Add the Blues to the list of teams that did not do well in the bubble environment. Washington, but they generally do not do well in the playoff environment, so I am hesitant to draw too many conclusions. Boston did not look good during the round-robin, but found their swagger for the first round. There are other, non top-four teams in each conference that look clueless for all or most of their limited stay.
While I am disappointed that we bowed out so easily and were generally as effective as a one-legged man in a butt kicking contest while in Edmonton, I can't really draw any more conclusions than that. It is easy to pick on Binnington, but the fact is our defense did not play well at all. Only in game 4 did we block more than 15 shots, and I would bet that most of our 26 that game were in the 15 or so minute stretch where we dominated the scoring chances. We didn't defend rushes well, too many times allowing them to become odd-man chances as they developed, including on sustained Vancouver pushes in the zone.
I think the loss of Bo showed. I don't hate Faulk, but I have serious questions about whether he can fit into the defensive scheme we play. That is not an editorial on his talent. There are things he does that I like, things he does that I shake my head at, which means he is not worth the $6.5M or so he costs us next year. If we lose Petro, Faulk becomes more important.....if he can do it. I see flashes, maybe more than flashes, but at his price I need to see more than that. My jury is out on Scandella.
In net, I thought as we entered this year that it probably had to be Allen's last with us. He did a good job in the role he played, but his history suggests he can't be much more than what he did this year and be consistently effective. Again, that comes down to value. At 30, do we want to commit upwards of $4.5M to him next year, or do we want to give Husso a shot or find someone else for that role at a lesser price? I will admit a bias on Binnington, and not the obvious "we don't win our first Cup without him" bias. I have seen many other goalies be lights out in their first year and then suffer the "sophomore slump." I thought he played pretty well before the break, not spectacular, but pretty well. If that is a sophomore slump, it is worth betting his salary he gets past it. Of course, his is a UFA (as is Allen) after this next season, which is part of the reason I want to see someone on the roster in the position who is signed beyond 2020.
I don't know if we resign Petro or not, but given the loss of Bo and its impact, I very much hope we find a way to do so. The other 2-ton gorilla in the room is what is up with Tarasenko?