The Blues came oh so close last year. Then came what often comes for teams at the very upper end of the league; an exodus. They couldn't afford everyone who played so hard for them and got them so far. They lost the man who carried the entire team to the WCF, Brian Elliott. They lost one of the best captains to wear the C in decades in Backes. They lost one of their top post seasons scorers in Brouwer. They even lost 4th line rodeo clown Steve Ott.
How can a team lose its #2 and #3 post season goal scorers, and its best goalie and not take a huge step back?