If any of the many struggling and rebuilding teams in the NHL are looking for a road map to success, they should take a close look at the St. Louis Blues.
As of January 12, the Blues were considered by Vegas Insider as one of the likeliest teams in the league to claim the coveted Stanley Cup. With 11-2 odds to win it all, that ties them with both the Pittsburgh Penguins and defending champion Chicago Blackhawks.
Early in the new year when Olympic rosters were finalized, the Blues found themselves with 10 representatives—tied for tops in the league with the Detroit Red Wings and Blackhawks.
Their first half of the season was the best in franchise history with 63 points over 41 games, they are scoring at the second-highest rate per game while allowing the third-fewest goals against and they've got the kind of depth most teams dream of.
How they got to this point in their quest for their first Stanley Cup is impressive: a combination of great drafting and patient tutoring, shrewd and timely trades, and putting the right people in place to bring it all together.
A Young Cor ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Steve Macfarlane
Breaking Down How the St. Louis Blues Built a Stanley Cup Contender
January 12th, 2014 by Steve Macfarlane Leave a reply »
Advertisement