2021-2022 S Blues Multi-Purpose Thread Part 3

[Zezel’s Pretzels]

I don’t get the Klim signing. That guy has done nothing to earn a one-way contract. I hope I am wrong, but I don’t get it.

 

[Xerloris]

Is it time that we admit Faulk is really good?

What if someone makes a chart that says he's not? We have to obey the chart!

 

[kimzey59]

I don’t get the Klim signing. That guy has done nothing to earn a one-way contract. I hope I am wrong, but I don’t get it.

Most likely, it was that or he bolted for the KHL.
Much rather keep him around than let him walk, but he needs to step it up if he's going to be an NHL'er.

Would not mind moving him in a trade, at all. And at that price, he's a decent trade chip.

 

[Zezel’s Pretzels]

Most likely, it was that or he bolted for the KHL.
Much rather keep him around than let him walk, but he needs to step it up if he's going to be an NHL'er.

Would not mind moving him in a trade, at all. And at that price, he's a decent trade chip.

I had the thought that it could be a precursor to him being a trade chip; glad a knowledgeable poster confirmed that I wasn't way out in left field. I sure hope that is the case. If he is anything other than forward #14 when the Blues are healthy, there’s a problem.

 

[PeoriaBlues309]

If there aren’t any changes to the forward group, I’d like to see Kostin, Neighbours, and Bolduc fighting for that last top 9 spot.

Ideally, Neighbours gets the Schwartz treatment and starts on the 4th line with Acciari, and one of Bolduc or Kostin claim that third line spot instead.

I personally thought Kostin played his best hockey when he was with Buch/Barbie on the third line last year. Even if he’s a very physical player, I think he’s a guy who needs to be in more of an offensive role compared to a 4th line role. This is a huge year for him, and I really hope he finally reaches his potential.

 

[STL fan in MN]

Took less than his qualifying offer to get the one-way contract. Smart move.

Unfortunately, I don’t find his play on the ice to be very smart. He has all the tools but doesn’t seem to know what to do with them most of the time.

I wish him well. There should be about 5 lineup spots he could earn (3rd line RW, 4th line LW, 4th line RW, 13th forward, 14th forward) so if he can’t make this team then I just don’t think he’s every really going to stick.

 

[Frobbo]

"Let's not act like Parayko isn't as good as Seabrook these past 3 seasons?"

Really? The season before last, Parayko was playing with an injured back, and Seabrook was never anointed into the #1 spot in Chicago during his prime years. He had plenty of good partners like Keith and Hjalmarsson. He wasn't tasked to shut down the other team's top players with #5 guys like Mikkola and Scandella.

It's funny how quickly people talk up other team's players. Take McAvoy for instance who wasn't even the best defenseman in the cup finals. Petro and Parayko were clearly more impactful in that series.

McAvoy was 21 years old at that time.

 

[Davimir Tarablad]

I had the thought that it could be a precursor to him being a trade chip; glad a knowledgeable poster confirmed that I wasn't way out in left field. I sure hope that is the case. If he is anything other than forward #14 when the Blues are healthy, there’s a problem.

I'd imagine there's a few teams that would claim him on waivers if he ends up there just to take a risk on a former 1st round pick.

 

[Brian39]

I really like the Kostin signing and it is yet another example of ownership's willingness to allow Army to spend more real dollars in order to get every cent of cap value. Logan Brown got a 1 way deal to keep his NHL salary at league minimum. Same with Leivo and Perunovich. Walker is guaranteed to make at least $350k a year the last couple years and got a 1 way extension for 2023/24 in order to keep his NHL salary at league minimum. Rosen's extension sees him make $400k a year in the AHL to keep his NHL salary at league minimum. The contract we gave Santini last summer guarantees him at least $325k a year to keep the NHL salary at league minimum.

Basically the entire fringe of our NHL lineup makes league minimum, which means that competitions for the last couple spots are going to be almost purely merit-based. MacMac's NHL salary kept him out of the NHL for stretches last year and we are making sure that doesn't happen again. We're offering guys the security of a higher base salary in exchange for leaving a couple hundred grand in potential dollars on the table. This means that we are going to be spending more on the AHL team than some teams would like.

I love seeing owners willing to make that type of investment and I like the depth that Army has built with that investment. I fully agree with @STL fan in IA that Kostin is essentially competing for 5 NHL spots and I would expand that to say that the same thing is true for Kostin, Neighbours, Bolduc, Torpo, Brown, Leivo, Walker, and any other depth forwards in the organization. Add a PTO into the mix and there should be good competition in camp for the bottom of our forward group.

The absolute minimum you can spend against the cap on forwards 9-14 (assuming you do a 14-7-2 roster construction) is $4.5M. Acciari is making the team. For the sake of this math, let's say that Neighbours and Bolduc both make the roster. In that scenario, we would be taking a (pre-potential-bonus) cap hit of $5.23M on the last 6 forwards to make the team. If Neighbours makes it but Bolduc doesn't, then that is $5.09M on the last 6 forwards. That is impressively close to the minimum, especially since it includes a guy who is legitimately an NHL-level 4th line center in Acciari.

