Schwartz will have to play a big role for the Blues if they are to hurdle that playoff barrier in 2016. After missing 49 games with a fractured left ankle sustained Oct. 23, Schwartz returned and will be leaned on to help the Blues overcome their offensive shortcomings; they've scored 38 goals the past three seasons in 18 playoff games.
"For us to advance, he's going to have to be a prime player; he's going to have to be a productive prime player," Blues coach Ken Hitchcock said of Schwartz. "This is his time. Hopefully, he does that. Every team's got key guys. He's going to be a key guy that we're going to really count on."
Schwartz, who finished this season with eight goals and 14 assists in 33 games, has regularly played on the "STL Line" with leading scorer Vladimir Tarasenko and Jori Lehtera, and is used in the role former Blues forward T.J. Oshie filled before he was traded to the Washington Capitals last offseason.
"He's impacted [the lineup] in that he's given us flexibility," Hitchcock said. "We've got flexibility that we've never had before. He's allowed us to maneuver other players around. He's the one guy that can play with anybody, so that flexibility really, really helped us, and it's given us a position where we can use it as an advantage rather than always looking to negate the opposition."