Blues rebuilding, again, without Johnson

By R.B. FALLSTROM
AP Sports Writer

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Erik Johnson wrecked his knee in a team golf outing a few days before the start of St. Louis Blues training camp. The franchise is determined that the season-long loss of their young star defenseman will not wreck their season.

The 20-year-old Johnson was the first overall pick of the 2006 draft and is the centerpiece of the franchise’s youth movement after finishing a disappointing 14th in the Western Conference. They’ll just have to wait a year to plug him back into the lineup and power play.

“I was done reeling as soon as I hung the phone up and they picked me off the floor,” coach Andy Murray said. “It’s just something you deal with, and you move on.”

Perhaps the biggest reason for optimism for a franchise seeking to end a three-year playoff drought and coming off a major second-half fadeout — five wins in the last 23 games — is the last line of defense. The draft day pickup of goaltender Chris Mason from the Predators gives them a reliable second option behind Manny Legace, an All-Star last season but worn down by season’s end.

Murray stopped well short of opening a competition, but giving Mason the start in the second game of the season signals a new confidence level after Legace was forced into iron man duty last season due to the inconsistency of backup Hannu Toivonen. The Blues open at home Friday against the Predators and play at the New York Rangers on Saturday.

“When I first got here a year-and-a-half ago, it seemed like we played Nashville four times in a row and Mason stood on his head every night,” Murray said. “So I know what he’s capable of, and Manny knows what he’s capable of.”

Johnson’s injury opens the door for this year’s fourth overall pick, 19-year-old Alex Pietrangelo. Other young players who could be heavy contributors on the back line are Roman Polak, 22, and Steve Wagner, 24.

Without Johnson serving as quarterback on the power play, Murray plans to go with five forwards. Lee Stempniak, who may be the fill-in for Johnson, also is part of a top scoring line that was prolific in the preseason, along with 43-goal scorer Brad Boyes and Andy McDonald. The trio combined for 35 points in five preseason games.

“Things just seem to happen out there, and it’s a good sign,” McDonald said. “We seem to be in the right spots, finding each other. It’s only preseason, but you want to feel good about yourself.”

Murray patterned this line on McDonald’s success on the Ducks’ Stanley Cup winner while playing with Chris Kunitz and Teemu Selanne.

“Most people probably think I just pulled them out of a hat,” Murray said. “But there was some rationale to that. We’ve tried to play with some consistency in our lines.”

Paul Kariya, the main setup man for Boyes last season, moves to the second line after a disappointing fade in his first season with St. Louis, when he scored one goal in the last 26 games. Veteran forward Keith Tkachuk gives the Blues a third line with scoring potential, surrounded by rugged David Backes, 24, and 21-year-old rookie T.J. Oshie, a first-rounder in 2005 and a star in college at North Dakota.

The Blues had a couple of high-scoring games in the preseason, getting nine at Atlanta and seven at home against the Maple Leafs. That’s a positive sign for a franchise that tied for third-worst in scoring last season.

“It’s just kind of nice not to have your heart in your throat right at the end,” Murray said after beating Toronto by four goals. “I think we have a little more skill in our lineup.”