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St. Louis Blues: 5 Players with Something to Prove After the All-Star Break

By Patrick Karraker

January 8, 2016; Anaheim, CA, USA; St. Louis Blues goalie Jake Allen (34) defends the goal against Anaheim Ducks during the second period at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
January 8, 2016; Anaheim, CA, USA; St. Louis Blues goalie Jake Allen (34) defends the goal against Anaheim Ducks during the second period at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /
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Magnus Paajarvi St. Louis Blues
Jan 2, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; St. Louis Blues forward Magnus Paajarvi (56) carries the puck against the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Air Canada Centre. Toronto defeated St. Louis 4-1. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports /

Magnus Paajarvi

After two years of stagnancy, former Edmonton Oilers first-rounder Magnus Paajarvi appeared to have irked Doug Armstrong and Ken Hitchcock the wrong way, and he began the season with AHL Chicago. After being recalled out of necessity on November 4, however, Paajarvi looked like a whole new player, and he showed higher levels of offensive skill than he ever had before. Prior to suffering a facial injury on January 9 that’s caused him to miss the past seven contests, Paajarvi showed a newfound ability to move the puck consistently and make contributions anywhere from the first to the fourth line. Unfortunately, he wasn’t rewarded too much for his work, as he scored just two goals and added three assists over the 32-game stretch.

The only problem with Paajarvi on this team is that there are so many other forwards having issues with offensive productivity this season, resulting in the Blues being ranked 22nd in goals per game played going into the break. Whereas his speed, stick handling, and versatility would make him a major asset on a team with a few proven scorers, he looks like a weak link when players like Paul Stastny, Jori Lehtera, Dmitrij Jaskin, and Troy Brouwer are also struggling with offensive consistency. Thus, if those players continue to simultaneously slump, Paajarvi may struggle to stick in the lineup when Jaden Schwartz returns.

If Paajarvi can just get over the hump and start converting on some of the great offensive opportunities that he’s created over the past couple months, he’ll be fine. Paajarvi showed that the playmaking ability is somewhere inside him during his nearly year-long banishment to the AHL–he had 0.81 points per game in 36 games last season, and a point per game in the seven contests he participated in this year–so it’s definitely possible that the 24-year-old could finally put it all together. If he can put up more points down the stretch, the Blues will have the great problem of having too many skilled forwards to choose from.

Next: Robby Fabbri

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