Veteran Steve Ott changes role to fit in with Blues

When Steve Ott and the St. Louis Blues paid a visit to Buffalo Monday, Sabres fans saw a drastically different version of Ott than the player who used to captain their team. At 33 years old, Ott is no longer a high-energy center with a scoring touch who plays all over the ice.

Instead, he is a more responsible defensive-styled center with an aggressive edge to his game. The change, Ott said, came after undergoing hernia surgery and trying to find his place on the team. This new role fits both St. Louis's needs while also working as a role which can age along with Ott. 

"I feel like a got a lot of good hockey left in me," Ott told Buffalo Hockey Beat. "And that’s the thing is here it’s more accepting the role I’m put in, trying to excel in the position that I’m given and showing up and being a pro about it."

The stats are not as gaudy for Ott -- the center has three goals in 129 games with the Blues compared to 18 goals in 107 games with the Sabres -- but his new role with the Blues helps keep Ott in the lineup day in and day out and adds a strong veteran presence to the bottom-six for St. Louis. 

(h/t Buffalo Hockey Beat)