Blues coach Craig Berube

By LOU KORAC

ST. LOUIS -- Craig Berube's third season as coach of the Blues could be summarized as to what his team felt like it was this season: close.

It's no secret Berube's style and culture reflects that of his players, and there's a tightly-knit bond there between coach and player. 

(St. Louis Blues photo)

Blues coach Craig Berube (top left) completed his third full season behind

the bench and took the team to the second round this season.

The coach was close, the players were close, but it wasn't quite enough, but all things considered, with the Blues losing to the Colorado Avalanche in the second round of the playoffs and seeing how easily the Avalanche disposed of the Edmonton Oilers in the Western Conference Final, one can easily see that the Blues were the only team that gave the Avalanche any kind of resistance en route to the Cup Final.

Berube is 156-80-36 in his three-plus regular seasons, good for a .640 winning percentage, and 24-27 in the Stanley Cup playoffs guiding the Blues, and taking the next steps is his goal after being given a three-year extension in February through the 2024-25 season.

He summarized his thoughts on the season and looking forward:

Opening remarks:

Doug (Armstrong) does a great job obviously of putting a good product on the ice and giving us a chance. So every year I’ve coached here we have an opportunity to win. And that’s all you ask for. Throughout the season, you've got to play extremely well to make the playoffs because it’s a tough league and it’s a lot of good teams. I thought our team did a good job. We went through a couple stretches that weren’t great. But our team battled hard all year. We went through a ton of injuries and COVID stuff. We had a lot of guys come up from the minors and play really well for us and provide a lot of energy and spark to our team. Our goaltenders, we used both of them, they both had really good years in my opinion. I know 'Binner' went through a little bit of a tough time but found his way and played really well in the playoffs for us. So overall, I’m very happy with the team, how we came together as a team. They’re a very close-knit group. I think that we need everybody to be successful, and that’s how we’re built. And I thought that we got that this year. Now, going into playoffs, we were close to Colorado there. There’s a couple bounces here and there that go a little bit differently, who knows, we might not be talking to you guys right now. But that’s the way it goes and like Doug said, we've got to try and improve. That’s the focus, to get a little bit better.

On if this team made strides:
The team made huge strides from last year, I thought. We added a couple of players this year, which really helped our team – (Brandon) Saad and (Pavel) Buchnevich. I think the goaltending tandem was key. Ville (Husso) improved from last year tremendously. And from a mental standpoint, our team this year was way different. We were in a way better spot mentally. We had a real good team atmosphere. I thought that it was team first this year. I thought there were struggles last year of getting that through to the guys. This team here was in a way better spot. I told you guys that before going into playoffs. This is a very good team, but again we didn’t win. So how are we going to get better? So as a coaching staff, we've got to look at things and see what way we can improve a little bit. We’ll watch hockey here down the stretch and see what teams are doing and why they’re successful.

On how long will it take you to get over Colorado, or do you:
How do you get over this? You don’t get over it. But it’s over with, so you've got to move on and try to go throughout your program in the summertime of what you've got to do. You can’t just sulk over it. It’s over. And we got beat.

On David Perron's importance to you as a coach:

Very important. He’s a helluva hockey player for sure. Highly competitive. And a great shot. And can run a power play as good as anybody I’ve ever coached. He’s a tremendous power play player. I didn’t know David at all until I got here, but he’s really grown as a person in my opinion and a teammate. Provided very good leadership for us, not wearing a 'C' or an 'A'.
Very vocal. He’s like a right-arm extension for the coaches in my opinion, preaching the right things all the time and teaching our young guys. Playing the game properly, being competitive.  Along all those lines. I’ve really enjoyed coaching him, enjoyed being around him, too.

On Binnington and Husso pushing each other, but doing what’s best for the team on a nightly basis:
Yeah, 100 percent. It’s got to be tough for 'Binner' to sit there and watch Ville win and keep playing, and then we started him in the playoffs. But Binner (was) very positive about it all. Very, very positive. Very good team guy, both of them. And that’s a big thing. I think that’s why you have a tandem like that and it has success.

On how much do you weight postseason vs. regular season in evaluating players:
Postseason hockey is different for me. Obviously, it gets a lot harder. Tighter. I think some of our guys made some good strides this year in the postseason and learned how to have success. So that’s important because going forward, regular season’s regular season. When the postseason comes around, it’s a different game. It’s a lot harder. It’s more intense. There’s no room. You've got to fight for space every shift. I think some of our guys really understood that and got better.

On if you believe league is going toward speed and skill:
One hundred percent. The back end, you've got to be able to move the puck. You've got to have some size, too. You go against some – obviously the last playoff series – (Nathan) MacKinnon and (Gabriel) Landeskog, they’re hard to handle. They’re big guys. So you've got to have some size, too. But puck movement from the back end is very important for sure. That’s where everything is generated from. The game’s getting faster. There’s more goals this year. Goals are up this year. It’s a goal-scorer’s league. Power plays are up. So, speed and skill are really important.

On one or two things you’d like to see the team do better:
That’s a tough question. Again, I look at it and we’re talking about goals are up this year. I think that we that we can be better, we can check better. I’d like to see our goals (allowed) come down a little bit. I thought the penalty kill was excellent this year. But 5-on-5, I’d like to see our goals (allowed) come down a little bit, that’d be one area of improvement. And then, I look at the whole year, you have some ups and downs. I’d like the ups and downs to be a little bit less. A little more consistency. Night in and night out, this is what we’re getting, this is what we’re getting, this is what we're getting. I know it’s boring. That’s probably boring for players. But you win more. We had 109 points, we probably could have had 116, the way I look at it. That’s a helluva year. It’s a helluva year anyhow, but consistency and I think that we can get our goals-against down a little bit. And we've got to continue to score goals. We had nine 20-goal scorers this year, which was phenomenal. We might not have that next year, who knows? But we've got to continue to score, that’s part of the game, right?

