When the St. Louis Blues were dumped out of the playoffs in the first round, it was clear that the team needed to make changes in order to reach the next level. After bringing back Ken Hitchcock, it’s clear the team will need to make those changes on the ice if they hope to avoid more playoff embarrassment. Where can the team improve? Many Blues fans point to the team’s core and not their goaltending. Ken Hitchcock agrees.
As seen over on Pro Hockey Talk, Hitchcock outlined how much faith he has in both Jake Allen and Brian Elliott.
“I think the goaltending is the least of our problems. I get the fact there were three goals that went in that were ugly. That’s the growth of a young player.
We got two guys who are more than capable of carrying the load here. I think goaltending is going to be our strength moving forward. We’ve got a young guy emerging and a veteran guy who’s on top of his game right now and playing the best of his career.”
The Blues have had their fair share of goaltenders over the last few years – Jaroslav Halak, Ryan Miller, Brian Elliott and Jake Allen. Like clockwork, the Blues have consistently maintained one of the league’s lowest goals against averages during the regular seasons before flaming out in the playoffs. There have definitely been some soft goals, but the Blues’ issue is with its core, not its netminders.
The Blues’ core has played in front of a few different coaches and a few different goalies. The end result has been the same each time the Blues journey into the postseason. The one area the team hasn’t tinkered with involves its core, including David Backes, Patrik Berglund, T.J. Oshie, Alexander Steen and a few other players who could fall into the category.
Hitchcock elaborated on what needs to improve.
“For me, it’s not a new style that we need to play, it’s more pace. How do we get more pace in our game? How do we become more of a threat off the rush? How do we become more of a threat on transitions, on counters? How do we make people pay for their mistakes, so that just we’re not just stuck in half-court mode?”
Great questions, but it’s unclear where GM Doug Armstrong will find answers. One issue is painfully clear – the Blues need to tinker with their core if they hope to win their first Cup.
