The Blues announce new team leadership

The Blues’ off-season turnover necessitated some revisions to their leadership squad. The team announced their new group of captains today, and to no one’s shock (probably because it wasn’t exactly a well kept secret) Ryan O’Reilly was named as the 23rd captain in St. Louis Blues history:

A Stanley Cup, a Conn Smythe, a Selke, and a two-time All-Star, not to mention a team leader on and off of the ice - all of these make O’Reilly qualified to be the team’s newest captain. He should easily slide into the role that former captain Alex Pietrangelo held for four years.

Vladimir Tarasenko has worn an A for the past four seasons, though this leadership holdover will begin this year on the LTIR. It remains to be seen if someone else will temporarily be wearing the A to start the season, and who it could be hasn’t been discussed.

Brayden Schenn is starting his fourth season with the Blues, and is currently signed to an eight-year deal that ensures that he’ll be around as a member of team leadership for quite a while.

Colton Parayko’s name had been kicked around a bit in speculation for the final A. Parayko will be shouldering a lot of new responsibilities this year on the defense with the departure of Pietrangelo. Petro had nothing but high praise for Parayko’s skills and leadership, so it’s very likely that Doug Armstrong and the coaching staff took this into consideration when deciding that the young defenseman deserved a leadership role.