Sunday, March 3, 2013
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
The Blues make two moves
Today the Blues started off the day by re-signing right winger Jamie Langenbrunner to a 1 year extension worth $1.25 million. The contract was reported to contain a $250k performance bonus as well. Langenbrunner was with the Blues last season and recorded 6 goals and 24 points in 70 games.
The second move that was made involved the Blues trading right winger BJ Crombeen and the team's 2014 5th round draft pick to the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for Tampa's 2013 and 2014 4th round draft picks.
This move was undoubtedly was in response to Langenbrunner committing to the team and leaving little ice time available for Crombeen.
The Blues managed to shed a contract and a little bit of money while acquiring two future draft picks in the process.
Many speculate that those picks will be involved in a bigger trade later on for either a top pairing defenseman or a veteran scoring forward.
Doug Armstrong is on record saying that he wishes to trade draft picks at this point to upgrade the team as he doesn't wish to dismantle the core in order to get what he wants.
We will see what the rest of the summer will bring as the Blues start getting their roster in order for the upcoming 2012/2013 regular season in September.
Sunday, January 22, 2012
The Blues Goalie Situation
What happens now?
The Blues have too many goalies in the organization.
With the signing of Brian Elliott to a two year $3.9 million extension, the Blues have decided to trust the net-minding duties to him and Jaroslav Halak for the next two years.
Ben Bishop was hopeful for his chance to play for the Blues at some point this season but it looks like with the continued stellar play between the Jaro and Elliott, that he won't be getting a look unless one of those two goes down with an injury.
The writing is on the wall for Big Ben so-to-speak.
Not to mention the Blues also have another top young goalie prospect in Peoria named Jake Allen. I'm sure the Blues would like to see him grab some minutes in Peoria as well...
The other factor that has come into play is that Ben Bishop will become an Unrestricted Free Agent in July if the club elects to not play him for 15 NHL games (as well as at least 30 minutes during each of those games). If the Blues do not meet those requirements then Ben Bishop is not eligible for Restricted Free Agency and the Blues will lose his rights July 1.
It will be interesting to see if they decide to
A.) Trade Bishop
B.) Trade Halak or Elliot
C.) Send Elliott to the minors in favor for calling up Ben and getting him those games played for Restricted Free Agency qualification
D.) Wait until the offseason and see if he will re-sign with the Blues or potentially risk him walking on July 1 and not turning him into any assets.
I will support whatever management decision that Doug Armstrong and the Front Office decide to choose but it will be interesting what happens indeed.
Among the teams interested in Bishop (based solely on speculation and rumors):
Tampa Bay Lightning
Anaheim Ducks
New York Islanders
Edmonton Oilers
Buffalo Sabres
The Blues have too many goalies in the organization.
With the signing of Brian Elliott to a two year $3.9 million extension, the Blues have decided to trust the net-minding duties to him and Jaroslav Halak for the next two years.
Ben Bishop was hopeful for his chance to play for the Blues at some point this season but it looks like with the continued stellar play between the Jaro and Elliott, that he won't be getting a look unless one of those two goes down with an injury.
The writing is on the wall for Big Ben so-to-speak.
Not to mention the Blues also have another top young goalie prospect in Peoria named Jake Allen. I'm sure the Blues would like to see him grab some minutes in Peoria as well...
The other factor that has come into play is that Ben Bishop will become an Unrestricted Free Agent in July if the club elects to not play him for 15 NHL games (as well as at least 30 minutes during each of those games). If the Blues do not meet those requirements then Ben Bishop is not eligible for Restricted Free Agency and the Blues will lose his rights July 1.
It will be interesting to see if they decide to
A.) Trade Bishop
B.) Trade Halak or Elliot
C.) Send Elliott to the minors in favor for calling up Ben and getting him those games played for Restricted Free Agency qualification
D.) Wait until the offseason and see if he will re-sign with the Blues or potentially risk him walking on July 1 and not turning him into any assets.
I will support whatever management decision that Doug Armstrong and the Front Office decide to choose but it will be interesting what happens indeed.
Among the teams interested in Bishop (based solely on speculation and rumors):
Tampa Bay Lightning
Anaheim Ducks
New York Islanders
Edmonton Oilers
Buffalo Sabres
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Much Needed Update
It's been a few month but I'm back to posting on the good old Blues blog.
