2021 Blues Regular Season multi-purpose thread

[Linkens Mastery]

Sundqvist returns to lineup after 8-month absence

IT'S HAPPENING

 

[Stealth JD]

Sundqvist returns to lineup after 8-month absence

IT'S HAPPENING

Just need Schenn & Krug back too...then they'll be ready to rock and roll.

 

[AVictoryDive]

Just need Schenn & Krug back too...then they'll be ready to rock and roll.

Sounds like Krug will also be back. They reported he was taking reps with PP1 today

 

[bleedblue1223]

A 2nd PP unit with Perunovich, Thomas, Kyrou, and Buchnevich. Nice to have a 2nd PP with that much skill.

 

[Linkens Mastery]

Just need Schenn & Krug back too...then they'll be ready to rock and roll.

Krug is back as well according to JR

 

[Bye Bye Blueston]

So looks like Peru in and everyone back but Schenn tonight.

 

[Linkens Mastery]

So looks like Peru in and everyone back but Schenn tonight.

We still have a great forward makeup without Schenn. And with Krug and Perunovich on the Backend we should have a better transition game.

 

[Linkens Mastery]

Steener forgot about Sunny. Lol

 

[MissouriMook]

Steener forgot about Sunny. Lol

 

[Linkens Mastery]

Clifford clears waivers

 

[ChicagoBlues]

Steener forgot about Sunny. Lol

Awwww. C'mon Steen! Don't make Sunny a Moony.

 

[Majorityof1]

Sundqvist returns to lineup after 8-month absence

IT'S HAPPENING

I lost track. What are all the things that are "It's happening" the past two days?

Sunny Back
Perunovich called up
Clifford waived
Walman benched

Is that it? We should keep a list somewhere.

 

[Majorityof1]

Majority your insomnia was our gain

Thanks. I am glad some people got something out of it. I was hoping people would debate me, but I have underestimated how daunting of a giant wall of text can be

 

[Linkens Mastery]

I lost track. What are all the things that are "It's happening" the past two days?

Sunny Back
Perunovich called up
Clifford waived
Walman benched

Is that it? We should keep a list somewhere.

Lol, everything is happening.

 

[Stupendous Yappi]

So looks like Peru in and everyone back but Schenn tonight.

The Death Star is almost fully operational.

 

[Stupendous Yappi]

Clifford clears waivers

Good, they can pass the Cup to him 3rd.

 

[Bye Bye Blueston]

The Death Star is almost fully operational.

So you are expecting it to be blown up imminently?

 

[Brian39]

Thanks. I am glad some people got something out of it. I was hoping people would debate me, but I have underestimated how daunting of a giant wall of text can be

Who in their right mind would write that much on a Blues forum?

I'm glad that @BadgersandBlues reminded me that your long posts existed. I didn't have time to read them when I first came across them, but I just went back and read all four. I agree with pretty much everything you wrote, but I'll nitpick a couple things. I'd put Kyrou a notch above Thomas, because he just looks like an actualized game breaker out there while Thomas still has some youthful moments. I'd wager that you intentionally put him at the top of the list, but I just can't say enough how impressive he's been. I went to the game Sunday excited to watch McDavid in person and I spent about as much time focusing on Kyrou as I did McDavid. He beat out two icing calls on Thursday that he had zero business getting to. He's been fantastic and not just on the score sheet.

I'd move Schenn down a notch to "fine." He makes $700k a year more than Buch on a contract that is twice as long and has a full NTC. A 55 point pace with mediocre possession numbers and good intangibles needs to be the baseline expectation for him. I'd have him rated as "fine" and probably closer to "needs to be better" than "exceeding expectations."

To offset Schenn, I'd move Scandella from "fine" to "exceeding expectations." He is playing the most defensive role in the league, his partner has not been carrying the expected weight of a #1D and he is still just a -1 (and expected -0.8). He's playing 2:27 a night on the PK for a unit that is well above league-average. We're running him out there like an elite shutdown D man and he is doing an adequate job. That exceeds my expectations for a $3.275M D man. It might not be good enough for us to contend given the roster construction, but it is beyond my expectation for him as a player.

 

[ChicagoBlues]

Good, they can pass the Cup to him 3rd.

That would mean the Maple Leafs won the Cup and we can't let that happen.

 

[TheDizee]

That would mean the Maple Leafs won the Cup and we can't let that happen.

Don't they need to get out of the first round for that to happen?

 

[Majorityof1]

Who in their right mind would write that much on a Blues forum?

I'm glad that @BadgersandBlues reminded me that your long posts existed. I didn't have time to read them when I first came across them, but I just went back and read all four. I agree with pretty much everything you wrote, but I'll nitpick a couple things. I'd put Kyrou a notch above Thomas, because he just looks like an actualized game breaker out there while Thomas still has some youthful moments. I'd wager that you intentionally put him at the top of the list, but I just can't say enough how impressive he's been. I went to the game Sunday excited to watch McDavid in person and I spent about as much time focusing on Kyrou as I did McDavid. He beat out two icing calls on Thursday that he had zero business getting to. He's been fantastic and not just on the score sheet.

I'd move Schenn down a notch to "fine." He makes $700k a year more than Buch on a contract that is twice as long and has a full NTC. A 55 point pace with mediocre possession numbers and good intangibles needs to be the baseline expectation for him. I'd have him rated as "fine" and probably closer to "needs to be better" than "exceeding expectations."

To offset Schenn, I'd move Scandella from "fine" to "exceeding expectations." He is playing the most defensive role in the league, his partner has not been carrying the expected weight of a #1D and he is still just a -1 (and expected -0.8). He's playing 2:27 a night on the PK for a unit that is well above league-average. We're running him out there like an elite shutdown D man and he is doing an adequate job. That exceeds my expectations for a $3.275M D man. It might not be good enough for us to contend given the roster construction, but it is beyond my expectation for him as a player.

I didn't rank the players within the tiers, but I agree with you that Kyrou is a step above. There is a reason he was at the top of the list. I said Thomas is neck and neck, but that is probably not the best way to say it. He is just the closest other player to how impressed I am with Kyrou. Kyrou is a step above. I also don't want what Thomas is doing to be lost amongst the Kyrou hype though. Because he's been with the Blues longer, people may think Thomas is the older player. But Thomas is actually a little over a year younger. He is also being leaned on in more heavily defensive situations, and on the PK (3rd most TOI for a F). That has some value to me. But Kyrou's ability as a game-breaker cannot be understated, as well as the intangible benefits from his speed like beating out those icings.

As for Schenn, I did not take length of contract into account. But maybe I should have. You are right that Schenn needs to be better than his cap hit now to make up for any eventual decline at the end of the deal. That is a good point. I did start Schenn in "fine" but let the intangibles based on his fight with Kadri sway me up when thinking about the year.

I disagree on bumping up Scandella too much. The ask from him is a lot, but he is also making just bone-headed turnovers at times that people are rightly calling out. He leads the team in turnovers by a good margin, despite playing less than Parayko and Faulk. If he cleans those up, I'd gladly bump him up to exceeds expectations.

 

[KingsHockey24]

Best of luck St. Louis.

 

[CaliforniaBlues310]

Best of luck St. Louis.

You’re always welcome over on these parts of the forum!

 

[KingsHockey24]

You’re always welcome over on these parts of the forum!

 

[Brockon]

Thanks. I am glad some people got something out of it. I was hoping people would debate me, but I have underestimated how daunting of a giant wall of text can be

I mean, I'm looking at midterms and final projects being due... Not going to be a whole lot of rebuttal from me when I haven't been watching all of the games.

Stat watching and looking at underlying metrics only gets you so far.