On how close was Torey Krug close to playing Game 6 vs. Avalanche, what missed most about his absence:
If it was up to 'Kruger' he would have played that game. It was a tough call. Yeah, with his injury and stuff like that and with (Marco) Scandella’s injury, I didn’t want to go seven D. It was tough. He was ready. He could’ve played probably, but I didn’t think it was worth it at the time. But power play maybe it would’ve been maybe, right? It’s a tough call. But if we got past that game, he would’ve been in Game 7.

Blues general manager Doug Armstrong

By LOU KORAC

ST. LOUIS -- Doug Armstrong will forever be known as the one who orchestrated the phrase, "You need to take the knife and jam it through their eye into their brain and kill them." It's been synonymous with his end-of-year sessions with the Blues following many seasons earlier in his tenure as Blues general manager.

Following his media session last week, it wasn't one of those times. That's because the Blues took steps forward after two straight first-round exits from the Stanley Cup playoffs following the year of winning it all in 2019.

(St. Louis Blues photo)

Blues president of hockey operations and GM Doug Armstrong feels the

team is headed back in the right direction after a strong 2021-22 season.

Everyone knows not only a structured, skilled and talented roster is needed to not only advance in the postseason and win, but luck is needed as well.

The Blues ran into some bad luck when facing the Colorado Avalanche in the second round, after prevailing through some impactful injuries in defeating the Minnesota Wild in the first round, losing your starting goalie when it appeared the Blues could grab the momentum in the second round, along with missing some key pieces on the blue line, wasn't enough to prevail.

And although Armstrong, who completed his 14th season with the organization, will continue to upgrade the Blues roster moving forward in 2022-23, having many of the pieces that produced 109 points in the regular season is a good place to start, so for a change, there may not be much the GM will have to do other than keep some of the pieces he already has, and if he is unable to do that, then there may have to be some important decisions to be made.

Armstrong is pleased with the direction the Blues are going in again, and he will be tasked with keeping it competitive after ownership gave him a five-year extension at the start of this past season

He talked about those things and other important topics from his season-ending remarks:

Opening remarks:
Thanks for coming today. We're obviously here to put a bow on the season. I'd like to thank our players. I thought starting in September, they had a focus on having a good regular season. We played a good Colorado team and could never get over the hump, but I thought they played well and played with character. What they did in Game 5 is a foundation-builder moving forward. Craig (Berube) and I talked about that. It would have been an easier time, if there was time to fold the tent and just say it wasn't our year and they didn't do that. Not only for that team, but you have (Jake) Neighbours and (Zachary) Bolduc watching us from a distance seeing the foundation and the character that this group has is only going to build us moving forward. To the players and the coaches, I want to thank them for a very good season. Obviously regular season, playoff disappointment is what it is, there's only going to be one champion. We know that we have to improve. When I look back since 2011-12, we've been a consistent participant in the Western Conference. Chicago has popped in there, we've had bouts with them; we've had battles with Los Angeles, Nashville, Winnipeg, now it's Colorado. But what I look at is we're the team that's there year in, year out and that's our focus moving forward. There's a couple more teams in the Eastern Conference like that. You have Pittsburgh, you have Washington, you have Boston. You look at those four teams and if you put us in there, we're trying to fight Father Time year in, year out. When you go back to the 2011-12 season, I was looking at it this morning, I think Colorado's had five top-10 picks and seven picks in the top 16. They're supposed to be good. We're competing against teams that are in a different growth pattern. We haven't had top picks and we're still trying to find ways to maneuver this roster and stay competitive. I thank Craig for taking this group of players and molding them into a competitive team. As I said, we're not happy that we're not playing right now, but our job is to get a little bit better and be a team that we're here next year and whoever wants to join us, we welcome them aboard.

Strides from last year to now; does this roster needs major tweaking:
The second part, no, it doesn't need major tweaking. In a cap system, we're in a really good spot for next season. We have so many returning players under contract. Obviously we have a couple good players in (David) Perron and (Nick) Leddy and other players, (Ville) Husso, I don't want to single each guy, but we do have a lot of returning players is what I want to say. Excited about our American League team. They're undefeated in the playoffs right now (until last night). They're in the conference finals. We have Bolduc and Neighbours, our last two first-round picks playing very good in their respective junior leagues trying to get to the Memorial Cup. There will be change. That's just the nature of pro sport under a cap system, but I do like the group we're bringing back.

On possibility of bringing Leddy back:
I thought he played very well for us. We understand what the salary cap's going to be. It's locked in stone now, so it's just massaging it to get a number of good players back, but I thought Nick came in here and you look at our winning percentage since the trade deadline, he was a big part of that. He's a calming influence, he's experienced, he's the player that I thought our pro scouts told me he was going to be and he came in here and he was that guy.

On shuffling the D, want a rhythm on D moving forward:
I was actually talking to one of the players on the number of days this year, I didn't have the answer, of the 82 regular-season games and playoffs, how many times did we have our full roster on there. I'll bet you it was less than a handful. It was a strange year that way. Of course you want continuity. Continuity is good. For the players on the ice, they understand once you've played with someone long enough, we've seen that obviously with Perron and O'Reilly, that sixth sense of knowing where a guy's going to be. With the rotation that Craig had to maneuver this year on the back end, the number of guys coming in and coming out, I look at Game 4 of the first round, we had -- according to our depth charts -- our eighth, ninth and 10th defensemen playing in that game. I give guys a lot of credit for fighting through and finding ways, but for sure, I'd love to have continuity and less movement on the back end if we can.

On bringing Perron back, his impact on this organization:
I sure would. I feel like I've been here a long time and he proceeds me. He's been in and out over that term, but when I got here, he was here back in, what, would it be '08? So he's been around a long time and he's a helluva player. He fights Father Time better than anyone than 95-99 percent of the NHL. What he did this year was spectacular. Obviously the injury he sustained in Chicago was nerve-wracking for everyone involved, but when he got back here, he showed what he can do down the stretch and in the playoffs, he's a very good player. More importantly, he's a better person. I've seen him grow and become a husband and a father. I've seen the influence he's had on our younger players. They see the competitiveness that he has on a daily basis. He's a true pro and been a very good St. Louis Blue and if we can make it work out, I'd love to.

