The St. Louis Blues were the second-best feel-good story of the year behind the Columbus Blue Jackets, almost making the playoffs. After the Four Nations break, the Blues went on an improbable run, posting the best record in the league following the stoppage.
It is even more remarkable considering general manager Doug Armstrong made basically the whole team available, including captain Brayden Schenn. They ultimately kept the faith and held onto their guys and were 1.6 seconds away from moving onto the second round.
The Blues are well-managed and seem poised to remain a viable playoff threat for years to come; they have a great blend of young and old players who have equally contributed to their success this year.
The Blues will have 6 million in cap space this offseason and only one notable free agent in center Radek Faksa, who will likely not be re-signed. They also have Ryan Suter available, but there is no real possibility he resigns in St. Louis. The Blues will likely not be big spenders, and there are not many options for the Penguins to exploit.
Zack Bolduc, the Blues 2021 1st rounder would be a nice player for the Penguins to target. This was Bolduc’s first year seeing significant NHL action but has yet to really show his worth. He also took a bad penalty in the series against Winnipeg and did not see more than 15 minutes in the series and that was in the game 7 double OT game.
I would love to see the Penguins take a swing to try and acquire this young player and give him significant NHL minutes and grow.
Radek Faksa
Radek has not really lived up to his first-round billing, he was traded to St. Louis this offseason for future considerations. He will be a UFA this offseason and will be very cheap.
Why should the Penguins do it? Next year will be rough in a rebuild; it is important to have vets in the locker room who can take pressure off the young guys; he can provide some depth at center. When you have a young team, you do not want them to get their teeth caved in every game, so a guy who can play 15-20 minutes a night can help the younger players.