Lost among the storylines of a disappointing loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets March 31 was that the St. Louis Blues saw action from key players. Andy McDonald had an assist. Roman Polak came back after a knee injury and played over 18 minutes. Matt D'Agostini played a limited eight minutes.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports the game against the Blue Jackets was the first time in 160 games dating back to March 3, 2010, that the full roster of players was healthy and available for the St. Louis Blues.
The return of those players didn't help in the losing cause to Columbus. However, the lineup presents a new and good problem for head coach Ken Hitchcock. For the first time in over two years, he has as many players as possible at his disposal. There are an overabundance of forwards. Figuring out which lines work best will be the priority of the coaching staff when St. Louis has three days off to prepare for the next game.
Perhaps the loss against Columbus was due to rust. With players coming back from injuries, maybe they weren't ready to face another team quite yet. Having quasi-new personnel on the ice is always an adjustment.
The other downside is that rookie Jaden Schwartz suddenly has less playing time. He was famous for scoring two goals on two shots in two games. He still has a shooting percentage of .500 with four shots on goal this season. He didn't play a single minute against the Blue Jackets. Should anyone else on offense get injured, Schwartz will be the first to step into the roster.
Having a quality draft pick like Schwartz ready at a moment's notice will also give Hitchcock piece of mind that his bench can still be deep even when someone gets hurt. Schwartz is clearly ready to play in the NHL. Having his time in the playoffs can be a big lift for the Blues should they need his services. The rookie can also prove to the NHL he is here to stay.
How the Blues handle this new-found abundance of healthy players will be one key to how deep the postseason run will be this year.
William Browning was born in St. Louis and has been a lifelong Blues fan.
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