Vladimir Tarasenko and Torey Krug have been activated off injured reserve, as reported by Sportsnet, and they should provide a nice boost to the St. Louis Blues lineup, especially with Pavel Buchnevich returning to injured reserve.
The Blues have a 2-3-0 record in their last five games and remain wildly inconsistent as they have all season. At a time when they are making a playoff push, getting these two players back will be a massive boost to their offensive game, as the Blues currently sit in the bottom half of the league in goals scored, with 149 to date.
Looking Ahead as St Louis Blues Trade Deadline Approaches
St Louis is currently sitting six points out of the last wild card spot and has their work cut out for them as the Calgary Flames, Colorado Avalanche, Edmonton Oilers, and Minnesota Wild all battle for spots.
Let’s see if the Blues can channel their inner 2019 mojo, where they went from last place in the league to Stanley Cup Champions because that is likely what it will take for them to make the playoffs this year.
After a tough loss to the Buffalo Sabres, who are also pushing for the last wild card spot (but in the Eastern Conference), the St Louis Blues are in a tough situation as they continue to lose points and gain any traction. Next is the rebuilding Coyotes on Thursday before going up against last season’s Stanley Cup Champs, the Avalanche. The Blues can really help themselves here with an easy win in Arizona and beating Colorado in regulation on Saturday.
A win against the Avalanche would allow St Louis to make up some ground against a team they are fighting against for the last playoff spot. With the Colorado Avalanche having two games in hand on the Blues, Saturday is a must-win if they have any hope of claiming a playoff position.
St Louis controls their own fate as they also face Avalanche again on February 18, which could be an even bigger must-win game if the Blues can go on a run here. It will be fun to watch the Blues make a playoff push as we will see what this team is made of.
Selling in St Louis
St Louis will be facing top contenders such as the Avalanche and the Winnipeg Jets in the next week, which will help the Blues general manager, Doug Armstrong, understand if his team has a chance to make the playoffs and make a deep run or if this is not the Blues year. He will need to re-tool for next season.
Armstrong is not shy when it comes to making trades and will not hesitate to become a seller at the trade deadline if his team continues to remain inconsistent.
He has some great pieces he would be able to sell, such as goal-scoring machine Tarasenko is a pending free agent, along with Ivan Barbashev and team captain – Ryan O’Reilly. If it does not go well this year in St Louis, at least the deadline will provide some optimism.
The Blues could get an excellent return for O’Reilly and Tarasenko, as both come with Stanley Cup pedigree and have performed well in the playoffs. A first-round pick for both players or a second-round pick and a decent prospect is not out of the question for either player.
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