See Leddy, Perron AND Husso all return:
I wouldn't say no (laughing). We're going to go to work. That's our job is to try and find a way to bring as many good players into the organization, whether they're here, whether they're from the outside, but yeah, the cap is the cap and everyone knows the numbers. But if we can make it work, we will. We're not just throwing our hands up in the air and saying, 'We can't bring anyone back.' That's not how the St. Louis Blues have operated and that's not how we're going to operate moving forward. We're going to try the best we can to put out the best team next year and if those players on a good team this year, they'd be good players on a good team next year.

Get any sense if Husso wants to look around:
Ville and I had a conversation this morning. He's put himself in a very good spot; he had a great regular season. Obviously the playoffs were up and down for all of us. He was put into a really difficult situation coming into the Colorado series. I'm a Ville Husso fan. I told him I'd love him to come back, but also it's a business for him also and he's put himself in a spot now where if he wants to test the market, I would understand it. For all of these guys, it's a long time between today and July 13th when they're allowed to hit free agency. We have some time to work on it. I think the tandem and Craig can probably speak better to it than I. They seem from a distance to get along very well. One thing I said to Ville today was I was impressed with his ability to stay positive and push (Jordan) Binnington and understand he was part of a team, and I was also very impressed with Binnington's ability to stay positive and push Husso until he got the opportunity. Sometimes you see tandems that view that as competition and they can't see past that and do what's best for the team. I thought both of those guys did what was best for the team on a nightly basis.

On Brandon Saad and Pavel Buchnevich, your biggest acquisitions last off-season:
I thought they came in and played very well. Saad for me was a more known quantity. Know the player. We've seen him in the Western Conference for a number of years. He was a championship player and so he came in and was as advertised. With Buch, I thought it was a really good year he had prior to. He was still a player defining himself. When you look at his year, I look back, I don't have to ask the coach what he thought of him. How did he use him? He used him on the power play, he used him killing penalties, he used him 5-on-5. I think Buch had a great first year. With him and Kyrou and Thomas, they give us something to build around as we move forward. We have great veterans here, but those guys needs support, and Buch, (Jordan) Kyrou and (Robert) Thomas are that group we need to support that group of forwards coming in and then as I said, you're going to have guys pop up next year, whether from junior hockey or the American Hockey League, a guy like Brownie who I thought showed really good promise. He got caught in a numbers game. I was talking to one of the players just a few minutes ago and I said when you're a competitive team, it's very hard to crack the lineup, but when you crack the lineup, it's very hard to be taken out of the lineup. So now a guy like Brownie's job is to get in there and then when he comes in, he knows he's not concerned being in and out. I'm not sure if that makes sense to you guys. It's a hard group to crack, but when you crack it, it's really a hard group to get taken out of. That's part of being on a competitive team year in, year out. When you've gained the coach's trust and you're doing the job, the coach trusts you for a long time.

On Scott Perunovich:
Scotty, he's had a difficult career quite honestly as a pro. Injuries have not been his friend. I already talked to him about ... he's mature now where I said, 'Training camp starts mid-September. That's when we need you at your best. Whatever you need to do, you don't need us holding your hand anymore. You know your body, you know what needs to get done.' But it's a proof's in the pudding league. I thought he did a great job. I thought Craig did a great job again. It's one thing to dress somebody in the playoffs. It's another thing to say, 'We're going to put you on the No. 1 power play unit even though you haven't been healthy enough to play in a couple of months.' That takes a lot of courage as a coach, but more importantly, a lot of belief in the player that you're putting in that spot. As a coach you want to put guys in a position to succeed, not fail. For Craig to put him in that group, I thought was a great feather in Perun's cap. As a league, we look at a guy like Foxy and the Rangers right now and what he's doing. (Samuel) Girard was having a good year, (Cale) Makar had a good year. They're not 6-3, 230 any of these guys. There's the ability to play both of these guys on a nightly basis. For Scotty specifically, he has to come in and have a good training camp and he has to stay healthy enough where he's in that conversation. It's not that he's done anything wrong, it's just that's how the cards have been dealt to him so far and now he needs to reshuffle and get better cards where he stays healthy.

On Vladimir Tarasenko, will he be here next year:
I thought Vladi had a real good year. Big time players score big time goals. I think what we saw this year was a healthy Vladimir Tarasenko. Even when he's not scoring, the other team is nervous. When he's on the ice in any game, any playoff series, he's a circled player. Being a circled player, if he's not scoring, it opens up opportunities for other guys. I thought Vladi had a very good regular season. I thought he was a player that we counted on in the playoffs and we always have and he always delivers. I'm not concerned about Vladi for next year at all. I've already read some articles, local and national, well what about '23-'24 and these guys are all free (agents)? I'm going to worry about '23-'24, a year from now. Hopefully I'm not answering questions, 'Are you going to trade Ryan O'Reilly if you don't get him signed? Are you going to trade Tarasenko if you don't get him signed? Are you going to trade (Ivan) Barbashev if you don't get him signed?' I'm not sure the concern of everybody worrying about two years from now, let's just dissect this year, give us your information on how you think we did as a whole, get ready for next year. I don't want to spend all summer saying, 'Well, what about two years from now?' I just want to worry about next year when it's over. I'll then worry about the year after.

