Per St. Louis Post Dispatch Blues writer Jeremy Rutherford, the Blues have Recalled Defenseman Tyson Strachan from their AHL affiliate in Peoria. Rutherford goes on to comment that Coach Andy Murray said Alex Pietrangelo would play tonight.
Reading Between the Lines
With Jackman out at least 7 days and Peoria having a glutton of AHL level capable Defensemen, it was only a matter of time before Strachan or Jonas Junland was recalled. Since Strachan was the last Defenseman cut from Training Camp, the move shouldn’t be a surprise.
Pietrangelo will get a chance to show that he can play at a high level now versus the LA Kings tonight. It appears that Pietrangelo will be paired with Erik Johnson. Which should bode well for Blues fans. How often do you get to see a #1 overall Defenseman and a #4 overall Defenseman play on the same pairing together. That is a lot of talent and hopefully the Blues transition game will benefit. Coach Murray loves to play match ups. So expect Sydor and Polak to see the blue of the time against whatever Line Kopitar, Brown, and Smyth are on. With Johnson knocking off the rust still, Pietrangelo will need to bring his “A” game. This isn’t a knock against Erik, but just an admission that he isn’t to his expected level of play yet.
I would not be surprised to see Carlo Colaiacovo sit out the next game versus Phoenix on October 15th if his level of play doesn’t come back up to expectations. Jackman will still be on IR and Strachan is a more than capable 3rd pairing Defenseman.