MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. -- When they lost on Saturday to close out 2022, everyone knew heading into 2023, and especially the month of January -- 14 games' worth of games -- taking them into the All-Star break that it would be a tell-tale sign of where the Blues' season is headed and what they need to do.
There was no consideration of what the lineup would look like a couple days ago. January was make or break no matter what.
General manager Doug Armstrong will use the games leading into the March 3 NHL Trade Deadline to see where the Blues are at before making decisions involving the roster.Now that Ryan O'Reilly (broken foot) and Vladimir Tarasenko (hand injury) have joined Torey Krug on the sidelines -- Krug on long-term injured reserve and O'Reilly and Tarasenko each on injured reserve -- it leaves the .500 Blues (17-17-3) in dire straits, and a gauntlet of a schedule to contend with, already on the outside of the playoff picture looking in.
So what are they to do in the meantime with the NHL Trade Deadline still two months away?
Well, in the immediate future, they'll hold the fort, as they should, since there's no chance of attempting to make a trade/trades with players out with injury. And it just so happens to be the Blues' two biggest pieces when it comes to their potential unrestricted free agents.
If the Blues continue to tread water like they have been through 37 games, the inevitable seems very pliable, meaning they will be flexible and have the option of making this a different makeup to the group come March 3 when the trade deadline comes and goes.
"I think your record obviously first and foremost on where you're at, and good play," Blues general manager Doug Armstrong said. "We need a better team game and that starts with our coaches and management to make that a No. 1 priority to defend. I look at some of the last games that (Jordan) Binnington's been in net and he walks out of the game with a .890 or .910 save percentage and he's the first star by a mile by the number of chances that we give up. We have to defend better, we have to take pride in defending and we have to hold everyone accountable to defending. You just look at the underlying stats, our defensive game is poor, and we need our best players to play better defending.
"... We talk and we work behind the scenes every day. Nothing's really going to change. When you look around the league, how many big trades have you seen this year? We're part and parcel with the other 31 teams. Your record indicates what you do at deadlines and then ultimately, it takes two to make a trade. The other side has to want the players. We have to want the players other teams are trading and vice versa. They have to want what we're considering trading and our record will have to dictate what we do at those times."
The Blues are minus $21.5 million in cap space through the All-Star break with the three injured players. So for the time being, it means two things: the remaining veterans must elevate their respective games to a much higher clip, and there will be bottom six skaters, or guys that see lesser minutes, that will be thrust into more prominent roles to try and make things work and try to keep the ship afloat.
On paper, the Blues appear to be in big trouble, and it wouldn't take much for the bottom to fall out. If that's the case, the 'For Sale' signs will be alive and well at 1401 Clark Ave. But as Armstrong puts it, there have been many teams in the past, the Blues being one of them, that have overcome some serious injuries and instead of folding the ship, they come out of it swinging and ultimately, smelling much better than they did entering such challenging phases.
The GM pointed to the 2008-09 squad that was 16-23-3 on Jan. 13, 2009 before finishing the season 25-8-7, including 9-1-1 the last 11 games, to qualify for the playoffs despite a rash of injuries to Andy McDonald, T.J. Oshie and Alexander Steen among the top end skaters and found a way.
So for the time being, it's going to be the third- and fourth-line players, Josh Leivo, Nathan Walker, Noel Acciari, Alexey Toropchenko, Tyler Pitlick, recent recalls Jake Neighbours and Nikita Alexandrov that will have to bridge the gap and support the top end guys like Brayden Schenn, Robert Thomas, Jordan Kyrou, Brandon Saad, Colton Parayko, Justin Faulk, Nick Leddy, Ivan Barbashev, Pavel Buchnevich to help keep the ship from sinking.
"(Trades are) not really a thought process for us," Thomas said. "We're focused on each and every day and we believe we're strong playoff team and we're going to get going here, so that's the way we've always thought of it. We never thought of the trade deadline and trading guys. We're still confident in this group. We haven't lost that one bit and I think now's our prove-it time."