On the league going more towards speed and skill:
I would agree with that. The game's evolving. Goal-scoring is up, but there's also been a generation of goalies that have been at the forefront that are at the end of their careers or exiting the league totally. Now you have (Andrei) Vasilevskiy for me and then you have everybody else. The Ranger goalie (Igor Shesterkin) looks like he's trending that way, but the difference between him and Vasilevskiy is he's done it year in and year out, year in and year out. So this next wave of goaltending, they have to not only prove they can do it each year but every year moving forward. But as far as the game itself, I think the fans love the goals probably more than the coach loves the goals. It's a great game and it's entertaining, it's fast-paced. I also think when you get into the playoffs, quite honestly, you lose half of the team so the talent level goes up, then you lose another half and the talent level goes up. Same with the referees. When you get into the semifinals or when you get into the round of eight, you're down to the best referees, you're down to the best teams that don't commit fouls, that don't need to commit fouls to play a 60-minute game. I don't think we're going to see a lot of penalties moving forward because I see the refereeing game has gotten better but also the teams have gotten better. I think that they understand what's at stake but as a whole, it's trending towards a younger man's game. Younger players are ready quicker than before on and off the ice both at forward and on the back end. I do believe what we're seeing now is going to continue to evolve to more skill.

On do any players need surgeries:
Players are doing their medicals tonight, so I'll have better information. I know some guys are going to need some things, but we'll probably wait and do the whole laundry list in the next ... probably Thursday or Friday (of last week) when I get all the information.

Any poaching from other organizations on the coaching staff for head coaching jobs:
I hope there is. I really hope there is. I think that Robby DiMaio who was with us for a long time is now an assistant GM in Anaheim, I think that's a reflection on the great work Rob did here and also being part of a good organization. I think that our three assistant coaches, we have multiple coaches, but Steve Ott has come right from playing to coaching. I think he helped Craig with the power play, I think he did a really good job with that. I think he has the ability to be a head coach. Jimmy Montgomery has been an NHL head coach before, I thought he did a great job. I thought Mike Van Ryn has really touched everything, development coach, a minor league coach, an assistant coach. I think all three of these guys have aspirations to be NHL head coaches. I think they're all deserving. I hope they get interviews. I hope they get to reach the goals they want to reach. But if they don't, we'd love to have them back. Craig has told me that. I concur 100 percent, but also, I think part of any organization, you want to see growth and growth of those guys is commanding and taking part and running their own bench. If they get that opportunity, we'll endorse them, we'll push for them. But if they're back, we're a really good organization. But to answer your question quite honestly, I'm compiling a list. I think these guys are great coaches and I hope they get the opportunity.

Blues defenseman Colton Parayko

By LOU KORAC

ST. LOUIS -- It was no secret that when the Blues went, Colton Parayko went, and when he didn't, the team suffered.

(St. Louis Blues/Scott Rovak)

Blues defenseman Colton Parayko (right) led the team in ice time (23:34)

and played in 80 games this season after back issues in 2020-21.

The team leader in minutes played this past season at 23:34 was going to be on the ice for important minutes, and for the most part, aside from a hiccup here and there, it went foundationally well for the 6-foot-6, 228-pound 29-year-old. 

Parayko played in 80 games this season after skating in just 32 regular-season games last year due to lingering back issues that he said are alleviated now; he finished with a career-high tying 35 points (six goals, 29 assists) and finished with a plus-16 rating after at one point being a minus-16 on Jan. 29 when the Blues headed into their not-so-Olympic break.

Playing top-pair minutes, whether it be with Nick Leddy, Marco Scandella, Niko Mikkola, Justin Faulk, Torey Krug, whoever it may have been, as a season in whole, Parayko was on the ice against top forwards and handled it well. 

Fans are going to remember a not-so-great Game 6 against the Colorado Avalanche that eliminated the Blues from the playoffs in the second round when Parayko, along with many of his teammates struggled to perform at a high level, but he will be a foundational piece for the franchise moving forward.

Parayko discusses the season as a whole, how healthy he felt this season as well as other topics:

Reflections on the season:

I think obviously, seasons are long, obviously last couple seasons an 82-game season. Lots of ups and downs obviously, a lot of injuries. I thought we had a lot of guys step in at different times. I think that was one of the keys of our team, our depth and not even the guys that we had up here but some of the guys that came in from the AHL, and obviously that's huge when you know you have that depth and obviously they're playing really good hockey down there right now too. I believe they haven't lost yet in the playoffs. So from our team perspective, I thought we grew throughout the year, had a really good start. Maybe some ups and downs a little bit throughout the season, which I think you're going to see through a lot of teams’ seasons and that's normal, and then had a really good finish and I think we're all obviously disappointed. I think we knew we had a really good team. We're really close and obviously one bounce here, one bounce there could be the difference of still playing or not and obviously. We don't want to be here right now doing this media day. We wish we were still playing obviously but like I said, we continue to learn and get these experiences and just understand how hard it is to win and it's very tough.

On if you came back and played at high level this season:

Yeah, I thought obviously last year was tough with everything that was going on for sure. And even just kind of going into this year I felt a lot better, which was good. I was still feeling really good. And I thought for me personally it was obviously a big step from the previous year just based on everything that was going on and so obviously happy to be where I'm at.

On play of defense and if it made strides:

For sure. Obviously, I thought we had a really good season back there. I thought as the season grew too, we continued to get better or as the season went on. Sorry, I was gonna say that the season went on, we continued to grow but I threw that in earlier. But yeah, as the season went on, we got better and obviously we all chipped in a little bit on the offensive side too and defensively, just with help from our forwards, obviously our goaltenders just, I mean, it's easy to talk about your 'D' corps, but it was everybody around us that really made it a lot easier for us; the forwards giving us a lot of back pressure and back-checking for us and things like that, which makes it a lot easier for us to stay up in the play, makes it harder for them to generate things. But obviously throughout the year, I was definitely impressed and happy with how we grew and went.

One or two things team needs to be better moving forward:

Maybe we touched on it earlier in the news conference, I mean, it's kind of easy to say, but obviously it’s a long season, just trying to string together as many games as possible with a full 60 minutes. Just things like that. I mean, it's obviously hard when you're playing that much and I would say maybe string together full 60s as much as possible and be most consistently. It's a tough one.

