SenShot 2014 NHL Mock Draft – Picks 21-25
#21 – St. Louis Blues
Mar 25, 2014; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; St. Louis Blues center
David Backes(42) looks on from the bench with right wing
T.J. Oshie(74) and head coach Ken Hitchcock against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Air Canada Centre. The Blues beat the Maple Leafs 5-3. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports
The Blues had a disappointing end to the season and bowed out in the first round of the playoffs, leaving more questions than answers. At this point in the draft, the Blues will not get immediate help and the player could be two or three years away.
Their biggest weakness is up the middle, an issue that was highlighted in the first round loss to the Blackhawks, and there isn’t much in the system to help in that area.
The player that best fits the Blues’ system at this point would be Swedish forward Adrian Kempe. Not huge by NHL standards, but at 6’2″, Kempe has the potential to grow into a solid power forward once he gets some more weight on his frame.
He has an NHL shot and is a relentless forechecker.