When the St. Louis Blues acquired Alex Steen and Carlo Colaiacovo for Lee Stempniak back in November 2008 the franchise was in a difficult spot. Coming off the lockout in 2004-05 the team had been torn down to the studs and had missed the playoffs three straight seasons.
To make matters worse, in September 2008 top young defenseman Erik Johnson suffered a torn ACL that was going to keep him out for the entire season and at that time the Blues didn’t have a lot of depth on the blue line, particularly when it came to defensemen moving the puck.
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The team was trying to take a step forward, to break out of the dark times and give fans something to get excited about again. It was a young team with a few veterans sprinkled in that still needed a bit more help if they were going to make a run toward the playoffs.
At that time the defenseman, Colaiacovo, was the player they really needed. Steen was a great addition, for sure, but the greater need on the roster was for a defenseman. The Blues and GM Larry Pleau pulled off what turned out to be a great deal by sending Stempniak, who was a good scorer in his own right, to Toronto for Colaiacovo and Steen.
That season the Blues got the added boost they wanted with Colaiacovo playing an important role on the blue line, leading the team’s defensemen in points in just 61 games that season, and Steen settled into a productive grinder role with line mates BJ Crombeen and Jay McClement. They made the playoffs for the first time since 2003-2004 and while it was a short run - they were swept by Vancouver - it was the beginning of a new era for the Blues.
It was also the beginning of Steen’s emergence as an impact player.
He would become a legitimate goal scorer and an outstanding 2-way player, a core guy on a regular playoff contender that eventually grew into a Stanley Cup champion. From the 2009-2010 season until the 2014-2015 season he was one of the most consistent, efficient and prolific scorers the Blues had. After that he was a veteran leader who accepted reduced minutes and a spot on the 4th line for the good of the team and even in that role he had a positive impact that help the Blues finally bring home the Stanley Cup in 2019.
By no means am I trying to say that Steen was, on his own, what led the Blues back to being a legit contender…but I am saying he was a big part of the franchise’s growth and eventual success. By the time the Blues won the Cup Steen was a role player but all of the work he put in the prior 10 years helped younger guys become the stars which in turn helped get Blues to the mountain top.
It was a steal of a deal back in 2008 that brought him to St. Louis.
It was his work ethic, talent and leadership that kept him around for the next 12 years and ultimately made him a Stanley Cup champion.