Maddening

The Blues lost 2-1 last night after outshooting the Phoenix Coyotes 42-26. The Blues are 0-4-1 in their last five and have scored four goals in that span. The lack of scoring has become maddening. They just do not have a good goal scorer. There is no one on this team that will be a consistent 30+ goal scorer (Brad Boyes is playing above his level; too early for Perron) and it is killing this team. It doesn't look to get better in the near future. Next year, Perron will be a year older but Tkachuk and Kariya will be a year older as well. TJ Oshie will be added to the team but he is untested and unproven.

The Blues will clear approximately $15 million in salary from expiring and/or traded contracts and this includes the salary increases for players like Tkachuk, Stempniak and Jackman. (I looked at the actual salaries, not the salary cap numbers. Checketts wants to be breakeven next year so I used real world numbers, which will be driving the decision.) But nineteen players will have to be replaced (includes both NHL and AHL players) or resigned. Players like Brad Boyes ($3 million), David Backes ($800k), Ryan Johnson ($1 million), Jay McClement ($800k), Jeff Woywitka ($1 million), and Hannu Toivonen ($700k) will be resigned. Collegiate prospects like TJ Oshie and Ben Bishop will have to be signed. Eleven roster slots (in both the NHL and AHL) will be open after these are signed and ~$6 million left in the budget.

Conservatively, let's say the Blues somehow clear $4 million after resigning/signing 18 players to the 19 open slots (we won't mention that the Blues are $6 million over budget because they signed Kariya). What high end goal scorer will sign with the Blues at $4 million or less? It has already been discussed on the stltoday boards that the FA crop this summer will be thin. That will inflate salaries higher than last year. Expect next year to be another year of offensive futility.