Rivermen Future Uncertain

The attention around the St. Louis organization has mostly involved the state of the team’s ownership which includes not only the Blues, but the Scottrade Center as well being placed for sale. However, one aspect that appears to be mostly overlooked concerns the future of the Peoria Rivermen.

The topic, broken down by Jeff Gordon of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, states how the Rivermen’s future could be pretty uncertain given the ownership turmoil. The current group of owners, Dave Checketts included, currently own the Peoria Rivermen and will now look to sell them as apart of the Blues/Scottrade package.

The issue presented in Gordon’s article is how a possible new owner may look to either sell or shut down the Rivermen in an effort to eat some of the costs in purchasing the St. Louis organization.

Peoria has provided a stream of player development into the St. Louis organization, and devoted fan base aside, it would be a massive blow to how the franchise would handle future prospects and picks. In regards to the fan base, Peoria has developed a solid fan following now that the team has taken root and been in place since 2005.

Unfortunately, we’ve seen plenty of turmoil and change in the Rivermen organization in the past, which makes plenty of fans worried about the future.

One would hope a new ownership group can recognize the need for an AHL club that can enhance the NHL club’s ability to harness and grow young talent as needed.