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.
Friday, May 27, 2011
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.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Trade Deadline Looming
With the trade deadline on Feb 28th just around the corner, various NHL teams are trading their assets early in order to avoid the mass chaos of deadline day.
Several teams such as Chicago, Nashville, Philadelphia, Toronto, Ottawa, Anaheim, Dallas, etc have already made pre-deadline trades to improve their clubs for the big playoff push.
The Blues have been linked to several teams as Eric Brewer, Ty Conklin, Carlo Colaiacovo, Barret Jackman, Erik Johnson, Roman Polak, etc have all been whispered in recent rumors.
The Blues with the unsolved investor situation, go toward the deadline trying to improve their record with the team that they have due to salary issues. If GM Doug Armstrong can trade salary back the other way (Brewer, Colaiacovo, Jackman) then a trade to improve the club may occur but there are various factors that can limit the Blues.
1.) NTC on Brewer and Jackman - meaning that either player has to approve a trade before the player is dealt.
2.) The Blues management will want the "right player" coming their way in the deal. The deal will have to make sense long term and short term as well. It has to be an overall improvement for them to want to do it.
3.) The Blues CANNOT take salary back in the trade. It has to be a clear cut salary dump because the Blues management has been instructed to not commit to a player long term that is outside of their current budget plan. (exclusions: see David Backes contract).
The Blues have been cited on several different Hockey reporting websites to be in talks with teams such as Atlanta, Montreal, Toronto, Boston, and NY Rangers.
Hopefully the Blues will continue to play strong and management will acquire a good forward asset to help the Blues make the postseason again.
Several teams such as Chicago, Nashville, Philadelphia, Toronto, Ottawa, Anaheim, Dallas, etc have already made pre-deadline trades to improve their clubs for the big playoff push.
The Blues have been linked to several teams as Eric Brewer, Ty Conklin, Carlo Colaiacovo, Barret Jackman, Erik Johnson, Roman Polak, etc have all been whispered in recent rumors.
The Blues with the unsolved investor situation, go toward the deadline trying to improve their record with the team that they have due to salary issues. If GM Doug Armstrong can trade salary back the other way (Brewer, Colaiacovo, Jackman) then a trade to improve the club may occur but there are various factors that can limit the Blues.
1.) NTC on Brewer and Jackman - meaning that either player has to approve a trade before the player is dealt.
2.) The Blues management will want the "right player" coming their way in the deal. The deal will have to make sense long term and short term as well. It has to be an overall improvement for them to want to do it.
3.) The Blues CANNOT take salary back in the trade. It has to be a clear cut salary dump because the Blues management has been instructed to not commit to a player long term that is outside of their current budget plan. (exclusions: see David Backes contract).
The Blues have been cited on several different Hockey reporting websites to be in talks with teams such as Atlanta, Montreal, Toronto, Boston, and NY Rangers.
Hopefully the Blues will continue to play strong and management will acquire a good forward asset to help the Blues make the postseason again.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Blues Trade Rumors
Recently the Blues were apparently rumored to be involved in "exploratory" discussions regarding their former 1st overall draft pick, Erik Johnson.
Now, take this all with a grain of salt but there have been various rumors around the league lately that the Blues may be considering to move Johnson to obtain an experienced scorer to bolster their offense.
Currently, the Blues have a Powerplay that is ranked 26th (out of 30) in the NHL.
They also rank 20th in the NHL in the "Goals For" category.
The Blues have had a tendency to blow the lead many times during the season and are notorious for not being able to score enough goals during the game. Even when the Blues were healthy and ranked in the top 5 in the league after their first 10 games, they were only winning games by having only 2 or 3 goals scored during the game. Many times Halak and the defense would bail them out with some great play or big save.
The time is coming for the Blues Management to reward their sellout crowds with some new blood. Adding a true sniper to this roster would make a big difference in terms of being able to win games. Having another clutch scorer would take away pressure from guys like Brad Boyes, TJ Oshie, Alex Steen, Patrik Berglund, David Perron, etc. Having that extra threat would make the entire team better in terms of having another weapon for the opposition to worry about. It allows another dimension of line combinations and match-ups that head coach Davis Payne would jump at.
