The Blues reign as defending Stanley Cup champions.
They would still reign as defending champions next fall if the NHL can't finish the 2019-2020 season. They are set up to contend for years to come, since their competitive window remains wide open.
And if hockey is somehow able to resume in mid-May, the Blues would be rested and ready to defend their crown as one of the top Western Conference playoff seeds.
So the diehard Bluesiers are feeling less sports angst these days than some rival fan bases. That's small consolation during these incredibly trying times for our community, but it's one ray of light in a dark time.
Imagine if the global health crisis hit a year ago, before the Blues ended their 50-year title drought with their storybook championship run.
Worse yet, imagine if such a disaster struck in those difficult days before Tom Stillman's group rescued the franchise from cash-poor ownership and revitalized the business.
This star-crossed franchise would have remained cursed. Long-suffering fans would have added more what-ifs to their long list that included Bob Gassoff's motorcycle crash, Judge Ed Houston's arbitration ruling, the Garth Butcher Trade and Nick Kypreos eradicating Grant Fuhr.
Had the Blues not won a Cup after rising up to become one of the NHL's model franchises, things would have been much worse for hockey fans. At least they know that good times will eventually resume.
If the NHL resumes play this year _ a really big if under the dire circumstances of the day _ the Blues would be refreshed and good to go.
Repeating as Cup champions is difficult because the initial run takes such a toll. The Blues might have hit their mental and physical wall during their 2-7-3 downturn last month.
These days they are resting up while trying to keep themselves and their families safe from coronavirus.
Winger Vladimir Tarasenko would have to scrape off some rust after missing the bulk of the season after undergoing shoulder surgery. But this shutdown gave him extra time to strengthen his shoulder and help it survive contact.
Other teams will get healthier, too, like the injury-battered Colorado Avalanche. But adding Tarasenko to a forward corps that saw Robert Thomas and Zach Sanford break out this season would make the Blues better on paper than they were a year ago.
If play does not resume, the Blues will be stronger than most franchises moving forward. General manager Doug Armstrong did not trade away long-term assets for rental help this season.
By contrast, the Tampa Bay Lightning "went all in" for this season and spent first-round picks to add gritty forwards Blake Coleman and Barclay Goodrow to their talent mix before the NHL trade deadline.
While those players are under contract for next season under team-friendly terms, the Lightning will have to make cuts elsewhere to make future payrolls work.
That team mortgaged its future while focusing on the 2020 playoffs. What if they aren't held?
The Blues face two notable challenges after this season: Re-signing unrestricted free agent Alex Pietrangelo and restricted free agent Vince Dunn to maintain their elite defensive corps.
The inevitable retirement of Jay Bouwmeester will free up some money for that, but another move (trading goaltender Jake Allen?) might be necessary to make the salary cap work.
Otherwise the Blues will have the cap space to bring largely the same team back for 2020-21. This team should contend once again with the bulk of its players still in their athletic primes.
Compare that to the Boston Bruins, who are leaning hard on older stalwarts Patrice Bergeron (34 years old), Jaroslav Halak (34), David Krejci (33), Tuukka Rask (33), Brad Marchand (31) and, of course, 900-year-old defenseman Zdeno Chara.
The Bruins really, REALLY want another shot at the Cup this spring before their key veterans slip over the hill.
By winning the 2019 Cup, the Blues added additional financial strength to the progress Stillman and Co. already made. That's critical for a franchise that will take a big hit due to the business lost this season.
This is a franchise that nearly moved to Saskatoon, then shut down when the league blocked that sale.
Like Ralston-Purina, the Civic Progress guys gave up on this franchise. So did Bill and Nancy Laurie, after supporting the NHL's lockout of the playoffs.
Dave Checketts and Co. wanted to do things the right way, but those guys lacked the capital to get it done.
Finally the franchise got great ownership with the Stillman group. Finally a great hockey market got the smart, stable hockey operation it always deserved.
The franchise became financially viable. Its reward was the hugely successful Winter Classic. Then came the epic Cup run, followed by the NHL All-Star weekend. Hockey's future here became secure.
So if the worst-case scenario arises and hockey doesn't return until the fall, the Blues will come back strong as ever.
And they will still reign as Stanley Cup champions.
