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ST. LOUIS, MO. (Joe Richter, Missouri Sports Magazine) â€" The St. Louis Blues extended the contract of All-Star goaltender Brian Elliott, who was originally picked up over the offseason by General Manager Doug Armstrong, for two years on Wednesday. Many wondered what that meant to the team. Despite all the worries for the future of fellow goalie Jaroslav Halak, and minor-league netminders Ben Bishop (of Des Peres, MO) and Jake Allen, what it means is that the Blues realized the importance of having steady goaltending. This year’s tandem of Elliott and Halak is arguably the best in the National Hockey League. Wednesday’s contract extension just solidifies that tandem for the next couple years.
Armstrong has had one major quest â€" to make this Blues team deep enough to survive through the injuries inherent in an NHL season. Though the Des Peres Giant Ben Bishop has been outstanding for the Blues’ minor-league affiliate, the Peoria Rivermen, boasting a 17-10-0 record with a 2.17 goals-against average and a save percentage of .932 (all stats as of Thursday afternoon), Armstrong brought in Elliott to challenge the young goaltender for the backup spot behind Halak. Elliott has proved to be much more than that. His selection as the Blues representative at the 2012 NHL All-Star game speaks for his great season. ON Thursday, he had 15-5-1 record, a 1.63 G.A.A (2nd in the NHL) and a .937 save percentage (tied for 2nd). But no member of the Blues â€" on or off the ice â€" is saying that Elliott stole the number one goalie spot from Halak.
Halak has played extremely well since Ken Hitchcock took over as Blues Head Coach â€" perhaps even outplaying Elliott. This is one of those proverbial #1A and #1B tandems that teams salivate over. Not many teams have the luxury the Blues have in their goalie combo.
The Blues are surely not taking this situation for granted, as evidenced by Armstrong reaching out to Elliott to stick around for more than the one-year deal he signed in the summer. The team knows how fortuitous it is to have two great goalies. In the recent past, the Blues haven’t been so lucky.
Blues fans can harken back to the 2008-09 season where they employed five different goalies. Chris “Soft Goal†Mason (57 games) and Bishop (6 games) to have a G.A.A lower than 3. The other goalies didn’t fare so well â€" Manny Legace (at the tail end of his career), Marek Schwarz (first round bust) and Chris Holt (who?). Magically, that was the last year the Blues made the playoffs â€" on the strength of Mason’s surge at the end of the season. Unfortunately, they proved to be overmatched in the (too) short first round sweep at the hands of the Vancouver Canucks.
The biggest fear is that one of these goalies gets hurt. If Elliott hadn’t surfaced as a top goalie in the NHL, and Halak got injured, the Blues would have to turn to unproven, young netminders in Bishop and Peoria backup Jake Allen. With both goaltenders signed on for extended periods, the Blues have given their team the best chance to succeed for the next couple years â€" something many teams spend decades doing.
Elliott is signed through the 2013-14 season, and got a nice raise for his play ($3.6 million). But the Blues got so much more in that signing â€" stability between the pipes. Jaroslav Halak has given the Blues inspired play since November, and fans are rooting for him to succeed. But that doesn’t mean fans don’t have room for one more solid goaltender. The Blues certainly did.
NEXT UP
The Blues (27-12-6) host the Edmonton Oilers (17-24-4) at Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri Thursday night. Loaded with young stars, the Oilers have been struggling lately â€" 2-7-1 in their last ten. Game time Thursday is 7:00 CST.
INTO THE BLUE
- The Blues are 27th (before Thursday’s games) in the NHL in power play efficiency, going 22-for-160 (13.8%). The Blues’ penalty killing units have allowed 27 goals in 155 (82.6%) shorthanded situations (14th before Thursday’s games).
- The Blues have allowed the second fewest goals per game (1.98) and the fewest shots per game (26.3). The Blues are third in the NHL with a 1.44 ratio when playing five-on-five.
- Puck-moving defenseman Kris Russell returns to the lineup Thursday against the Edmonton Oilers. Alex Steen is still sidelined with concussion-like symptoms, as is Andy McDonald.  Steen could return Thursday; McDonald is skating in practice with a “no-contact†jersey.  Defenseman Kent Huskins (fractured foot) is also skating in practice, but no return date has been set.
Joe Richter is Missouri Sports Magazine’s Executive Editor / Producer covering St. Louis sports. Joe obtained a Masters of Arts in Teaching and a B.A. in Mass Communications (Radio / Television) from Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Missouri. Joe can be reached via email at: jrichter@missourisportsmag.com
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By Joe Richter
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