The possibilities are endless when talking about adding a 70 plus point player to this already talented roster. The big thing is that this team needs a consistent effort of hard work and dedication over a full 60 minute game. Adding another guy who has the ability to bury these chances that the Blues are missing would help ramp up their spirits a bit. They wouldn't get so discouraged and then in turn it would positively affect their work ethic.
Now talking about trading Erik Johnson for a guy like Alexander Semin is something of a rough topic for some fans.
Before I get into the pros and cons of making a trade like this, I'll post up some stats for you, comparing the two players.
Erik Johnson
Drafted in 2006 (1st Overall)
Age: 22
Country: United States
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 232 lbs
Position: Defense
Handedness: Right
2007/2008 Stats: GP (69) G (5) A (28) P (35) +/- (-9)
2008/2009 Stats: DID NOT PLAY (Knee Injury)
2009/2010 Stats: GP (79) G (10) A (29) P (39) +/- (1)
Current 2010/2011 Stats: GP (47) G (5) A (12) P (17) +/- (-6)
Alexander Semin
Drafted in 2002 (13th Overall)
Age: 26
Country: Russia
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 208 lbs
Position: Left Wing / Right Wing
Handedness: Left
2003/2004 Stats: GP (52) G (10) A (12) P (22) +/- (-2)
2004/2005 Stats: KHL
2005/2006 Stats: KHL
2006/2007 Stats: GP (77) G (38) A (35) P (73) +/- (-7)
2007/2008 Stats: GP (63) G (26) A (16) P (42) +/- (-18)
2008/2009 Stats: GP (62) G (34) A (45) P (72) +/- (25)
2009/2010 Stats: GP (73) G (40) A (44) P (84) +/- (36)
Current 2010/2011 Stats: GP (39) G (18) A (17) P (35) +/- (8)
As you can see above, both players are great at their position. If the Blues hang onto Erik Johnson then they will probably be impressed because he will most likely turn into a great player. He hasn't had the time to accurately develop into a complete player yet and we're seeing him go through a lot of growing pains currently. A lot of fans would say that he's hit a wall in his production or that his knee injury has made him weaker and less able to handle it like he did when he was a rookie. The fact of the matter is that we just don't know what he will turn into. Only time will tell.
On the topic of Alexander Semin, I think he would be a great addition to this roster. He's a guy that took a little bit of time to break out and now that he has, he produces every season, even when he gets hurt. He's a guy that the Capitals can count on to score in games when everyone else is having problems. He is right in his prime and is averaging about point per game stats this season on a club that is trying to shift into a 2-way development program for its players. Semin, known for being 1-dimensional looks like he's adjusting well to the style that the Capitals coaching staff has implemented. It seems like Semin has some size and speed that would be extremely complimentary to guys like Oshie, Berglund, Sobotka, Steen, etc.
The only problem is that we could be giving away the next Chris Pronger to get him.
There is a gamble any way you try to slice a trade like this but Saint Louis seems like it has great knowledge when drafting defensemen. The prime examples are Roman Polak, Alex Pietrangelo, Ian Cole, and Johnson himself. All of these players are turning into great d-men. Would trading Johnson really impact our teams' depth on defense as much as some say? I'm not sure...
What I do know is that this team needs offense and it hasn't addressed the need for a pure scoring forward since acquiring Brad Boyes (and look how that turned out). Blues Fans are in need of a real difference maker and we may have to give up something that some fans covet to be "The Next Big Thing". There's a gamble in everything but I'd roll the dice on a guy that is consistent in what he does and would bring a new dimension of skill to this roster.
With the emergence of Ian Cole and Alex Pietrangelo, trading away Johnson doesn't seem so bad when you think of how well this organization can draft defensemen.
Now, take this all with a grain of salt but there have been various rumors around the league lately that the Blues may be considering to move Johnson to obtain an experienced scorer to bolster their offense.
Currently, the Blues have a Powerplay that is ranked 26th (out of 30) in the NHL.
They also rank 20th in the NHL in the "Goals For" category.
