Promising season ends with another high draft pick

ST. LOUIS -- For the second time in three years, the St. Louis Blues had a shot at the first overall draft pick in the NHL's lottery Monday night.

That's not a good thing for a franchise supposedly on the rise only a few months ago.

The Blues figured to challenge for a playoff spot after a two-year absence, taking off in coach Andy Murray's first full season. Instead, a midwinter slump all but finished them off and they limped in with only five wins in the last 23 games.

Their 79-point total, representing a massive collapse after an impressive 22-14-5 record at the halfway mark, was two points less than last season. They finished 14th out of 15 teams in the Western Conference and tied for the fourth-worst record in the NHL, ending up with the fourth overall pick.

"We won the last game, we won the first game," Murray said. "We didn't get the job done for the year."

New ownership signaled it wasn't afraid to spend for a winner, signing Paul Kariya to a three-year, $18 million free agent contract. So far Kariya has been something of a bust, providing a healthy dose of speed but not much offense with 19 goals and 65 points. Kariya had only one goal in the final 26 games.

He's not the only disappointment. Keith Tkachuk became only the fourth U.S.-born player to score 500 goals on an empty-netter in the finale, but had only 27 on the year and wasn't much of a factor. Defenseman Jay McKee and forward Martin Rucinsky failed to provide veteran consistency, and backup goalie Hannu Toivonen was so inconsistent that Murray was afraid to give Manny Legace any time off. Eric Brewer, awarded the captaincy last February, was third-worst on the team with a minus-18 rating.

The high points: the 34-year-old Legace, who made the All-Star team for the first time and played in 66 games, Brad Boyes' blossoming as a scorer with 43 goals, and rookie defenseman Erik Johnson's impressive debut.

The Blues' 205-goal total tied for third-worst in the NHL and their bottom-ranked power play was anemic all season.

Legace had a 2.41 goals-against average, more than a goal better than Toivonen, and many nights was the unquestioned star of the show. Boyes is the franchise's first 40-goal scorer since Scott Young in 2000, earning a four-year contract extension last month.

"He set a standard for himself," Murray said. "I think he has unbelievable hands and vision and finishing ability.

"I know he wants to continue to get better as well."

The 20-year-old Johnson was the first overall pick of the 2006 draft and showed enough offensive instinct that he ended up quarterbacking the power play as well as providing a solid presence in his own end.

The Blues need to find a way to get more production from their other young first-round pick, 19-year-old left wing David Perron. St. Louis' first pick in 2007 has flash and quick hands others playing ahead of him lack, but too often he languished while mismatched with slower physical players and totaled 13 goals in 62 games.

Murray matched Perron with speedy Andy McDonald and talented banger David Backes the last four games, and that line totaled four goals.

"It's great to play with these two guys," Perron said. "We'll see next year if we have a chance to start or play again together and get chemistry going."

Other youngsters could be arriving. Forward Patrik Berglund also was a first-round pick in 2006 and center T.J. Oshie, a first-rounder in 2005, has been a star at North Dakota and is making his third appearance in the NCAA Frozen Four.