Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
What do you do when you lose your No. 2 center to the KHL? You replace him with a KHL defector, of course.
This move has paid massive dividends for the St. Louis Blues.
In the summer of 2014, Blues GM Doug Armstrong signed Finnish center Jori Lehtera to a two-year, $5.5-million deal. The 26-year-old Lehtera was brought in to replace departed Vladimir Sobotka. Without Sobotka, the Blues desperately needed a big centerman to compete with the rest of the NHL‘s Western Conference.
The 6-foot-2, 210-pound Lehtera had played four years in Russia, and wasn’t by any means a point-producing machine. He topped out at 44 points last season. Not exactly something to write home about. Not only has Lehtera come out of seemingly nowhere, he has also severely outplayed fellow newcomer Paul Stastny. Lehtera has put up 24 points already compared to Stastny’s 12.
It’s not even just the incredible pile of points that Lehtera has managed to dig up thus far. He has been a great two-way player for St. Louis. He has won almost 53 percent of his faceoffs. He plays just under 18 minutes per game. And he is responsible defensively. Linemate Vladimir Tarasenko was quoted as saying, “we don’t need to think about defense sometimes, because Jori is so good.”
Speaking of Tarasenko. Half of Tarasenko’s 18 goals this season have been courtesy of a Jori Lehtera pass. The chemistry between the two was almost instantaneous. It did help that they played together for 39 games for Sibir of the KHL in 2011. The soft hands of Lehtera have helped produce some of Tarasenko’s most dazzling goals.
Without such a great playmaker, Tarasenko would be nowhere near where he is today. Lehtera has been an incredible addition to a team that has turned into a perennial Cup-contender. With David Backes, Lehtera and Stastny down the middle, you better believe they’ve got as good a shot as any to raise Lord Stanley’s trophy in June.
Simon Wells is a St. Louis Blues writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter.