The Blues have had a tendency to blow the lead many times during the season and are notorious for not being able to score enough goals during the game. Even when the Blues were healthy and ranked in the top 5 in the league after their first 10 games, they were only winning games by having only 2 or 3 goals scored during the game. Many times Halak and the defense would bail them out with some great play or big save.
The time is coming for the Blues Management to reward their sellout crowds with some new blood. Adding a true sniper to this roster would make a big difference in terms of being able to win games. Having another clutch scorer would take away pressure from guys like Brad Boyes, TJ Oshie, Alex Steen, Patrik Berglund, David Perron, etc. Having that extra threat would make the entire team better in terms of having another weapon for the opposition to worry about. It allows another dimension of line combinations and match-ups that head coach Davis Payne would jump at.
The possibilities are endless when talking about adding a 70 plus point player to this already talented roster. The big thing is that this team needs a consistent effort of hard work and dedication over a full 60 minute game. Adding another guy who has the ability to bury these chances that the Blues are missing would help ramp up their spirits a bit. They wouldn't get so discouraged and then in turn it would positively affect their work ethic.
Now talking about trading Erik Johnson for a guy like Alexander Semin is something of a rough topic for some fans.
Before I get into the pros and cons of making a trade like this, I'll post up some stats for you, comparing the two players.
Erik Johnson
Drafted in 2006 (1st Overall)
Age: 22
Country: United States
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 232 lbs
Position: Defense
Handedness: Right
2007/2008 Stats: GP (69) G (5) A (28) P (35) +/- (-9)
2008/2009 Stats: DID NOT PLAY (Knee Injury)
2009/2010 Stats: GP (79) G (10) A (29) P (39) +/- (1)
Current 2010/2011 Stats: GP (47) G (5) A (12) P (17) +/- (-6)
Alexander Semin
Drafted in 2002 (13th Overall)
Age: 26
Country: Russia
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 208 lbs
Position: Left Wing / Right Wing
Handedness: Left
2003/2004 Stats: GP (52) G (10) A (12) P (22) +/- (-2)
2004/2005 Stats: KHL
2005/2006 Stats: KHL
2006/2007 Stats: GP (77) G (38) A (35) P (73) +/- (-7)
2007/2008 Stats: GP (63) G (26) A (16) P (42) +/- (-18)
2008/2009 Stats: GP (62) G (34) A (45) P (72) +/- (25)
2009/2010 Stats: GP (73) G (40) A (44) P (84) +/- (36)
Current 2010/2011 Stats: GP (39) G (18) A (17) P (35) +/- (8)
As you can see above, both players are great at their position. If the Blues hang onto Erik Johnson then they will probably be impressed because he will most likely turn into a great player. He hasn't had the time to accurately develop into a complete player yet and we're seeing him go through a lot of growing pains currently. A lot of fans would say that he's hit a wall in his production or that his knee injury has made him weaker and less able to handle it like he did when he was a rookie. The fact of the matter is that we just don't know what he will turn into. Only time will tell.
On the topic of Alexander Semin, I think he would be a great addition to this roster. He's a guy that took a little bit of time to break out and now that he has, he produces every season, even when he gets hurt. He's a guy that the Capitals can count on to score in games when everyone else is having problems. He is right in his prime and is averaging about point per game stats this season on a club that is trying to shift into a 2-way development program for its players. Semin, known for being 1-dimensional looks like he's adjusting well to the style that the Capitals coaching staff has implemented. It seems like Semin has some size and speed that would be extremely complimentary to guys like Oshie, Berglund, Sobotka, Steen, etc.
The only problem is that we could be giving away the next Chris Pronger to get him.
There is a gamble any way you try to slice a trade like this but Saint Louis seems like it has great knowledge when drafting defensemen. The prime examples are Roman Polak, Alex Pietrangelo, Ian Cole, and Johnson himself. All of these players are turning into great d-men. Would trading Johnson really impact our teams' depth on defense as much as some say? I'm not sure...
What I do know is that this team needs offense and it hasn't addressed the need for a pure scoring forward since acquiring Brad Boyes (and look how that turned out). Blues Fans are in need of a real difference maker and we may have to give up something that some fans covet to be "The Next Big Thing". There's a gamble in everything but I'd roll the dice on a guy that is consistent in what he does and would bring a new dimension of skill to this roster.
