PEORIA, Ill – Anyone check out the St. Louis Blues forums online, lately?
Some fans are in a panic.
The Blue are skidding and have fallen off from a very fast start. Injury to star players Roman Polak, T.J. Oshie and David Perron have taken their toll at both ends of the ice. Jaroslav Halak looks human. And just who is this Davis Payne fellow, anyway?
Blues fans are asking questions, and one of the places they are looking for answers is Peoria.
The Blues farm team is 16-7-3, good enough for second place in the American Hockey League’s Western Conference. They win at home and on the road and just currently on a nine-game points-making streak.
So it makes sense that Blues fans might peek in on the AHL team, maybe looking for the next T.J. Oshie.
The sad fact is, Blues fans, he isn’t here. There isn’t an NHL impact player hiding in Peoria.
At least, not yet.
The Rivermen success is really a team effort. In fact, the team has no player in the top 20 scorers in the AHL.
Graham Mink and T.J. Hensick lead the team with 20 points.
You’ve seen Hensick in St. Louis. The Rivermen are a better team when he is on the ice. He’s a playmaker. His points have come in just 16 games. Hensick is ready for the NHL, but if he can’t get a regular shift there, then he’s better off in the AHL, getting lots of ice time.
Mink has been streaky when it comes to scoring. He averages two-and-a-half minutes in penalties per game over his 21 games played. Sitting in the box so often, he limits his own scoring opportunities. He is close to being ready to help the Blues. Once he is averaging more than a point a game and less than a minor a game, he’ll be ready.
Nathan Oystrick is 28 years old and has played seven games for St. Louis this season. He has 16 points in 19 games for the Rivermen. Often paired with Hensick, there seems to be some chemistry at work and things just happen. Maybe the Note needs to call up these guys, together, and see what happens.
Twenty-year old Phil McRae has 15 points for the Rivermen just 25 games into his pro career. He’s young and plays young. He could make an impact at the top level some day. For now, Rivermen fans would be excited if he turned the puck over in the neutral zone a little less.
Mark Cundari has 14 points. See above. Somehow he is a +12, which leads the team.
Nicholas Drazenovic, where are you? Started fast but has disappeared. Twelve points in 21 games. Spent three games with the big club early and has fallen of the radar since returning.
Derek Nesbitt was picked up by the Rivermen about a month ago, plucked out of the ECHL. He’s been almost a point-a-game player for them. He’s been a great addition for the Rivermen. If continues at this pace, he could be a call-up candidate.
Hensick/Oystrick might be the best home-grown option at the moment. While the Blues are rumored to be exploring trade options, the rule of a trade is to get something you’ve got to give something up. The fact is, a trade might have to involve one of these guys or, perhaps, some goaltending depth.
The Blues may trade, but then again, they may choose to stand pat. This is the kind of place where the Blues can measure their organization, to see who can step up. With adversity comes opportunity, whether it is an AHL player making the transition to the NHL or an 3rd line winger stepping into a 1st line role. The fact is, if the Blues can weather this rough spot, they are going to be that much stronger when Perron, Polack and Oshie do return. Contact the author: Shaun.Bill@ProHockeyNews.com
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