If one of these guys is capable of being a competent 3rd line passenger, then Army will have done an exceptional job in building the bottom of the forward group while maximizing the amount of cap to spend elsewhere. None of these contracts by itself is anything spectacular, but the sum of what Army has done with the forward depth is a very nice piece of business made possible by having an ownership group willing to invest in guys that might not necessarily contribute a ton to the NHL roster.

 

[Falco Lombardi]

I know, I know. Charts and data bad, watch the game nerd, etc.

That said, if Scott Perunovich doesn’t get a better look at the top 4 because we’ve got almost 8 million dollars locked up in Leddy and Scandella……lol

 

[Snubbed4Vezina]

Can't deny that Kostin has been a disappointment but with Barbashev on the outs next offseason, it would be nice if Kostin could be the guy to fill his shoes. I'll echo what others have said as I'm also excited to see what kind of damage a potential 4th line of Kostin-Acciari-Toropchenko could do.

 

[bleedblue1223]

He'd have a weird sample size since he only about 50 minutes of 5v5 play, but if he can continue to be elite in transition, he'll have a spot in the top 6. The big thing for him will be if he can prove to be more than a PP specialist.

 

[jmwc95]

I know, I know. Charts and data bad, watch the game nerd, etc.

That said, if Scott Perunovich doesn’t get a better look at the top 4 because we’ve got almost 8 million dollars locked up in Leddy and Scandella……lol

I’ve always been impressed out of what I’ve seen in Perunovich. My biggest question mark is staying healthy. I think it’s okay to shelter him on the bottom pairing to start.

 

[Snubbed4Vezina]

Perunovich was a pleasant surprise during the playoffs. It would be an absolute blessing if Perunovich could make Krug expendable in the offseason so that Army could free up some significant cap space to help us land a true top pairing LHD.

 

[Falco Lombardi]

I’ve always been impressed out of what I’ve seen in Perunovich. My biggest question mark is staying healthy. I think it’s okay to shelter him on the bottom pairing to start.

If he hadn’t shown what he had in the playoffs, I might agree, but I don’t see the point personally

 

[STL fan in MN]

I know, I know. Charts and data bad, watch the game nerd, etc.

That said, if Scott Perunovich doesn’t get a better look at the top 4 because we’ve got almost 8 million dollars locked up in Leddy and Scandella……lol

I’m a big supporter of Perunovich but he needs to show he can stay healthy and be an everyday 3rd pairing guy before we start talking about putting him in the top-4 IMO.

 

[Reality Czech]

If he hadn’t shown what he had in the playoffs, I might agree, but I don’t see the point personally

He showed me that he still needs to improve his defense and decision making. No one questions his offense and puck carrying skills but I see no need to rush him into the top 4. People like to crap on Krug but he's a much better defender at this point.

 

[Falco Lombardi]

He showed me that he still needs to improve his defense and decision making. No one questions his offense and puck carrying skills but I see no need to rush him into the top 4. People like to crap on Krug but he's a much better defender at this point.

It’s not Krug I want him pushing out

 

[Robb_K]

Glad to see The Blues keep Kostin at a great low cap hit. I still have hopes he can make it as a 3rd liner. But, as a former 1st rounder, he can be a trade filler that we won't mind losing, if we want to keep someone else more. That provides more depth that doesn't hurt the cap situation.

 

[Reality Czech]

It’s not Krug I want him pushing out

That's fair, but Leddy and Scandella are also both much better defensively than Perunovich as well. We have a glut of d-men as it is, no need to force him to learn on the job.

 

[joe galiba]

I want Perunovich to force his way into a top 4 role
that would give us the ability to trade someone for cap relief OR we would have a very solid LD, especially transitioning the puck

 

[Frenzy31]

I want Perunovich to force his way into a top 4 role
that would give us the ability to trade someone for cap relief OR we would have a very solid LD, especially transitioning the puck

All of our fans want this. But right now it isn't close.

 

[joe galiba]

All of our fans want this. But right now it isn't close.

Maybe
it will also be his first normal (covid/shoulder surgery) off-season as a pro and it is normal to see progression for d-men his age as well

 

[PocketNines]

I know, I know. Charts and data bad, watch the game nerd, etc.

That said, if Scott Perunovich doesn’t get a better look at the top 4 because we’ve got almost 8 million dollars locked up in Leddy and Scandella……lol

Lol any chart that says Perunovich was the best Blues defender last playoffs is beyond hapless. Do ... do you actually believe this? Shouldn't alarm bells about the value of this chart be going absolute bananas when you see something like that?

 

[Linkens Mastery]

Lol any chart that says Perunovich was the best Blues defender last playoffs is beyond hapless. Do ... do you actually believe this? Shouldn't alarm bells about the value of this chart be going absolute bananas when you see something like that?

Look at the chart. It's for zone exits. A thing Perunovich excels at.