Fresh off the heels of a six-game series loss to Nashville, and with a "transitional" season in the rear-view mirror, an uncomfortable question hangs over the Blues like a thick fog: what will this team transition into?
If the answer is "Stanley Cup contender," then the only way to truly square that circle is to obtain a legitimate #1 center. The lack of depth up the middle for the Blues was impossible to ignore. St. Louis lost 393 face-offs in 11 postseason games, ranking dead-last in face-off win percentage among all playoff teams. To his credit, Mike Yeo threw everything he had at the problem; he gave youngsters like Sanford and Barbashev a chance in the circle, and even tried to utilize Steen at center, but nothing really worked.