Five St. Louis Blues Players Under the Most Pressure Going into 2016-17

The St. Louis Blues lost arguably their top three postseason contributors this offseason, and they’ll need a few guys to take on larger roles heading into 2016-17.

Think back to the St. Louis Blues‘ memorable playoff run last spring, and which three players come to mind most quickly?

Surely one has to be Troy Brouwer, who had eight goals during the postseason, one of which was the game-winner in a Game 7 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks that will be talked about for years to come. You might include Vladimir Tarasenko, who scored four times in the first round and another three in the second, but can you really pass over David Backes, who had three game-winning goals during the postseason tourney?

Your list simply can’t be taken seriously if it doesn’t include Brian Elliott, who was the Blues’ rock for the first 15 games of the postseason, shutting out the Blackhawks in the playoff opener. Though he wilted a bit during the Conference Finals, he was the driving force behind the Blues getting that far in the first place.

All of this is to say that Brouwer, Elliott, and Backes are all gone now, with Brouwer and Elliott in Calgary and Backes in Boston. The Blues didn’t add a big-time free agent this offseason–a reunion with winger David Perron was their only signing that made headlines–so they’ll be relying on a youthful core to enable their success to continue.

Second-year players like Robby Fabbri, Colton Parayko, and Joel Edmundson are going to need to step up, and guys like Dmitrij Jaskin, Magnus Paajarvi, and Ty Rattie will need to be more productive than they’ve been in the past. This Blues team seems talented enough to succeed once again, but as was the case with their baseball-playing downtown neighbors this offseason, a lot of responsibility is being placed on the shoulders of young, rather unproven players.

Here are five Blues players who are under the most pressure to succeed heading into the 2016-17 season: