Goaltending and defense always win championships. So the Blues deal for LW Keith Tkachuk will not -- repeat not -- get them a Cup in June.

Don't get me wrong -- the addition of Tkachuk makes a lot of things right under the Arch. Tkachuk will play alongside C Pierre Turgeon and RW Scott Young on the Blues first line. Gritty LW Dallas Drake will move to his proper spot on the third line with C Mike Eastwood and RW Scott Mellanby. St. Louis' second line scoring will depend on the health of fragile RW Pavol Demitra. If healthy, Demitra will likely work with LW Jochen Hecht and newly-acquired Cory Stillman, who will move from wing to center. Sophomore C Marty Reasoner, who was sought after by Minnesota, could also figure into that mix.

However, the Blues still have issues in goal, where they're clearly not confident in Roman Turek. They tried to swing a deal for Ranger vet Mike Richter, but he suffered a season-ending injury hours before the deal was to be announced. Then, GM Larry Pleau thought about a deal for Calgary's Mike Vernon. But he'll take another chance with Turek, who could use a pat on the back from team management. If Turek fails, the Blues will roll the dice on rookie Brent Johnson, their goalie of the future.

Defensively, Chris Pronger's return will be huge. But, Al MacInnis' recovery from a serious eye injury is very iffy. If MacInnis doesn't make it back, guys like Sean Hill, Alex Khavanov and Bryce Salvador must step up. Can they? It's a lot to ask. The group is wafer thin. If further injuries strike (and you know they will), you can lock up that barn.

As for the players they gave up, none of them will be a Keith Tkachuk. Michal Handzus is solid. I've always liked Ladislav Nagy, who was great for Team Slovakia at the 1999 World Junior Championships. But I wonder if he's gonna be big enough to make it happen consistently in the NHL. Jeff Taffe, who plays for the University of Minnesota, is a promising prospect who will help down the road. Phoenix GM Cliff Fletcher got a nice, inexpensive package of talent, but don't expect the Coyotes to win their first playoff series any time soon.

Oh yeah, here are two more Blue notes: Expect St. Louis to lobby hard for Joe Sakic if he's a free agent on July 1. Also, don't expect the club to re-sign Turgeon, who'll skate away via free agency this summer.

E.J. Hradek writes puck for ESPN The Magazine. E-mail ej.hradek@espnmag.com.