On how you felt this season after back problems in 2020-21:

Yeah, felt pretty good all year long. Just little things here and there but I think that's just like everybody, even just on a normal season, you get sore backs or whatever. But nothing new with an 82-game season and it held up really well.

On play of Nick Leddy:

Yeah, obviously a true professional. Very good hockey player, just the way that he comes to the rink and he changes the mood and kind of the morale of the team every time he shows up and just kind of being around him obviously he's won before. So having guys like that is huge and as soon as he was here with the team, he fit in perfectly and I couldn't be happier to have him on the team and he played really well for us. And obviously on the ice, we all saw he's just probably one of the smoothest skaters I've ever watched and just fun to be able to watch a guy like that skate every single night and get the opportunity to play beside him. So obviously very fortunate to have brought him in and definitely learned a lot from him as a person and as a player.

What does David Perron means to the team, thoughts on him returning:

Obviously we love him. Very good teammate. Just one of those guys who brings a lot of energy, a lot of life, brings the guys together all the time. You definitely know when David was in the room, and it puts a smile on everyone's face and that's the beauty of him off the ice and on the ice obviously there's no secret of how good of a player is and I think even just since I've been here, he keeps getting better as he ages, which is crazy. And it's really cool to see and I think for a lot of us, we might have to take some tips from him and how we continue to get better as we grow older. He's obviously been here for a long time, meant a lot to this team and this organization and hopefully, he's in the Bluenote again.

Blues defenseman Justin Faulk

By LOU KORAC

ST. LOUIS -- Remember when the Blues acquired Justin Faulk from the Carolina Hurricanes in 2019, months after winning the Stanley Cup?

Nobody knew what to think of it at the time, because they already had, then, a No. 1-type of defenseman in Alex Pietrangelo.

(St. Louis Blues/Scott Rovak)

Defenseman Justin Faulk had arguably his best season in the NHL with the

Blues this past season with 16 goals, 31 assists and a plus-41 rating.

What ensued following that Sept, 24, 2019 trade was Faulk signing a new six-year, $45.5 million extension. It would signify that perhaps the Blues would allow their captain in Pietrangelo to leave following that season to unrestricted free agency, which he did, and Faulk was always -- from a fan's perspective -- being labeled as the guy to replace Pietrangelo and play like he did.

By his own admission, it wasn't the start to his Blues career that he wanted, but things have changed so much for the better since then.

Faulk completed his third season in a Blues jersey and had not only his best season in St. Louis but arguably his best in the NHL.

His 47 points in 76 games were two off a career-high (49 in 82 games with Carolina in 2014-15), his 16 goals were one off tying his career-best with the Hurricanes in 2016-17, but Faulk would shatter his career record plus-minus rating at plus-41, which was tied for sixth in the NHL. His points came in mostly 5-on-5 situations, including a career-high six game-winning goals playing in a role whether it be with Torey Krug or Nick Leddy, or whomever, Faulk thrived as a shutdown defenseman the Blues needed him to be. And his 16 goals this past season eclipsed Faulk's total the first two seasons (12) in 125 regular-season games in St. Louis; he also has a goal and seven assists in 12 playoff games this season.

The 30-year-old answered questions this past week regarding the season for the Blues, which ended in the second round after falling to the Colorado Avalanche, Jordan Binnington's injury, the defense as a whole, among other topics:

Reflecting on the season:

I think we built towards something, with where we were after last season, and how we felt and how we thought we performed and that kind of moving towards the start of the season, halfway through, whatever, and into playoffs. I think the group has grown quite a bit. Young guys have stepped up, matured a little bit, found their footing. I think some of the old guys keep fine-tuning on and off the ice to help the team grow and then obviously help young guys and what not. So I think with where we're at as a whole as a group within this year, it's a pretty, pretty big jump and we know what we have in that room and we know what likely is coming back in a sense, we can see it. We’re ready to keep building on that and hopefully find that next step and keep going and fight our way through the playoffs a little farther.

On if the Colorado series in past and could the outcome been different if Binnington wasn't hurt:

I don't really love to play hypotheticals, to be honest with you. And injuries happen, stuff happens. He's not the only one that was banged up in our group. Obviously we know exactly what he was doing and how well he was playing and it hurts for sure. But no one, quite frankly, outside this team cares.

On where do you see the defense as a whole:

I think guys did a good job at times when guys were out with COVID injuries, whatever, put in different roles. Like you said it was kind of a lot of flip-flopping there at times with guys coming up from the minors and playing. Just trying to find their roles and who's going to play well together, what not. It's not easy, that's for sure and guys handled it pretty well. I think as a group we still have room to go for sure. I think if I look at the 'D' and I think we got pretty good 'D', forwards might want more pucks on the tape and we're deep at 'D' I think. I don't think every team can have what we have throughout the top six. They might have a higher end guy. Obviously we don't have a superstar defenseman, but we have a lot of good, quality defenseman that are comfortable, that have kind of played in all different situations. Down in the lineup, up in the lineup and they can handle it, so I think just continuing to fine-tune. We've got some guys that are younger, that are still learning their way in this league and keep growing and getting better as players and as that happens, it just continually will help our 'D' corps.

On having David Perron stay around despite free agency looming:

Just to echo 'Schenner' there, he's a competitor. I think you want guys on your team that are willing to compete and love to put in that work and you know they're going to step up and work hard when the time comes and it's needed and that's what David Perron does. He's ready for the moment, he's not scared of it and he likes to battle and win hockey games. That's what you want on your team.

On potential for offense to continue to score so much:

I think so. First of all, I don't think that's how we're looking at things. I don't think we're in the room trying to score the most goals in the league. That's not our mindset, trying to do what we have to do to win hockey games, but I think we have the pieces that are there and a lot are coming back. And whatever else happens after that and whoever else is in that room, I think we'll find a way to work together and we got a lot of guys that can score goals consistently and I don't see guys losing that ability over the summer.

