from Jeff Gordon of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch,
The arrival of (Derek) Roy and the rambunctious forward Maxim Lapierre freshened up this team’s front-line chemistry. Ideally, Armstrong will now subtract one of his veteran goaltenders, re-sign Allen for the No. 2 role and wedge Pietrangelo and Stewart under the salary cap.
If all that happens the Blues will have enough talent, experience and depth to make a big postseason run under coach Ken Hitchcock. There should be no more “yeah, buts” for this franchise come playoff time.
Better yet, the retooled Blues seem equipped to contend for years to come. Many of their key players are 26 years old and younger and most of their true veterans are still in their athletic prime.
With the salary cap likely to climb significantly in 2014-15, Armstrong will be able to keep the team nucleus intact for years to come -- assuming that he likes what he sees.
Stillman, Armstrong and the rest of the front office has taken care of the business side. The Blues have made the same talent investment as the other contending franchises.
Now it’s up to the players to deliver the results.
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