2020-2021 St. Louis Blues: Well, ****.

[EastonBlues22]

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[TheDizee]

covid claims another victim. i dont put much stock into anything that happened in the bubble. the blues never got to their game consistently.

the only thing that i would be worried about is vince dunn and his defensive capabilities. they arnt improving year to year. not sure hes worth the price tag. would like to see 27 come back if steen and allen can be moved. would also like to see steen be bought out by a diff team and come back at a cheaper price though.

 

[Bobby Orrtuzzo]

This sucks ass

 

[Davimir Tarablad]

We have a Cup

 

[AjaxManifesto]

All good things come to an end.

 

[mk80]

It's probably a good bet that we trade Allen to free up cap space so while it's certainly been a roller coaster with him, I will certainly miss him as he is a perfect backup/ 1B tandem goalie. But that means we may get the Husso eye full time!

Of other concern is Vladi, I know there are some here that are less than enthused by his playoff performance in the bubble, but I think overall he's still a key piece to the Blues offense and provides another scoring threat when he is on his game. Being sent back here to have his shoulder examined isn't good, and I would hate to have seen him in his last game as Blue due to that shoulder injury.

 

[Hank Hull]

Sad to see our run end, mostly because I just discovered this forum a couple weeks back and have enjoyed being here. Looking forward to hanging around for a full season!

Count me in the camp that our play in the bubble is not representative of how I expect us to play going forward under normal circumstances. However, I can't help but wonder how "normal" next season will be. I doubt that the NHL can afford to play in hub cities without fans for a full season, but I imagine that the gameday experience will still be different from the one in which we thrived last year. If guys are still isolated from their families for months at a time, I wouldn't be surprised to see us struggle with an extended Cup hangover.

In terms of roster construction, I hope we run as much of this same roster back next year as possible. This team won a Cup and was the top team in the West going into the break, and the only thing that changed was a global pandemic hitting the pause button. A lot of our guys are being maligned for their play these past few weeks, but I still believe it can be turned around. How we do it financially I'm not sure, but that's why I'm here and not in the front office.

 

[AjaxManifesto]

July 29 - Aug 21

3 weeks in the Edmonton bubble.

2 - 6 - 1

(2 - 7 - 1) if you count the exhibition game against the Hawks.

This team needs to do some soul searching before next season

 

[BrokenFace]

If the 20-21 season started in a week, I'd still be excited for this team. Not looking forward to Petro probably leaving and the goalie situation will be another mystery to solve, but this team is really good as is and we still have some quality young forwards (plus Dunn, if he ever takes the next step) in Thomas, Kyrou, and Kostin who will be interesting to watch next season.

The day after the Blues are eliminated is usually pretty crappy. I'm not happy but between the cup last year, this weird Covid restart, and the state of the team, I'm not feeling so bad.

 

[Stupendous Yappi]

This week was a kick in the crotch. Pietro walking, Tarasenko a question and doubts whether Binnington is the answer as a full-time starter. The Blues lose their best goal scorer and best defender. The Binnington question is really about whether it’s more risky to move Allen and project Husso or a similar cost player into that role.

I had a dream the Blues did some trade to get Pittsburgh’s 1st round pick, but maybe it was one of those dreams where you are remembering the past.

I wouldn’t have believed it, but after Pietro’s reaction on the bench and post-game comments, I do think he’s expecting to walk. And I think he was up front with Armstrong, who acquired Faulk as a stop-gap. I just can’t make sense of that move as well any other way.

One big negative of the pandemic effect on the Blues is that if this is true, Pietro played his last games a Bluenote in front of an empty arena. Instead of getting the ovation and roar we would have given him, he just quietly lost his emotions on the bench. I guess it will have to wait for some future day when he returns with his new team.

 

[ChuckLefley]

I think a lot of people are reading too much into Pietrangelo’s comment. We just lost a series where we didn’t play well, he’s been away from the triplets and a pregnant wife for a month and it’s been a very long last two seasons. Does that mean he is staying? I don’t know, but I don’t think the comment guarantees he is gone. If he leaves and we don’t make some trades, our D is going to be middle of the NHL...at best.

In years past I would have been mad, “another year, another failure,” but I’m not going to lie, after winning last year, this doesn’t hurt as bad. I wasn’t up half the night thinking about how we blew it and wondering if I’ll ever see us win. Amazing what winning can do!

 

[tfriede2]

I think a lot of people are reading too much into Pietrangelo’s comment. We just lost a series where we didn’t play well, he’s been away from the triplets and a pregnant wife for a month and it’s been a very long last two seasons. Does that mean he is staying? I don’t know, but I don’t think the comment guarantees he is gone. If he leaves and we don’t make some trades, our D is going to be middle of the NHL...at best.

In years past I would have been mad, “another year, another failure,” but I’m not going to lie, after winning last year, this doesn’t hurt as bad. I wasn’t up half the night thinking about how we blew it and wondering if I’ll ever see us win. Amazing what winning can do!

What was the comment?

 

[ChuckLefley]

What was the comment?