On if Scott Perunovich is ready for a top six role:

Yeah, I think he hasn't played many games realistically over the last three years. The college season, what not. So him getting in those games and getting that experience of playoff hockey is good for him to know what that feels like. Some nights, he didn't play a ton of minutes but being on the bench watching and seeing how intense it is and how hard it is, is great for him. I think he's going to have a good opportunity, I'd imagine, to cement himself and put himself in this league and he's just got to keep going. Obviously we spend the summers, you work out, you do whatever you need to do and he’s skating and doing all that stuff. But him just seeing how hard it is I think will be good for him to know that and that he handled it pretty well. The confidence that he can do it and be a contributor.

On Niko Mikkola's growth:

I think he got a lot of experiences here. He played up and down through the lineup. He spent a lot of time there with (Colton) Parayko on the top pair against some of the other teams’ top lines and then he had some time where he's in and out of the lineup and then he came back in playoffs and played well. I think when you see that and see how well he played at the end there, was able to step back in and make an impact, it's a true sign of him learning and developing throughout the year and not just getting complacent. And so I think as he continues to grow and he hasn't played a ton of games either in this league but to play more and to get that more experience, he's got the ability to come in and still make an impact every night and another guy that can take a step and cement himself in the lineup at some point.

Blues center Brayden Schenn

By LOU KORAC

ST. LOUIS -- With the way his stats were running since Brayden Schenn arrived in St. Louis in 2017, a 20-plus goal season was bound to happen.

And with the Blues putting together nine guys to hit that mark this season, Schenn was certainly going to be among them.

(St. Louis Blues photo)

Despite missing 20 games in the regular season due to injury, Brayden

Schenn (left) was among nine Blues to reach 20 or more goals this season.

Despite missing 20 games due to various injuries, the all-purpose center iceman was able to string together nearly a point per game season, finishing with 58 points (24 goals, 34 assists) and a career-high plus-21 rating. 

Schenn didn't score in the postseason for the Blues, and of course he was putting the onus on himself for not doing that, but he still managed to put up eight assists in 12 games while flipping back and forth between playing center and wing.

Playing through cracked ribs and an oblique injury didn't keep Schenn from being the Blues' physical wrecking ball when needed.

The 30-year-old, who became a first-time father this past season, reflects on the Blues reaching the second round this season, what he played through, along with a variety of other topics:

Thoughts on the season:

You know what, the team came together, bought in (the) team mentality. We had a lot of pieces ... started from the goalies out, a lot of depth in the organization and a lot of guys bought in. Had a successful regular season. We all want to win. We feel like we're right there and we're one of the top teams in the league. You know now we've just got to find a way to keep pushing and continue that for next season. Playoffs are funny, you just need to get in and you have a chance, and we felt like we had a chance this year and just obviously came up short.

On if he's over being eliminated in the second round:

I mean, when you see hockey games and scores this time of year, you want to be playing, that's no secret. I don't think you just lose and you're over it 24-48 hours later. Obviously it still hurts, you want to be playing and having a chance or competing to win the Stanley Cup again.

On if things are different had Jordan Binnington not been injured:

The 'what if?' you can go anyway with that. He was playing great hockey for us, no doubt about it. Came in and gave our team a ton of confidence, and at the same time, Ville (Husso) came in and played good goalie for us, too. You can look on injuries and 'what ifs' but there's a lot of 'what ifs' and you need luck throughout the playoffs. It's one of those things, it's a tough question to answer.

On what injuries you were playing through and what injuries you had throughout the season:

I mean it's three sets of broken ribs throughout the year, so that's one of those things. I've never broken a rib in my life, and one of those things where you get unlucky. Come back in the playoffs, like I said, I'm not here to make excuses at all. I've got to find a way to score a goal and produce in the playoffs. I'm not using injury as an excuse. I've got to find a way to be better, but as far as offensively, I feel myself and the team, everyone stepped up throughout the regular season and found a way to score goals. We had a high dynamic offense from the backend out. As far as that, injuries aren't an excuse, I'll never use them as an excuse when it comes to my play. It's just one of those things when you get unlucky sometimes.

Was it the broken ribs that caused you to miss games in the regular season:

The games I've missed this year, broke ribs three separate times and tore an oblique on the other side. It's compensation, it's unlucky. I was in San Jose on the last one and I didn't have the puck and Brent Burns drove his elbow and his forearm into the back of my ribs and broke them. You sit out time and you kind of get as healthy as possible into the playoffs. It's the reality of the sport and I'm not the only guy banged up in the playoffs. Like I said, I'll never use it as an excuse as far as my game goes.

Was it five broken ribs the first time:

It was five the first time. That was just an unlucky play. (Alex) DeBrincat, his stick got caught up in my skate and I went down. I don't know how many (broken ribs) last time, one or two, some cartilage in there, too. It's unlucky.

Thoughts on wanting to see David Perron back:

You're putting us on the manager's chair right now. We have absolutely zero pull when it comes to decisions like this. But what (Perron) means to our team and means to our locker room, I think he's come in a couple of times with the Blues and he's just getting better. He's one of those guys where he finds a way to score goals, he runs a very dynamic power play, he's good to old guys, to young guys, and I know he loves being here. So, an unfortunate situation with we have absolutely zero control over that. We'd love to have David Perron back, of course, as players. But it's a business and we know that and we can't really control it. But he plays well with (Ryan) O'Reilly and does a lot for us, and we'll see how that one shakes out.

On if this offense can continue to produce like this moving forward next season:

I've been on teams where you can't score goals and you've been on a team like this that can ... you know you're able to come back and score goals in any type of game, or any situation of game. I think when you see that, it gives guys confidence in the room and stuff like that. At the same time, the way to win Cups and advance round-in and round-out when the times get tough, and into the playoffs, is defense. So we have guys that can score and we have lots of guys that can play 200-foot games. That's how Army builds his teams, that's why he's been so successful and the Blues have been so successful for 10-plus years now, because guys bought in and play defense and that's how you win.

