The have finished no lower than second in the Central Division in each of the past four seasons, finishing first twice including just last season. The club also has a .661 points percentage over that span. Simply put, they've been one of the best regular-season teams in the entire NHL with Ken Hitchcock at the helm.However, in each of those four seasons, the team failed to advance past the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs and has been ousted in the first round in each of its past two trips. Blues fans are painfully aware of these numbers and that the clock is ticking for a core group that features several players getting older.The latest from SportsLineIn recent years there has been a lot of talk about a team's "Stanley Cup window." Fellow regular-season juggernauts like the Vancouver Canucks and San Jose Sharks have seen their windows open wide, only to recently close abruptly with little indication of when they can get back to the top. The Blues run the risk of falling into a similar category soon, but at least both the Canucks and Sharks had some deep postseason runs to point out to believe that they were at least close before having to shuffle the deck a bit. The Blues have to wonder about their own window and how long they have to be as dominant as they are during the regular season without the big shiny chalice the team has been chasing to no end since joining the NHL in 1967.The Blues have pieces that should keep them competitive and probably even a regular playoff team, but 2015-16 very well could be their make-or-break year with the Stanley Cup window still peeking open. Here's a look at three big reasons the pre sure is on the Blues to win now.1. This could be the last season in St. Louis for both and Ken Hitchcock. It looked like the head coach could be on the outs after another early postseason exit, but the Blues and Hitchcock agreed on a short-term extension to give this one more kick at the can. There's no denying Hitchcock has been getting the most out of his team in the larger sample of the regular season, but the .370 winning percentage in the postseason just won't cut it.Bringing back Hitchcock would seem to suggest the organization thought the onus for last season's playoff flameout was on the players more than the coach. He won't get that luxury next time around.The roster is slightly altered from a season ago, maybe a tick below what they were this time last year, but it's still a contending team. A change of direction, not just at the head coaching position, will be in order. That could also mean GM Doug Armstrong ends up on the hot seat. As far as Backes is concerned, he will be playing on the last year of his current contract. The Blues can extend him at any time, but with nothing appearing imminent on that front, St. Louis might be taking the wait-and-see approach.It's the right approach in this case, too. If the Blues don't show progre s this season and throughout the postseason, they have to consider more dramatic personnel changes. That doesn't mean they should change for the sake of change, but based on the timing of Backes' contract and what he could make on his next deal he could be a good candidate for moving on.That's not to say that Backes isn't valuable, because he is one of the game's better two-way forwards who can produce between 50 and 60 points a season. Losing him for nothing in free agency would be a tough pill Ochai Agbaji Jersey to swallow, but it could be a more cost-effective option for the long term as he'll be 32 at the start of his next deal. There's also the option of trading him during the season to try to maximize his value, but it would be hard to justify if St. Louis is in a position to contend. Either way, there may not be much time left for Backes with the Blues.2. The Blues' younger core players are just about ready to take over.When Armstrong announced Hitchcock was coming back, he also talked about the fact that the Blues have two cores. There was an older core of players in their later 20s and early 30s like Backes, , , more recent addition and the since-traded .Oshie was dealt as part of the nece sary purge of contracts to make room for eight-year, $60 million contract. But that was also the signal that the older core was about to start making way for the younger guys, led by Tarasenko.The younger core, which includes Tarasenko, , , , and perhaps not-that-young as well, is the group the team needs to focus building around. The Blues also should be eagerly anticipating more significant contributions in future years from , who is on a one-year deal, and former first-round pick .Schwartz will be playing on the final year of his bridge deal this season. Shattenkirk has just two years left on his incredibly cap-friendly contract. Allen has two years on his deal and still has a ways to go in proving he can be a legitimate No. 1 NHL goalie. If all goes as planned, though, more money will be spent on these players and there will be le s room for the team to retain its aging veterans. At some point the Blues have to shift the focus from the present to the long-term health of the team and which players are going to get them over the hump.The older core has had a good opportunity and will have another one this season to show they're still those players who can bring the Cup to St. Louis, but if they don't show progre s ... 3. Eventually you have to change things upAs noted earlier, change for the sake of change isn't nece sarily all that helpful. However, there has to be a lengthy review to determine why things haven't worked. It has probably already happened, maybe multiple times before. But there hasn't been much action coming from it.Armstrong has managed to build one of the better teams in the NHL over the past four seasons. Pieces have been added in trades and free agency that have added to the club's fire power, home-drafted prospects have allowed the team to continue progre sing and they've been able to keep the band together, mostly.Winning the Stanley Cup is hard. It's especially hard when the Chicago Blackhawks and Los Angeles Kings keep hogging the trophy, rising to the top of the loaded Western Conference. There's not a deal that Armstrong can make that will make the Cup automatic for St. Louis. However, there's every reason to expect more from this group of players. Though Oshie's departure to the Washington Capitals was partially a salary dump, it separated a core player from the team. Same with career-Blue Barret Jackman, who was allowed to walk in free agency. No matter when a GM moves homegrown players, even if -- like in Jackman's case -- they are in decline, it's a tough call. Those tough decisions could become the norm in St. Louis if things go south again this year.The back-to-back first-round exits shouldn't have happened, but woefully inconsistent play has plagued this squad. Going into this season a lot of experts are going to look at the Blues as a strong candidate to contend for the title. They should be, but as we've seen time and time again in other organizations, sometimes what's on paper doesn't match reality.Maybe it's unexplainable or something is internally wrong with the team's makeup that led to the early exits. But whatever the case, if this isn't the Blues' year, they have to consider even more dramatic changes to end a Stanley Cup drought that has lasted as long as the team has. Howard Engleman Jersey