With the emergence of Ian Cole and Alex Pietrangelo, trading away Johnson doesn't seem so bad when you think of how well this organization can draft defensemen.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Back on Blogging / Gameday vs Colorado Avalanche
Well I'm back to blogging after a long break.
I was just getting way too burnt out on it.
Anyway....
Today is the Blues versus the Avalanche.
The game is on at 8:30pm Central on Fox Sports Mid West.
The last time the Blues faced off against the Avalanche was on November 15th where the Avalanche routed the Blues in a 6-3 victory.
The is the second of four meetings between the two clubs and the Blues are coming off of two embarrassing losses against the Detroit Red Wings (4-3 OT) and Columbus Blue Jackets (5-2 regulation loss). The Blues are 2-6-2 in their last 10 meetings against Colorado and the Avs are 4-5-1 in their last 10 against us. The Blues are currently struggling to find some much needed offense from a club that has been battling injuries all season long. The Avalanche are will be playing game 3/5 on their homestand where they have only picked up 2 out of a possible 6 points. Sitting in 9th place (54pts), they are looking to steal 2 points from an injured and inconsistent Blues club. The Blues are hoping to do just the same to Colorado as they sit in 11th place (51 pts).
Barret Jackman is questionable for the game tonight after injuring his knee against the Detroit Red Wings. Jackman missed the Columbus game with knee soreness and Tyson Strachan was dressed to play in his absence. We're hoping that he'll be ready to play tonight as we'll need his grit for a western conference matchup. Nikita Nikitin was called up yesterday as insurance in case of Jackman not playing. Ian Cole was sent down as well yesterday.
Carlo Colaiacovo is still out with an eye injury which he acquired 3 games ago against the LA Kings. Colaiacovo took a puck high to the face and didn't return to the game. That marks the second time he has taken a puck to the face this season. I have no doubt that Strachan or Nikitin will step in to fill his spot.
The Blues also sent Ryan Reaves back to Peoria yesterday after recording 2 goals in his latest stint with the Blues. I think they feel that they just weren't getting enough grit and toughness out of a guy that makes his living that way. The 2 goals were a definite bonus but the Blues could really use that extra grit from their forwards currently and he has been almost a ghost in that area as of late. Stefan Della Rovere was called up to replace him.
TJ Oshie will be playing in his 3rd game back since returning to the lineup after 2 months (ankle injury). The Blues are hoping that he can continue to catalyze the play of Patrik Berglund who has recorded 3 goals and 3 assists in the last 5 games.
The Blues are still without David Perron and Andy McDonald, however Andy McDonald was reported to be traveling with the team on the road trip this week. He's slated to try and practice with the team to get back into game shape. McDonald has been out of the lineup since Dec. 4th with a concussion. He has been skating for the past week and feels ready to begin practicing with the team. When TJ Oshie started this, he was just 2 weeks away from playing in his first game back from his injury. Hopefully McDonald can follow suit.
David Perron is still dealing with some symptoms of post-concussion syndrome but is starting to hit the bike a little to see where he is at. I'm guessing it will be at least a month before we will see him back in a Blues uniform.
If the Blues can find their game early and outwork the Avs then I think we will win this game. The Blues are finding it hard to play a full 60 minutes anymore and they just really need to get into the mindset of closing out games once they have the lead. The club is struggling to play a mixed game of being physical and scoring while playing responsible defense. This young club could really use some help from outside the organization seeing as our call-ups have not been producing well.
Once the All-Star break is over, hopefully owner Dave Checketts will have the Investor Situation all finalized and Doug Armstrong (GM) will get the green light on funding. Armstrong has struggled with improving the club's offense this season by having to adhere to a tight budget. He's tried to scrounge to find whatever he can in his attempts to sign RW Marek Svatos (claimed on waivers by Nashville) and Center Kyle Wellwood (claimed on waivers by San Jose). I have no doubt that he was in the bidding for NJ Devils Captain Jamie Langenbrunner (traded to Dallas) but could not get the approval (financially) for the trade.
The Blues have been rumored to be interested in Sabres forward Drew Stafford and possibly Thrashers forward Niclas Bergfors. Both players would be great young additions to this already great core of talented youth. One thing we can be sure of is a busy deadline day for the Blues (assuming we get some money to play with).