So much has happened since the firing of Davis Payne and the hiring of Ken Hitchcock as head coach.
The Blues started gaining chemistry from each other and playing as a defensive unit.
The powerplay really hasn't improved much but it seems to be getting a little bit better every game.
The biggest surprise by far has been Brian Elliott. His play allowed the Blues to salvage a poor October and go into the rest with a force behind them in net.
Jaroslav Halak has especially benefited from him as he has improved his overall goals against and save percentage to one of the best in the league.
Speaking of Elliott, if you missed it the Blues just re-signed the 26 year old net minder to a very budget friendly 3.8 million dollar deal over the next 2 years.
This opens up a very interesting situation in net going forward.
Not only do the Blues have two stellar NHL goalies in Halak and Elliott, but they also have two top goalie prospects in Bishop and Allen in Peoria. Could they be thinking about trading one of these two in order to bring in a goal scorer for the snakebitten offense?
I know I for one am on board with that idea.
More to come.
So much has happened since the firing of Davis Payne and the hiring of Ken Hitchcock as head coach.
The Blues started gaining chemistry from each other and playing as a defensive unit.
The powerplay really hasn't improved much but it seems to be getting a little bit better every game.
The biggest surprise by far has been Brian Elliott. His play allowed the Blues to salvage a poor October and go into the rest with a force behind them in net.
Jaroslav Halak has especially benefited from him as he has improved his overall goals against and save percentage to one of the best in the league.
Speaking of Elliott, if you missed it the Blues just re-signed the 26 year old net minder to a very budget friendly 3.8 million dollar deal over the next 2 years.
This opens up a very interesting situation in net going forward.
Not only do the Blues have two stellar NHL goalies in Halak and Elliott, but they also have two top goalie prospects in Bishop and Allen in Peoria. Could they be thinking about trading one of these two in order to bring in a goal scorer for the snakebitten offense?
I know I for one am on board with that idea.
More to come.
Friday, May 27, 2011
What will the Blues do this Offseason?
There are many questions surrounding the offseason for the Blues.
What will happen with Ownership?
Are we going to be able to upgrade the club via free agent signings or trades?
Who will be named team captain?
Will David Perron play this season?
With all of this up in the air, it is tough to predict what offseason moves Blues GM Doug Armstrong is able to pull off.
With the recent news of Vladimir Tarasenko staying in the KHL for another season, the Blues are now hurting for bodies on the forward lines.
David Perron's headaches are getting better but he is still not able to train for the 11/12 season, making him a huge question mark to play. The Blues really missed Perron's contributions last season as the club was forced to add some much needed offense in the form of the Chris Stewart trade. Even with Stewart, the Blues still need one or two more guys in order to call themselves a contending team. It's not that they don't have bodies, it's just that they don't have the skill necessary to compete and vie for a Stanely Cup with the roster as it stands.
The Blues could definitely use a big center or winger addition to their bottom six group of forwards. Alexei Ponikarovsky could bounce back to a 20 goal guy that the Blues could look into. He had an atrocious year in LA only scoring 5 goals in 61 games. The Blues could really cash in on a cast off from another team in a big way. A couple guys that come to mind are Vladimir Sobotka and Matt D'Agostini both of which are coming off career years with the Blues...
If the Blues have more money to spend up front then we could see players like Simon Gagne or Ville Leino added to the Top Six to replace / mimic Perron's production. Either player in my opinion would be a great addition.
The Blues also need to look into finding a new home for Carlo Colaiacovo as his defensive play is far from being as good as his offensive zone play. With the emergence of Pietrangelo, Nikitin, Cole and the prowess of Shattenkirk, Colaiacovo is definitely expendable. The Blues could deal him away and replace him with a real number 1 defenseman to pair with Pietrangelo.
What will happen with Ownership?
Are we going to be able to upgrade the club via free agent signings or trades?
Who will be named team captain?
Will David Perron play this season?
With all of this up in the air, it is tough to predict what offseason moves Blues GM Doug Armstrong is able to pull off.
With the recent news of Vladimir Tarasenko staying in the KHL for another season, the Blues are now hurting for bodies on the forward lines.