Alex Pietrangelo on if he'll be back: "I'm not going to answer that. We'll find out soon."

Pietrangelo on emotions: “More so when the game is over. It’s not a fun situation to be in, especially when you’ve been somewhere your whole career. But it is what it is, so ... I guess really my only thought is to get home, see my kids, and see where the future takes us.“

 

[Alklha]

Alex Pietrangelo on if he'll be back: "I'm not going to answer that. We'll find out soon."

Pietrangelo on emotions: “More so when the game is over. It’s not a fun situation to be in, especially when you’ve been somewhere your whole career. But it is what it is, so ... I guess really my only thought is to get home, see my kids, and see where the future takes us.“

The comments could be about him knowing that's he's leaving. They equally could be about a tough negotiation and the real uncertainty over whether it is his last game for the Blues.

Even the best case scenario isn't looking great, particularly combined with the comments earlier in the year from Armstrong regarding age which suggested our offer to Pietrangelo might not be the most competitive.

 

[ChuckLefley]

The comments could be about him knowing that's he's leaving. They equally could be about a tough negotiation and the real uncertainty over whether it is his last game for the Blues.

Even the best case scenario isn't looking great, particularly combined with the comments earlier in the year from Armstrong regarding age which suggested our offer to Pietrangelo might not be the most competitive.

Thanks, that was my point. I’ve seen people all over twitter saying he is gone and that he said so and it’s just not true. Of course I have found that a large percentage of Blues fans criminally underrated Pietrangelo and many of them hope he leaves.

 

[tfriede2]

Alex Pietrangelo on if he'll be back: "I'm not going to answer that. We'll find out soon."

Pietrangelo on emotions: “More so when the game is over. It’s not a fun situation to be in, especially when you’ve been somewhere your whole career. But it is what it is, so ... I guess really my only thought is to get home, see my kids, and see where the future takes us.“

Interesting. It does seem to show that his future is uncertain. I would have liked him to answer “I hope so” or “that’s the goal” to that first question.

 

[ChuckLefley]

Interesting. It does seem to show that his future is uncertain. I would have liked him to answer “I hope so” or “that’s the goal” to that first question.

Like I said, I think he is frustrated from the way we played, tired from the last two seasons, worried about the triplets and his pregnant wife and ready to see them. I used to be a college coach and when I worked camps in the summer being away from my wife and son (especially when he was a toddler) was really tough, I can’t imagine how tough this has been for him.

In this age of COVID and social media it’s really not prudent to make comments that lean, distinctly, in one direction. Imagine the furor if he said, “I hope so” and then things didn’t work out, or if he said, “I feel like I played my last game in the Blue Note” and he came back. Either would be insane on social media and sports radio.

 

[AjaxManifesto]

Reports: NHL aiming for December 1 start to the 2020-2021 season

 

[tfriede2]

Like I said, I think he is frustrated from the way we played, tired from the last two seasons, worried about the triplets and his pregnant wife and ready to see them. I used to be a college coach and when I worked camps in the summer being away from my wife and son (especially when he was a toddler) was really tough, I can’t imagine how tough this has been for him.

In this age of COVID and social media it’s really not prudent to make comments that lean, distinctly, in one direction. Imagine the furor if he said, “I hope so” and then things didn’t work out, or if he said, “I feel like I played my last game in the Blue Note” and he came back. Either would be insane on social media and sports radio.

Eh, he’s said earlier this season that the goal is to be back - he could have just reiterated that.

 

[AjaxManifesto]

Agreed on the COVID comments. We don't know what strain is on these guys living in the bubble. All 3 guys you saw up there in the post game presser have kids.

I am surprised, however, how poorly our youth played. I would have thought playing in a locked down bubble would have been easier for them. They all looked uninspired.

 

[tfriede2]

Eh, he’s said earlier this season that the goal is to be back - he could have just reiterated that.

After watching the above, I think I agree with you, Chuck. They’re all pissed off and don’t want to talk about the series or game. I don’t put much stock into the comments.

 

[Celtic Note]

The interview certainly didn’t inspire confidence, but the guys were obviously emotional. They were all trying to hold back their real thoughts and veil them in palatable responses.

But Petro maybe let his emotions get the best of him a bit on the return questions. It seems like he certainly has frustration regarding the situation, if nothing else.

 

[TheBluePenguin]

The interview certainly didn’t inspire confidence, but the guys were obviously emotional. They were all trying to hold back their real thoughts and veil them in palatable responses.

But Petro maybe let his emotions get the best of him a bit on the return questions. It seems like he certainly has frustration regarding the situation, if nothing else.

Reading the response did look bad, listening to it on video, it looks like he was " why the f*** would you ask me that now"

 

[taylord22]

The Petro comments/attitude could just as easily be attributed to the fact that he knows that if he does come back, multiple guys that he’s played with will need to be traded away. Steen, Allen, Bozak, etc...

That’s not fun knowledge to shoulder.

 

[mw2noobbuster]

Well didn't take long for people to start trashing Binnington on the main boards, eh?