Veteran Upshall learns new lessons in difficult postseason

It isn't often that a 31-year-old player who served as an alternate captain the previous season is still looking for an NHL team to sign with at the end of the summer. But that's exactly the position that Scottie Upshall is in, and the former Panther will have to prove to the Blues this September that he is still worthy of a roster spot after receiving a tryout from St. Louis. 

"It’s been a long summer," Upshall said in a recent interview with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "It’s tough not making the playoffs and then being in a position not really knowing where you’re going for the first time in your career. For the first time in 15 years, I was going into August with my training and not really knowing where I was going. It was definitely an eye-opener. You realize that you don’t take things for granted and you’ve got to work extra hard."

Upshall clearly had a down season last year, notching 15 points in 63 games while often playing a fourth-line role for the Panthers. Florida is a team looking to integrate more youth, and Upshall never earned himself a new contract with his lacking production.

But at what point does a team give up on a former first-round (and sixth overall) pick? Upshall has a difficult history with injuries, but he also recorded 37 points in 76 games in 2013-14, and he has clear leadership abilities as well as veteran experience. 

The Blues are taking a low-risk gamble on Upshall by inviting him to training camp, but if Upshall has learned how to quickly prove himself over this past summer, it looks like there could be plenty of upside for St. Louis.

(h/t St. Louis Post-Dispatch)