That's why the immediate answer to a solution has to be internally. For one, because the Blues simply don't have the cap space to be making a plethora of moves.
"Yeah, I would say these players are all, whether it's Krug, even it looks like we see (Scott) Perunovich and (Marco) Scandella skating now, so all these players are going to be coming back at some point this season," Armstrong said. "So bringing in new players, you have to be ready to fit everyone under a salary cap right now. So internally, I'd like to see the growth, I want to see a guy like 'Brownie' (Logan Brown), he's going to get a great opportunity now, and we have to give him that opportunity. And then he has to seize it and play well with it. Jake is going to get an opportunity. There's other guys going to get opportunities that maybe they hadn't had when Krug was playing or when Tarasenko was playing or when O'Reilly's playing and our better players are going to get a much ... there's no safety net for them. They have to be our best players now and they have to get their game going.
"I say that, and I'm excited about it. I think when you work in pro sports, you don't get down in situations like this. I'm really excited about the opportunity. ... I remember my first year, I think it was 08-09, that team was ravaged with injuries and they went on a great heater and they made the playoffs and we lost to Vancouver, but it was the sign of a team that came together that did all the little things well, playing great in front of their goalie, their goalie played good. They didn't give up a lot of chances and you have a lot of fun when you're playing like that. And that's what we have to do. We have to get joy back into being a hard working team that defends first and foremost and plays for the other guys. And if we do that, I think we can surprise people. If we don't do that. It's going to be a long second half of the season."
The biggest question to date is why haven't the Blues' top end players been at their best? It's been the million dollar question.
With injuries to Ryan O'Reilly and Vladimir Tarasenko after Torey Krug, skaters like Brayden Schenn (10) will have to elevate his game for the Blues to remain relevant. "I think that overall team game hasn't been to the level it's been in the past," Armstrong said. "I think that the things everyone sees, we pass up too many good scoring opportunities, we get too cute offensively with the puck, and defensively, we give up way too many quality scoring chances, and that's not how indicative of how we've played in the past and how you win in this league. I'm not really sure why we haven't been able to corral that into better play, but now we really have no choice. The positive for me is I look at our American Hockey League and (Springfield coach) Drew Bannister and they've been ravaged by injuries down there and they play a strong, defending game, they're in every game, they play for each other, they do all the things that winning players do and if we want to learn from anybody, whether it's management, coaches or players, we just have to look at that American League team and how resilient they've been and that's going to be incumbent upon our group to find that same passion and joy of playing for each other and playing the right way. Our coaches (there) give them them the game plan that implements better hockey than we've given our team so far."
The Blues better be prepared to not try and out-gun teams. Last year's scoring depth of nine players with 20-plus goals is out the window. They have to try and win small and perhaps ugly.
"I think we've got good depth here," coach Craig Berube said. "Jake Neighbours is up now, who knows who else, but like I said, everybody's got to step their game up for sure. As a team, we've got to defend better. That's going to be really important down the stretch, doing a good job defending, we're going to have to win some real tight games here."
Bottom line: there is no other choice at the moment.
"You know what, this organization's built on character and culture and guys stepping up in certain times," Schenn said. "You're without three big pieces right now halfway through the year, but this a chance for guys like myself and 'Tommer' and 'Rouzy' and really everyone to step up. You don't have to try and do anything more or anything special. You just have to find a way to dig down deep and play better and really focus on winning hockey games. It's going to be a grind and that's how you're going to have to win."
The Blues won't look at the 14 games in January. They'll just look at the upcoming four-game road trip through Toronto, New Jersey, Montreal and Minnesota.
"It's a good opportunity for a lot of us," Thomas said. "I think that's the way you've got to look at it and it's a good chance for us to really get rolling and try to make a big push and then get these guys back and continue that roll. So that's how we've got to look at it.
"It's a huge challenge, especially with this road trip coming up, we've got some really good teams that are playing really well and it's going to be a big challenge. But I think as competitors, and a lot of us are very competitive, it's going to be pretty exciting.
"We fought through big injuries a lot in the past and always found a way through it. So we're not looking to change that at all."