Halak seems rejuvinated

[Stephane Richer]

Halak mentioned on Thursday that he felt as if he was drafted once again and he and Blues brass were presented to fans in St-Louis during a team rally. Erik Jonston's comments about Halak say he should be the centerpiece of a very long haul in the series for the Blues.

Halak quickly went from the goalie with nothing to lose to a goaltender who's team rests on it's shoulders.

See Mathias Brunet's article on cyberpresse.ca

[Shoeless]

I am excited for Halak actually and my friend Smack who owns him in our keeper. But I am really excited for the Blues - I think they are on the verge of jelling.

[Bomm Bastic]

My season goes as Halak goes, so I'm very excited to see what he does. Some seem to believe he was a one hit wonder, but what I saw in him in the playoffs tells me different. That guy can handle pressure, and that's something you can't teach.

[plug]

I think that the Blues trading for him as soon as the opportunity arose without even talking to him really made him feel good that they had such faith in his ability.

I grew up in StL, and I'm quite ecstatic. Blues fans all know that an Elite goalie is the thing we were missing

In last years off season my friends and I were debating who the Blues should go after goalie-wise. Most were saying Cory Schneider, but I argued for Halak. (which does seem pretty cool right now).

[AwkwardMongoose]

I really hope he plays well, but I am always a bit weary. I'll be cheering for him though.

[JagrBomb]

there is no way he will play as well as he did in the playoffs on a consistent basis. no goalie can do that. if anyone is thinking he's going to single handedly win every game for the blues they are mistaken lol.

[Injury Prone]

This is the year the Blues make the playoffs and upset the Sharks in the first round, and then.......

[hockeyrobot]

Even as a Wings' fan, I hope the Blues do well this year. I really thought last year was their year to make the kind of step that LA made, but they disappointed me in every way possible. I had Backes, EJ and Kariya drafted in my yearly roto league and all were traded or dropped by the end of the year. I hope they can make things right this year; they definitely have the talent to do so.

[wendelclark17]

I thought Halak was absolutely fantastic in the playoffs but I am a bit weary of him replicating that form for a full season when the number one pressure is on him. All the talk reminds me of last off-season when Steve Mason was the greatest thing since sliced bread. Im not saying Halak is going to pull a Mason like disappearing act this year but I do think its a completely different thing when the presure to perform is all on your shoulders. take Carey Price, broke in to the league and posted 24 wins 2.56 GAA and 3 shout outs in his first season (41 games) then they trade Huet and Price gets more and more pressure .... since then in 93 games he has 1 shutout and 36 wins with a GAA of around 2.80 not exactly a step forward. Steve Mason first year no pressure 61 starts 33 wins 2.29 GAA and 10 shutouts!! last year 58 starts 20 wins 3.05 GAA and 5 shutouts, again in my opinion couldnt handle the pressure. Now I must admit this may also be the result of better scouting by opposing teams and identifying tendencies. I guess my main point is that sometimes its one step forward 2 steps back with young goalies. Mental toughness is a defining factor in the success of NHL goaltenders and you dont really know how much they have until the going gets tough. So for me the jury is still out on Halak. Hes definitely got all the tools but can he do it as the number one go-toguy is the question.