Thoughts on Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou and if there's still room for growth there:

Of course, they're only going to get better. They haven't even hit their prime yet, I don't think. What have I seen from them? I see two guys that have really bought into team mentality, guys that want to get better, guys that want to win. They're going to be cornerstones for this franchise moving forward for the foreseeable future. 'Tommer', the way he passes the puck and finds the open man, he's going to be one of the top playmakers in the league, and 'Rouzy', his ability to be explosive and challenge guys with their speed, you need guys like that on your team. So, they're huge pieces for us, and I'm sure Army challenged them last year to take a step forward and both guys obviously took a huge jump. Those guys are going to be huge pieces for us moving forward.

Blues center Ryan O'Reilly

By LOU KORAC

ST. LOUIS -- The numbers may not have always been there for Ryan O'Reilly at the start of the 2021-22 season, but when was all said and done for the Blues captain, in the end, there's no questioning the body of work as a whole the 31-year-old produced in his fourth season in St. Louis.

(St. Louis Blues photo)

Blues captain Ryan O'Reilly (right) completed his fourth season in St.

Louis, finishing with 21 goals, 37 assists in the regular season.

O'Reilly did surge in the end of the regular season to finish with 21 goals, the third time he did that in his four seasons here and he did finish with 58 points, his second-fewest next to last season's 56-game COVID-19 shortened season (54 points) but he came on strong again in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, finishing with 12 points (seven goals, five assists) in 12 games. And for the seventh straight season, O'Reilly once again proved he's one of the top face-off specialists in the league when he produced at 56.78 percent

O'Reilly will be entering the final year of his contract in 2022-23 and there will come a time, whether it be sooner or later, when the Blues will have to make the decision of whether to commit to him with another contract or not.

O'Reilly discusses that and the season as a whole, his thoughts on the championship window, on teammate and friend David Perron and more:

Thoughts on the season:
We're obviously very disappointed losing to Colorado. I think we would've liked to perform better there. But overall, our season was great. We had so many different guys step up and it was a fun team to be a part of. Again, we're looking to do the same thing going forward, get a bit better and give ourselves a good chance to win next year.

On if the team back is on the map:
Yeah, we're definitely very close. Looking at the teams playing right now, we're right there. Obviously we didn't beat Colorado, but the confidence in the group around and talking to guys, we know we can give ourselves a better chance to win and be right there. So, it's going to come down to having a good summer, being in shape, getting healthy and ready to start right again.

Want to be skilled, but also gritty? How do you do both?:
Yeah, I think the group, I think we have the ability to score goals, it's just staying committed to that process of playing Blues hockey and being stingy to play against. I think it's all there, it's just being consistent with it and trusting our process. But yeah, I feel we're a really good hockey team and we're going to be right back there again.

On Perron coming back again:
We want to keep this group together and he's such a big part of it. Yeah, the season just ended, and I'm sure things will progress as we go forward here, but yeah, he's a big part of this and I think we both want to be here.

On your contract and if you want to be here long-term:
Oh absolutely. It's a place I want to be. Yeah, it's crazy going into a contract year. It feels like time kind of flew by. Yeah, I'm sure things, over the summer and going into next year, I'm sure we'll try to figure something out. Again, the season just ended, so we haven't really had time to discuss it. But yeah, if it happens, it happens.

On clip of playing the air guitar with his stick on the bench:
I don't (do that a lot). I was just trying to get another stick and I was looking at one of our trainers, Drew. I think it was like music playing, which was loud and I couldn't really hear him. I was just trying to get his attention and, I don't know, just a random thing. Yeah, it's not something I do often.

How COVID affected him early in the season:
Yeah, I think it definitely did a number on me. It was tough. It was tough coming back from it. Needing to have jump and stamina, it was tough, it was hard, it took a little while to find my rhythm again. But yeah, I don't think anybody had an easy time with COVID. It was unfortunate, but it was nice that we had the depth and we had different guys step up over the course of the year when guys would go down. We always had such a good team that we were able to keep going and stick with it, find ways to win games. Yeah, it ended up being alright.

One or two things you'd like team to do better going forward:
It was a great team, fun to be a part of, fun to watch. You see there were a lot of good things at different times, so it's just being more consistent with it. I think as a group, if we stay together more, I think that will come together naturally. So again, going into the summer, it's all individual, we all have to find a way to get a little bit better. That's individually for each guy, find new things to work on and such. Right now we rest and start training soon and get prepared.

On the roster/championship window:
Oh we're definitely right there. We're definitely right in the mix of it. Yeah, I love our roster, the guys we have and in the room, the way guys are together, it's a very good group and a great mix of both, whether it's energy or veteran presence. I have full confidence that we can find our way back there and have a chance.

On Nick Leddy and if you'd like him back:
Oh absolutely. You watch him out there, how smooth he is, the way he skates, and defensively just shutting stuff down, it just comes so natural to him. He just makes such an impact out there. Yeah I hope things can work out bringing him back. He did a phenomenal job for us.

On the Jordan Binnington injury:
Yeah, coming back 1-1 here, that happens, Binner going down, you kind of feel the energy just come out of the building and us, too. I don't think we responded the right way. Again, you look back and there's a lot of things you could have done different at times, but yeah that was a big moment that we just didn't handle the right way and that falls on myself, too, and other leaders on the team.  We're still a very deep team in all areas and (need) to find a way to respond. It is what it is, move on.

Highest-scoring team. On the potential there for the offense to continue:

Yeah absolutely. We're a very talented group offensively. Power play was great this year. Every year is different and as long as we're winning hockey games, that's all that really matters.

Blues goalie Jordan Binnington

By LOU KORAC

ST. LOUIS -- When Nazem Kadri fell into Jordan Binnington in Game 3 of the Western Conference second round series between the Blues and Avalanche, it not only crashed Binnington's second-half resurrection but also all but squashed the chances of beating Colorado.

