Know Your Central Enemies: 5 Blues Questions With James Barry

A few weeks ago, James was kind enough to invite me to talk about about JetsNation and about the Jets in general this coming season to Blues fans over on his site BluesRants.com so it’s only right that we give him a chance to talk up the Blues and let him explain why this may be the most exciting team St. Louis fans have had a chance to get behind in maybe ever.

Once you’re done that, be sure to give him a follow on Twitter where he covers all things St. Louis sports, not just the Blues.

James  – I don’t think it is unfair, I think starting goaltending is a fair barometer of success for every NHL team. Did Allen’s play instill a high level of confidence last year? No, not really in many of the vocal fans that we run into, but I don’t think the Allen we saw in January and February is the real Snake. .913 is garbage, but he didn’t get any help from his D last year, a healthier year for Joel Edmundson and Jay Boumeester and perhaps a step forward for Colton Parayko and the Blues’ blue line will be able to help Jake out much more than last year. Remember he’s only 2 years removed from .935 in the playoffs, including an unconscious .956 against the Minnesota Wild in Round 1 of that year. Is he the dominate force we saw then, or the shaky goalie we saw parts of last year? I am a Jake Allen fan, I think this year he has no competition for the starting gig and he leads this team into the playoffs, if Chad Johnson starts more than 20 games…. well then we are in trouble.

James – They were miserable on the Power Play last year, 30th out of 31 (Thanks Edmonton). The additions of a big body forward like Maroon and a PP Quarterback like Ryan O’Reilly should make a big difference in that department. The fact of the matter is that the Blues have to be better at finishing. They need to put teams away and on paper they now have the weapons to do that. It is a big shake up in the top 9 and I expect that it will take some time for the team to gel up front. I wouldn’t be surprised to see them stumble a little at the onset, but by Christmas this team should be lighting the lamp with the upper echelon of teams.

James – Well, things could go a few ways here. If Allen really struggles you may see an abrupt debut of Ville Husso, who the Blues are high on, but I think they want him to develop in the AHL for another season. Robert Thomas is better than a coinflip to make it on to the roster after an incredible season at the Major Junior level last year and he would likely play protected minutes this year. He is too young for the AHL so I expect he will stay with the club and be available to fill in and play minutes centering Robby Fabbri, whose minutes I am sure will be monitored, and Dimitri Jaskin. Jordan Kyrou blew up the OHL last year as well, but I think he starts the year in San Antonio.

James – I think they give him the year, I expect he will have to have this team in the playoffs to be here next year, but I don’t get the feeling management is breathing down his neck. This roster is expensive and talented, I think it’s obvious this is at the very least a playoff team and perhaps a cup contender. Yeo knows that, and he has been given plenty of tools to make that happen. He also seems to have the locker room’s ear, something that didn’t happen with previous coaches.

James – This is the most exciting roster the Blues have had in at least 20 years. I think the expectations are that this will be an exciting time that will play deep into the year. If they stay healthy then there is a chance this team contends with the Jets for the division and once they are in the playoffs… who knows? It’s always going to be about the cup for a fan base desperate for their first, but a big step is making a run deep in the playoffs.