Remembering Oshie’s Time With the St. Louis Blues

2014 Olympic Shootout Circus

As a member of the Blues in 2014, Oshie made Team USA for the Sochi Winter Olympic Games. In their second game of the group stage, Team USA had a chance to prevent Russia from qualifying for the knockout round and gain a point advantage to win their group.

The USA and Russia fought to a 2-2 tie at the end of three periods. Overtime did not provide a winner, so the game went to a shootout. The shootout went eight rounds, waiting to see who would break first. Oshie scored on four of his six attempts, including his last attempt, which gave the U.S. the win.

That shootout goal made Oshie a star. He finished the season as the Blues’ leading shootout goal-scorer during the 2013-14 season (9) with a success rate of 75 percent.

Oshie’s Impactful 2013-14 Season

Oshie put up his best offensive season in 2013-14 with the Blues, scoring 60 points in 79 games to rank second on the team and top 50 in the NHL. Playing alongside David Backes, Alexander Steen, and Vladimir Tarasenko gave him a chance to increase his point totals during the season and showed the talent he added to the team.

In 2012-13, Oshie was also on pace for career highs after the lockout, recording 20 points in 30 games. He was at his peak, and his offensive output helped the Blues have several playoff runs.

During the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Oshie wasn’t at his best, scoring two goals through five games. The Blues might have rushed him back from injury, since he missed Game 1 of their first-round series against the Chicago Blackhawks.

Oshie Departs for Washington Capitals

In the 2015 offseason, the Blues had to make a tough decision with Oshie, as in two years, he would be an unrestricted free agent. The Blues were short on the cap and in no position to re-sign him, so they made the tough decision to trade him. On July 2, 2015, the Blues traded Oshie to the Washington Capitals for forward Troy Brouwer, goaltender Pheonix Copley, and a 2016 third-round pick (traded back to the Capitals in a trade for a 2016 first-round pick to select Tage Thompson).

At one point, Oshie was one of the most recognizable players in the league. He was the third-highest searched NHL player in 2014 and was a big part of the Steen-Backes era. But the Blues weren’t going to risk their other important offensive pieces as they were finding success with star players Steen, Backes, and Tarasenko. He was just in a bad spot, considering his contract was about to expire soon. So the best decision was to trade him and get something out of his value while they still could. With Oshie gone, the Blues entered into a new era.

Were Oshie’s Moments With the Blues Worth It?

Oshie may have only played seven seasons with the Blues, but he helped the Blues become a respectable team and a Cup contender. The Blues are due to retire Oshie’s jersey in the next few years. He has the numbers: 310 career points with the Blues and a shootout skillset that drew fans closer to the franchise, which is something worth remembering as a Blues fan.