David Perron's headaches are getting better but he is still not able to train for the 11/12 season, making him a huge question mark to play. The Blues really missed Perron's contributions last season as the club was forced to add some much needed offense in the form of the Chris Stewart trade. Even with Stewart, the Blues still need one or two more guys in order to call themselves a contending team. It's not that they don't have bodies, it's just that they don't have the skill necessary to compete and vie for a Stanely Cup with the roster as it stands.
The Blues could definitely use a big center or winger addition to their bottom six group of forwards. Alexei Ponikarovsky could bounce back to a 20 goal guy that the Blues could look into. He had an atrocious year in LA only scoring 5 goals in 61 games. The Blues could really cash in on a cast off from another team in a big way. A couple guys that come to mind are Vladimir Sobotka and Matt D'Agostini both of which are coming off career years with the Blues...
If the Blues have more money to spend up front then we could see players like Simon Gagne or Ville Leino added to the Top Six to replace / mimic Perron's production. Either player in my opinion would be a great addition.
The Blues also need to look into finding a new home for Carlo Colaiacovo as his defensive play is far from being as good as his offensive zone play. With the emergence of Pietrangelo, Nikitin, Cole and the prowess of Shattenkirk, Colaiacovo is definitely expendable. The Blues could deal him away and replace him with a real number 1 defenseman to pair with Pietrangelo.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Recent Trading Activity
The Saint Louis Blues have pulled off two trades in the last 72 hours.
The first trade sent team captain Eric Brewer to Tampa Bay in exchange for a 3rd round pick in the 2011 entry draft and 18 year old defensive prospect Brock Beukeboom.
GM Doug Armstrong cited that he had approached Brewer about waiving his clause prior to the team traveling to Buffalo.
Brewer accepted a trade to Tampa Bay due to his relationship with GM Steve Yzerman. The Blues were wanting to make sure that Brewer went to a team that he could compete for a Stanley Cup and that Brewer would be happy with his destination.
All in all, judging on the recent Tomas Kaberle deal to Boston, The Blues got what they could for their captain and they received a good young prospect for him in return for the future.
The other trade involved the Blues trading former 1st overall pick Erik Johnson, Jay McClement, and a Conditional 1st round pick from 2011 or 2012 (depending on where the Blues overall placement in the standings at the end of the season, determines if the pick is in 2011 or 2012) in exchange for Chris Stewart, Kevin Shattenkirk, and a 2011 2nd round pick.
Overall I think the Blues had to give up a strong, young defensive asset in order to obtain a premier powerforward to compliment our forward lines.
Kevin Shattenkirk is a viable replacement for Johnson's production value on the blueline based on his 27 points in 47 games played this season. Oh yea, and it's his rookie year. I think that adding another young d-man with the skill-set like an Alex Pietrangelo, will only help to build team chemistry to the Blues advantage.
The first trade sent team captain Eric Brewer to Tampa Bay in exchange for a 3rd round pick in the 2011 entry draft and 18 year old defensive prospect Brock Beukeboom.
GM Doug Armstrong cited that he had approached Brewer about waiving his clause prior to the team traveling to Buffalo.
Brewer accepted a trade to Tampa Bay due to his relationship with GM Steve Yzerman. The Blues were wanting to make sure that Brewer went to a team that he could compete for a Stanley Cup and that Brewer would be happy with his destination.
All in all, judging on the recent Tomas Kaberle deal to Boston, The Blues got what they could for their captain and they received a good young prospect for him in return for the future.
The other trade involved the Blues trading former 1st overall pick Erik Johnson, Jay McClement, and a Conditional 1st round pick from 2011 or 2012 (depending on where the Blues overall placement in the standings at the end of the season, determines if the pick is in 2011 or 2012) in exchange for Chris Stewart, Kevin Shattenkirk, and a 2011 2nd round pick.
Overall I think the Blues had to give up a strong, young defensive asset in order to obtain a premier powerforward to compliment our forward lines.
Kevin Shattenkirk is a viable replacement for Johnson's production value on the blueline based on his 27 points in 47 games played this season. Oh yea, and it's his rookie year. I think that adding another young d-man with the skill-set like an Alex Pietrangelo, will only help to build team chemistry to the Blues advantage.
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