ST. LOUIS - I can remember like it was yesterday… Free agency opens in the NHL. It’s a Sunday around noon.
The Blues had made a few moves including bringing back David Perron. The response by the fans was not great. The Blues were coming off a playoff-less season. None of the names acquired moved the needle: Perron, Chad Johnson and Tyler Bozak. I had just interviewed Doug Armstrong. I got the impression they were finished making moves and so did the fans.
Then it happened. The Blues pulled the trigger on a big deal. They sent Patrik Berglund, Vladimir Sobotka and Tage Thompson to the Buffalo Sabres for a guy who had actually played in an All-Star game, Ryan O’Reilly. He will play in another one. On Wednesday, the league confirmed what we had seen all season long: O’Reilly is an All-Star. He will almost assuredly be the Blues lone representative in the game in San Jose.
In a dismal season, he’s the shining light. He’s the hardest worker and the most productive player. His routine is after practice he conducts another practice. Sometimes they last 45 minutes. It’s contagious too because other players join him. If the best player on the team is practicing more, others usually follow. They have and do. It’s certainly paid off for O’Reilly who leads the team in goals with 15, in assists with 20, plus minus and is third in the league in face offs won. He is just a joy to watch. When great skill is matched with an unbridled passion, results follow.
The Blues are dead last in the Western Conference, however, they are still within striking range of a playoff birth and there are 45 games left. There is a small chance that they get back in the playoff hunt. There would be no chance if Doug Armstrong wouldn’t have pulled off that trade.
