A chat with Carlo Colaiacovo

By LOUIE KORAC
ST. LOUIS -- Carlo Colaiacovo has had his fair share of injuries throughout his career and certainly the 2010-11 season was no exception. But Colaiacovo grew and played argubly the most consistent hockey of his career down the stretch, guiding a young d-unit that at one time was the youngest in the league. Here are his thoughts:

Do you think what might have been when looking back on that 9-1-2 start?
Who knows what the outcome of this year could have been if we had our healthy lineup for three-quarters of the season, or more than that. From the way we started and how good things were, it just seemed like things just started to hit us and it was a snowball effect in a hurtful way. You never want to make excuses for reasons why you're not in the playoffs, but I think when we got healthy bodies in our lineup, we play a good brand of hockey.

So was it evident once guys filtered back into the lineup, the product was better on the ice?
Getting our guys back, you can see what we're capable of doing. I definitely think we have the right guys in here.

What was it like to have the added responsibility in the ladder stages of the season?
I think I played some of my best hockey here. You can see what Petro and I were able to do together. Our whole d-unit played with a level of consistency that we hope carries us into next year. I felt good and I think I showed what I'm capable of doing. It's been fun.

What is your take on next season? What does the future hold for this team?
Next year, everyone's going to be a year older and a year more mature, especially with our young guys. Hopefully, guys will remember the feeling of what this year was about, come back and make a stride for the playoffs next year. ... I think this team's got a lot to look forward to next year.