Two goalies, one net: For Blues, the future is wide open

ST. LOUIS -- Once again, the St. Louis Blues finished their season with a goaltending conundrum -- or, as Blues coach Ken Hitchcock views it, goaltending competition.

Veteran Brian Elliott, who'd been with the Blues for almost three seasons, entered 2014-15 on a new three-year contract with the team, and weathered injury and the subsequent acquisition of Martin Brodeur to remain the starting goaltender for much of the season. But uneven play toward the end allowed rookie Jake Allen to supplant him the week before the playoffs, as Allen drew key starts against division rivals while the Blues battled for home-ice advantage. And Allen did everything to prove he belonged: Over his final three regular-season starts, his lowest save percentage in a game was .955.

But after four solid playoff performances and one uneven outing in Game 5, Allen was pulled halfway through a regrettable elimination Game 6, where he let in two goals on 13 shots.  

And so the Blues once more face familiar questions in the offseason. What should their goaltending situation look like next season? Do they go back to Elliott, who put together another All-Star season? Or has Allen done enough to prove he's the starter?

Elliott, speaking to the media after the season, pointed out recent examples of teams relying on goaltending tandems to succeed.

"I think the NHL is kind of in a trend of changing," Elliott said. "I mean, you've got to rely on a couple guys to do the job, and I think you've seen that in the playoffs a lot for a lot of teams and throughout the seasons that it's almost come down to, with injuries, a lot of teams are using three or four guys. There's so much good talent out there that a lot of goalies can win a game on any given night. It's just kind of how you manage a tandem throughout the year, and make sure everybody has energy going into the postseason."

The point is valid. In New York this year, it took Cam Talbot backing up Henrik Lundqvist, who missed time with injury, to help the Rangers nab the Presidents' Trophy; meanwhile, sans injury, it took Corey Crawford and Scott Darling for the Chicago Blackhawks to get past the first round against Nashville in the playoffs. Then again, Carey Price in Montreal played 66 games, finished with a .933 save percentage and helped Montreal get past the first round of the playoffs. He's also probably winning a Vezina.

"I think that what you see around the league is the top and the bottom of goaltending has gotten very close," Blues general manager Doug Armstrong said. "So you're very comfortable having two and playing both. I think that's the way we entered this season, that it was Brian's job. Jake was learning. Jake got up to speed quickly, and then they jostled for position. That's what you, from a competitive standpoint, that's what you want."

And, it appears, the approach the Blues will take into 2015-16.

"I see us next year with a goalie tandem," Armstrong said. "If one of them takes the ball and just never drops it, never gives it up, good for us, bad for the second guy. If that doesn't happen, the second guy better be ready to grab it, and not give it back."

Said Hitchcock: "That's going to be a great competition that's going to make the team really good, 'cause you've got a young guy that wants a bigger piece of the pie. It's going to make for great personal competition through training camps, through exhibition games."

The coach compared the situation to that of five or six defensemen trying to take the top four spots.

"It's a great atmosphere for the coach, and it's a really tough atmosphere for the players," he said. "But man, is it ever good for the team."

In other words, the message going into the offseason: Coexist in a pressure cooker.

In the past, Elliott and Allen have thrived doing just that. Elliott shared time with Jaroslav Halak in St. Louis and dealt with the acquisition of Ryan Miller from Buffalo before the playoffs last year. This season, he and Allen frequently kept the Blues competitive in the standings while the rest of the team figured out how to balance all its newfound offensive firepower with the traditional defensive play. 

But the reality is this: The story has evolved from when the Blues faced a similar question last year, after trading late in the season for Miller proved insufficient to get them out of the first round of the postseason. Miller didn't return, and the Blues marched forward with the Elliott-Allen tandem that appeared to give them competition, but some semblance of pecking order. Elliott had the edge. Now, it seems, he no longer does.

So, will Elliott be able to stay happy going forward? It's one thing when a veteran battles another high-profile veteran for a starting spot, or when the promising rookie provides some competition from behind for a veteran. It's another thing entirely when a veteran, at the prime of his career, can't seem to garner the confidence of an organization at a time of year when it matters most, while a guy whose best playing days are likely still to come gets the nod in the postseason.

"It's not easy when you play all year and then you're just sitting on the bench, and you don't really feel like you can make a difference," Elliott said. "It's always tough for anybody when you're kind of on the outside looking in."

Yet for him, April's end was still too early for any public admittance as to whether he'd had enough.

"I have a contract for two more years," Elliott said. "That's what I'm here for. It's way too early to think about stuff like that."

Fans, however, likely can't help but wonder: After several years of searching for "the guy" in net, is the organization any closer?

Or, maybe, the Blues have already found them.

You can follow Elisabeth Meinecke on Twitter at @lismeinecke or email her at ecmeinecke@gmail.com.