The Blues made a splash last season by coming out of nowhere to steal the Central Division crown. But, unlike last season, the Blues are expected to be the champs again.
In the current free agency, the Blues have done everything they have needed to do. They signed all of their young core to contract extensions, they baited Vladimir Tarasenko to come to the NHL and they extended Ken Hitchcock's contract for a few more years.
Despite losing a couple of players and not adding a top-four defenseman—just minor blips on the team's overall radar—the Blues look like the same team they were last year.
Except they are not.
Each player on the Blues gained valuable knowledge of what it felt like to have targets on their backs. They felt the pressure of what it was like to be the best. This season, they are expected to be the best and perform like the best, and they have become accustomed to those conditions.
And while the Blues have gotten better in the offseason, the other teams in the Central have taken some hits.
Nashville may have been hit the hardest out of all of the Central teams. The Predators los ...
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Article written by Jacob Born
St. Louis Blues: Why They Are Favorites to Repeat as Central Division Champs
July 30th, 2012 by Jacob Born Leave a reply »
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