St. Louis Blues: 5 burning questions for 2018-19 season

DENVER, CO - APRIL 07: Goaltender Jake Allen #34 of the St. Louis Blues stands in net prior to the game against the Colorado Avalanche at the Pepsi Center on April 7, 2018 in Denver, Colorado. The Avalanche defeated the Blues 5-2. (Photo by Michael Martin/NHLI via Getty Images) /

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Photo by Michael Martin/NHLI via Getty Images /

1. Is Jake Allen The Guy?

A huge reason why the Blues fell apart last season was the inconsistent play of goaltender Jake Allen. Backup goalie Carter Hutton nearly saved their season, but it was too late. Though the Blues signed career backup Chad Johnson to replace Hutton, Allen will enter the 2018-19 season as their starter. And as arguably their biggest question mark.

Allen doesn’t need to be terrific for the Blues to win games. He merely needs to be good enough to keep them competitive. Allen will have a surprisingly strong roster in front of him. There will be no excuses for him if he doesn’t do well in 2018-19.

Just two years ago, it appeared Allen was on the verge of greatness. He posted a career-best .920 save percentage in 2015-16. However, in his first two seasons as the undisputed starter, Allen has seen his save percentage dip to .915 in 2016-17 and .906 in 2017-18.

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Johnson posted a .891 save percentage last season. Unless he dramatically improves on that, it will be up to Allen to rebound from his worst season as a starter. The Blues don’t need a great goalie to win the Stanley Cup. They merely need a good one. Allen was anything but good last season. If he can’t bounce back, the Blues likely aren’t going very far.

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