angeles Kings.
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