5 Biggest Priorities for Blues Heading into Free Agency

Apr 10, 2014; Saint Paul, MN, USA; Minnesota Wild goalie John Curry (33) makes a save in the third period against the St. Louis Blues at Xcel Energy Center. The Minnesota Wild win 4-2. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

5. Emergency Goaltending Depth?

Possibilities: John Curry, Yann Danis, Mike McKenna, Al Montoya

The Blues will no longer have the comfort of Jake Allen being ready down in the minors in case one of their top two goalies go down due to injury, now that Allen is being assured a spot on the NHL roster. They’ve got two intriguing young goalies, Jordan Binnington and Niklas Lundstrom, who will both be 21 years old at the start of the upcoming season. However, with Binnington having played only one game at the AHL level and Lundstrom’s only American experience having come in late-season practices this past season, it’s unclear if the Blues have confidence in either of them to fill in if injury should occur.

Last year, the Blues were only able to fill one goaltender spot on the AHL roster, as the Chicago Wolves’ management had signed independent goalie Matt Climie to play for the team. It’s unknown at this point if that will be the case again this season. If the Blues have the minor-league roster space to both develop one of their young goalies and accommodate an experienced veteran, they should get an older goalie with NHL experience to give them coverage in case Allen or Brian Elliott suffers an injury.