Barret Jackman recently received the night off against the Calgary Flames and Twitter exploded with fans asking why, critiquing Jackman’s play and criticizing/praising Ken Hitchcock for the decision. This article should serve as a giant disclaimer every Blues fan needs to ready before reacting to healthy scratches.
The Blues have depth. That statement is true of the forwards, but it’s especially true of the defense. The Blues have a total of nine healthy defensemen that they can call on which is a problem a team wants to have as they prepare for the playoffs. As the season winds down, the Blues have the luxury of rotating a few guys in and out of the lineup in order to make sure they’re at the best when it matters most.
Just ask Hitchcock, via STLToday:
“We’re moving guys in and out. We’ll decide what’s going on. Decisions are based on whatever. But I’m not going back and forth on who we’re sitting out every day.”
In other words, fans need to relax and realize that different players are going to be healthy scratches as the playoffs draw closer. Unless a player is banged up or injured, the goal is simply to rest the team so that we don’t see another fatigued squad in the playoffs as we have in the past.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