Go Blues!
I was just getting way too burnt out on it.
Anyway....
Today is the Blues versus the Avalanche.
The game is on at 8:30pm Central on Fox Sports Mid West.
The last time the Blues faced off against the Avalanche was on November 15th where the Avalanche routed the Blues in a 6-3 victory.
The is the second of four meetings between the two clubs and the Blues are coming off of two embarrassing losses against the Detroit Red Wings (4-3 OT) and Columbus Blue Jackets (5-2 regulation loss). The Blues are 2-6-2 in their last 10 meetings against Colorado and the Avs are 4-5-1 in their last 10 against us. The Blues are currently struggling to find some much needed offense from a club that has been battling injuries all season long. The Avalanche are will be playing game 3/5 on their homestand where they have only picked up 2 out of a possible 6 points. Sitting in 9th place (54pts), they are looking to steal 2 points from an injured and inconsistent Blues club. The Blues are hoping to do just the same to Colorado as they sit in 11th place (51 pts).
Barret Jackman is questionable for the game tonight after injuring his knee against the Detroit Red Wings. Jackman missed the Columbus game with knee soreness and Tyson Strachan was dressed to play in his absence. We're hoping that he'll be ready to play tonight as we'll need his grit for a western conference matchup. Nikita Nikitin was called up yesterday as insurance in case of Jackman not playing. Ian Cole was sent down as well yesterday.
Carlo Colaiacovo is still out with an eye injury which he acquired 3 games ago against the LA Kings. Colaiacovo took a puck high to the face and didn't return to the game. That marks the second time he has taken a puck to the face this season. I have no doubt that Strachan or Nikitin will step in to fill his spot.
The Blues also sent Ryan Reaves back to Peoria yesterday after recording 2 goals in his latest stint with the Blues. I think they feel that they just weren't getting enough grit and toughness out of a guy that makes his living that way. The 2 goals were a definite bonus but the Blues could really use that extra grit from their forwards currently and he has been almost a ghost in that area as of late. Stefan Della Rovere was called up to replace him.
TJ Oshie will be playing in his 3rd game back since returning to the lineup after 2 months (ankle injury). The Blues are hoping that he can continue to catalyze the play of Patrik Berglund who has recorded 3 goals and 3 assists in the last 5 games.
The Blues are still without David Perron and Andy McDonald, however Andy McDonald was reported to be traveling with the team on the road trip this week. He's slated to try and practice with the team to get back into game shape. McDonald has been out of the lineup since Dec. 4th with a concussion. He has been skating for the past week and feels ready to begin practicing with the team. When TJ Oshie started this, he was just 2 weeks away from playing in his first game back from his injury. Hopefully McDonald can follow suit.
David Perron is still dealing with some symptoms of post-concussion syndrome but is starting to hit the bike a little to see where he is at. I'm guessing it will be at least a month before we will see him back in a Blues uniform.
If the Blues can find their game early and outwork the Avs then I think we will win this game. The Blues are finding it hard to play a full 60 minutes anymore and they just really need to get into the mindset of closing out games once they have the lead. The club is struggling to play a mixed game of being physical and scoring while playing responsible defense. This young club could really use some help from outside the organization seeing as our call-ups have not been producing well.
Once the All-Star break is over, hopefully owner Dave Checketts will have the Investor Situation all finalized and Doug Armstrong (GM) will get the green light on funding. Armstrong has struggled with improving the club's offense this season by having to adhere to a tight budget. He's tried to scrounge to find whatever he can in his attempts to sign RW Marek Svatos (claimed on waivers by Nashville) and Center Kyle Wellwood (claimed on waivers by San Jose). I have no doubt that he was in the bidding for NJ Devils Captain Jamie Langenbrunner (traded to Dallas) but could not get the approval (financially) for the trade.
The Blues have been rumored to be interested in Sabres forward Drew Stafford and possibly Thrashers forward Niclas Bergfors. Both players would be great young additions to this already great core of talented youth. One thing we can be sure of is a busy deadline day for the Blues (assuming we get some money to play with).
Go Blues!
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