Blues’ playoff hopes on life support after losing Bouwmeester

The St. Louis Blues have fallen out of playoff position in the Western Conference, and losing Jay Bouwmeester for the rest of the year isn’t going to help them claw their way back in.

Trading away center Paul Stastny to the division-rival Winnipeg Jets at the trade deadline might have been enough to end the St. Louis Blues’ bid for the playoffs this season, if their sub-optimal play wasn’t already doing that for them.

But now, losing top defenseman Jay Bouwmeester for the rest of the season will almost certainly do it.

The Blues (75 points) have gone 2-8 in their last 10 games and, as of Monday morning, sit at sixth place in the Central Division. If the season ended today, the Dallas Stars (79 points) and the Los Angeles Kings (77 points) would be the two wild cards in the West, and the Blues would be out of the playoffs.

Did St. Louis have a chance even with Bouwmeester? Probably not. But it’s worth noting that the defenseman has been averaging 20 minutes a game, so while the Blues won’t miss his two goals and five assists much, replacing him in the lineup will be a challenge.

It’s also notable that Bouwmeester, despite the nagging hip injury that he’s been struggling with since December, still felt like his team had a shot at making the postseason:

But general manager Doug Armstrong showed his hand when he dealt Stastny. Fans may not like it, but Armstrong is trying to build a Final Four team, and he can’t do that by paying aging veterans.

So Armstrong likely traded away the Blues’ shot at the playoffs this season, whether or not Bouwmeester and other players thought he had a shot to win it now. Because, spoiler alert, they didn’t.

And speaking of aging veterans, the 34-year-old Bouwmeester is signed through the end of next season before he becomes an unrestricted free agent.

When the St. Louis Blues do next make the playoffs, it’s going to be with a new-look roster.

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