St. Louis's Stastny looks to become more of a leader next season

Paul Stastny played for the Colorado Avalanche for eight years, and during that time he became one of the team's more well-known leaders. But after Stastny was unable to agree to terms for a new contract with the Avalanche last summer, he left Colorado and signed with the St. Louis Blues instead. 

Stastny said he did not serve much of a leadership role with the Blues as a first-year player, but he recently told The Denver Post that he hopes to change that this year.

"The first year with a new team, you kind of fly under the radar and be quiet," Stastny said to The Denver Post. "But as you get older you have to speak up. You want to win. If you see something go wrong, you’re not going to sit there and not say anything. 

"[Leadership], it’s another attribute and ability that you’re good at, and feel like you’re not being used for it and kind of hindering yourself and not being involved as much as you should be. But at same time when you come to a new team, especially a team that’s good and has been built from the bottom, they already have their leaders." 

Stastny stepped back a bit both as a leader and as a scorer, as he posted 46 points in 74 games with the Blues last year, a mark just below his typical 50-plus points per season. 

(h/t The Denver Post)