(St. Louis Blues/Scott Rovak)

Blues goalie Jordan Binnington (50) had regained the swagger that had

made him successful in the past before injuring his left knee vs. Colorado.

At the time, the 28-year-old Binnington had been playing by far his best hockey of the season but arguably the best hockey of his NHL career.

The Blues were off to a roaring start and were up to the task of defeating the Avalanche until their No. 1 netminder went down with a left knee injury that sidelined him for not only the remainder of that series but likely for the playoffs, if not most of it.

Binnington had relinquished his starting role to Ville Husso when he struggled throughout large swaths of the season, going 18-14-4 with a 3.13 goals-against average and .901 save percentage, but when Binnington was handed the starter's keys again for Game 3 of the first round against the Minnesota Wild, Binnington would go 4-1 with a 1.72 GAA and .949 save percentage.

That was the Binnington that was living up to the six-year, $36 million contract he signed after backstopping the Blues to the 2019 Stanley Cup.

Binnington had a brace on his left knee from the injury with Kadri and teammate Calle Rosen and fielded questions from the media on Tuesday after the Blues were eliminated by the Avalanche in six games.

Here are his thoughts:

Thoughts on the season:

I think a lot of guys took steps forward, I think our young guys especially. I think we came together more and more as a team throughout the season. We finished the season strong and came together well and we put up a good fight in the playoffs. We’re not satisfied for sure, but I think it’s definitely, for me, it’s a learning experience, just a year of experience for all of us to carry with us and kind of bottle up that feeling of not winning. Just losing, you bottle it up and you carry that motivation with you in your summer programs and just think about the next season and when we’re getting ready to come back and get back to work.

On how the knee is and if you could have played had you advanced past Colorado:

It's doing alright. It’s kind of tough to say. It's just going to take some time. I guess it's something that since we’re not playing, it will have time to get back to fully healed. I can't confirm, or not, if that would be the case.

Thoughts on the collision with Kadri and if it could have been avoided:

It’s a physical sport and it's playoff time and he’s going to go to the net hard. It's how it goes. I don’t think he intentionally was trying to do what he did to me, or for me to get injured, I should say. But I think he knows how to play hard and how to go to the net and that’s what happens in this sport. For me, it is what is and I just have to kind of deal with it.

On if you were playing best hockey of career at the time, give you confidence moving forward:

I was feeling good for sure. I think after the season like this one, it was definitely interesting and a year of experience for me for sure. It kind goes into, when things aren’t going your way in whatever you’re doing, it’s how you handle it. I think we handled it pretty well here. I really tried to put the work in and it kind of came to fruition towards the end. It’s unfortunate how it ended. I’ve got to just keep working, carrying that with me. Definitely it was fun being back out there and being in those moments of just being at home, in front of the atmosphere and the crowd and the playoffs and you remember why you put that work in and why, on those tough days, you’re going to push through it. I definitely had a couple of those moments.

On if he won't need surgery:

Yeah.

No surgery:

No.

On getting back in there and playing like you did heading into off-season:

It definitely was nice to kind of prove to myself and just to get back in there and feel good and get some victories. Towards the end of the year, we were playing very well and had a great point streak going. I think we were just playing together as a team. It was just fun being a part of it again.

One or two things you'd like to see the group do better moving forward:

I think in an 82-game season, it's starting right away and continuing to build from the first game of the year, playing together and understanding that, everyone is going to have a chance, everyone at a certain point is going to be the guy for that certain game and understanding that it’s going to be different all the time. Just continuing to work and want to contribute in any way you can as a team to keep building towards this time of year and playoffs. It really comes together. I think we started to do that towards the end of the year. It was promising. The longer we can do that and the earlier we can start doing that, the better.

On the water bottle incident with Kadri:

So I went to get my knee checked out in that game, I was coming back to the rink, the game just ended, walking down the hallway, couldn’t find a recycling bin on my way down the hallway and right before I walked into the locker room, I see him kind of doing the interview there, smiling, laughing and I’m there in a knee brace limping down the hallway. I felt like it was a God-given opportunity. I don’t know, I could stay just silent and go in the room or I could say something and just have him look me in the eye and understand what’s going on, something to think about. I just ... yeah, threw the water bottle, an empty water bottle, it landed like two feet from him. It is was it is there. I mean, but it is what it is, it’s hockey, it’s a competitive game.

On coming to grips with Husso starting the playoffs and now feel good about your standing with the team:

Whatever happens, I think it always goes back to this, it’s how you handle it. Just keep trying to put yourself in the best position possible to be successful and contribute to the team. Ville had an outstanding season and he’s a great goaltender. It was working for the team, so absolutely I’ve got to just do what I can to be ready to get back in there if the team needs me, whenever that is. I feel I’m in a great spot and I think it was a great learning experience and a season for me and a good test of character. Another year of just getting closer with the teammates. We have a great core here so I think the guys were really supportive of me trying to find my way. As a team, I got just lot of love in the locker room. It definitely will carry with us as we move forward. 

On getting through the adversity you faced when things weren't going well, will this adversity make you stronger as a person and player:

I believe so. I think that’s kind of makes life fun, is having to overcome challenges. At the end of the day, that’s what you are going to be most proud of is moments like that. I’m proud with how I kind of handled it and how the team handled with me. That’s life, you know.

On if you knew right away you were injured on that play in Game 3:

It was interesting. I’ve never left a game as a goaltender in my whole life, so it was something I was kind of proud of and tried to carry with me. I just felt like something was off. Ray [Barile] was so comforting out there, he was kind of just saying, 'You’ve got to test it out before I leave you here.' I felt alright on my feet. When I went down to my knees, I realized I couldn’t go.

On David Perron, what he's meant to the organization and thoughts on him returning:

He’s just such a true warrior. Come playoff time, he’s one of those guys you really love going out there and playing with and for. Off the ice too, I have so much love for the guy. It will play out how it plays out. For the time being of being in the present, I think we’ve all had a great time playing together and we’ve got a lot of love for him.