Today what we all long assumed would happen came to fruition: Brayden Schenn is your newest captain of the Blues. Although there were other names in the hat for this (Robert Thomas being the main one) he was by far the best and most obvious option based on the current state of the team. After a season plagued by rumors of what went on off the ice being the main reason the team was a wheelchair with pedals on the ice, we’ve chosen the right guy who’s the best example of what to be when you’re not on skates.
Armstrong and company choosing Schenn over Thomas or any other option for captain also gives us a clear indication of what their intentions are for the future. If they selected Thomas, they’d be signaling they’re focusing more on the future with a fast + more skilled NHL (aka Thomas’s style), and essentially telling Thomas it’s nut up or shut up time after we gave him $64 mil last summer. It would also signal that they expect, and are ok with, this rebuild taking a few seasons. Choosing Schenn is essentially them choosing the best guy to correct what was a broken locker room last season, who can help be the core veteran that transitions the Blues to this next core group of young players over the next decade, and most importantly shows they intend on this rebuild being quite a short one.
I have loved Brayden Schenn since that fateful day in 2017 that Doug Armstong sandpaper finished Philly for him by sending them two 1st round picks and Jori Lehtera, who gave them 11 points in 89 games and a -15 rating. In 425 games with the Blues Schenn has given us 103 goals, 341 points, and a +8 rating (+35 if you don’t count last season when the entire team was -20 or worse). But he’s not our captain just because he’s a consistently solid forward on the ice the last 6 seasons, it’s because he consistently embodies what you want your captain to do in terms of everything else. When the Blues had a promising prospect come up to the team in recent years (Thomas, Neighbours, Perunovich), Brayden Schenn had them living with him showing them how to be a true pro. Not O’Reilly, not Petro, Schenner. If the Blues had a skid for a few games of playing like a junior college hockey team, you could expect Schenn to do something like this:
or this
time and time again. If the team needs a jolt he’s either giving you a timely goal, fighting the other team’s captain off the faceoff, or trying to send a guy into the Mezzanine level with a check with zero regard for his own body.
Consistent performer since he’s arrived in STL-check
Willing to drop the mitts/sacrifice his body at any given time (unlike either of our last 2 captains)-check
Long term unofficial locker room DJ of the Blues-check
Legendary parade performer-check
I would die for this man. If he gets us to the promised land during his tenure with the C I want him outside Enterprise in bronze.
The Morning Skate 
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