2021 Blues Regular Season multi-purpose thread

[Bobby Orrtuzzo]

Good on the Blues fans - a sell out and two weeknight games just 1,500 seats short. Excellent support for our boys.

Wow, it’s crazy all that the internet “you’re gonna lose so many fans” with the proof of vaccine/tests people were wrong.

 

[simon IC]

Krug got a seven year deal from the Blues in 2020. Will he block Perunovich for the next five years?

Perunovich has to be very attractive to teams that want a talented power play point man. Maybe one of those teams has a talented left handed defenseman they would be willing to part with.

This has been a concern of mine for some time now. Do we really need two 5'9" Left PMD's for the next six years?

 

[simon IC]

Particularly with how one-dimensional Walman also is

Bingo.

 

[Stealth JD]

Particularly with how one-dimensional Walman also is

Curious. What dimension is that?

I was actually wondering if Walman was capable of replacing some of Scandella's minutes in a defensive role. He's certainly not capable (yet) of filling Krug's offensive minutes, but he is 6'2" and a good skater. He's played better defensively than offensively, and may be ready for that next step in his development. The Blues will need to consider such things due to Perunovich eventually forcing his way onto the roster.

When Perunovich comes, somebody is losing a roster spot. You'd think they'd just put Perunovich in the 4/5 slot and slide everyone else out, bumping Walman/Bortuzzo to the bench and Mikkola to waivers, and hopefully eventually Springfield. But, I don't think they want to risk losing Mikkola and benching Walman; as moving 'salary' is more desirable when integrating another talented ELC. Ideally, you'd bring in a defensive-LHD, like Lindholm or Giordano to solidify the top-4...but I don't see a near-term scenario in which the Blues payroll has 4 defensemen making Colonel Steve Austin money or higher. Parayko and Faulk are here for the long-haul; that much is clear. Krug likely is too, to the disappointment of many here. I personally would love to swap Krug's salary for Perunovich; but the more likely, long-term option is Scandella's $3.275M salary.

If Army is prepared to go to war with Parayko-Faulk-Krug as his lead horses, Perunovich on the third pairing makes the Blues insanely dangerous, assuming his game translates even half as well at the NHL as it did in the AHL. Could we see Walman auditioning alongside Parayko in the coming weeks as the Blues prepare to shuffle the roster to allow for Perunovich's arrival? Naturally injuries may alleviate the need to make any moves, but I like the following more than the current:

Walman-Parayko
Krug-Faulk
Mikkola/Perunovich/Bortuzzo (depending whether SP plays RD or LD)

Berube could mix any of Mikkola, Perunovich or Walman alongside Parayko and I'd feel just as confident or more so than paying Scandella $3.275M to try to be invisible. But one thing is for sure, Perunovich will be in STL before February. With Tarasenko playing well and the Blues winning games, Army is in a terrific position to do some fine tuning with the roster and payroll.

 

[Bye Bye Blueston]

This has been a concern of mine for some time now. Do we really need two 5'9" Left PMD's for the next six years?

Boston had good deal of success with Krug and Gryz

 

[MissouriMook]

Boston had good deal of success with Krug and Gryz

They are ridiculously thin now at LD since Chara moved on. That is probably their greatest weakness. I don’t know if that bridge has been burned and I feel like there is less than a 5% chance we trade Krug in the near term, but that is one move that might actually make sense if we look to clear a path for Perunovich -AND- use Tarasenko’s cap space for a shutdown LD upgrade.

 

[PocketNines]

Curious. What dimension is that?

I was actually wondering if Walman was capable of replacing some of Scandella's minutes in a defensive role. He's certainly not capable (yet) of filling Krug's offensive minutes, but he is 6'2" and a good skater. He's played better defensively than offensively, and may be ready for that next step in his development. The Blues will need to consider such things due to Perunovich eventually forcing his way onto the roster.

When Perunovich comes, somebody is losing a roster spot. You'd think they'd just put Perunovich in the 4/5 slot and slide everyone else out, bumping Walman/Bortuzzo to the bench and Mikkola to waivers, and hopefully eventually Springfield. But, I don't think they want to risk losing Mikkola and benching Walman; as moving 'salary' is more desirable when integrating another talented ELC. Ideally, you'd bring in a defensive-LHD, like Lindholm or Giordano to solidify the top-4...but I don't see a near-term scenario in which the Blues payroll has 4 defensemen making Colonel Steve Austin money or higher. Parayko and Faulk are here for the long-haul; that much is clear. Krug likely is too, to the disappointment of many here. I personally would love to swap Krug's salary for Perunovich; but the more likely, long-term option is Scandella's $3.275M salary.

If Army is prepared to go to war with Parayko-Faulk-Krug as his lead horses, Perunovich on the third pairing makes the Blues insanely dangerous, assuming his game translates even half as well at the NHL as it did in the AHL. Could we see Walman auditioning alongside Parayko in the coming weeks as the Blues prepare to shuffle the roster to allow for Perunovich's arrival? Naturally injuries may alleviate the need to make any moves, but I like the following more than the current:

Walman-Parayko
Krug-Faulk
Mikkola/Perunovich/Bortuzzo (depending whether SP plays RD or LD)

Berube could mix any of Mikkola, Perunovich or Walman alongside Parayko and I'd feel just as confident or more so than paying Scandella $3.275M to try to be invisible. But one thing is for sure, Perunovich will be in STL before February. With Tarasenko playing well and the Blues winning games, Army is in a terrific position to do some fine tuning with the roster and payroll.

Walman seems like just a guy to me. The announcers cite it every time he does some nimble footwork to escape defensive zone pressure, and he has a good point shot, and he has some sense of when to join an offensive rush, but none of it is amazing. He's a poor man's Kris Russell despite being a few inches taller. It's enough to just be better than Mikkola. He also has problems in his own zone. Krug was overmatched but I thought Walman was particularly poor against Colorado's pressure, some bad clearing attempts that the Avs pounced on.

I think that of all the guys on the left, Scandella is by far the best defensive defenseman the Blues have and it's why he's getting more minutes than he should.

X - Parayko
Scandella - Faulk
Krug - Bortuzzo
with Krug running the #1 PP and getting more minutes when they are behind.

X is neither Mikkola nor Walman, they should not even being considered for top pair duty. They are borderline players.

 

[Bye Bye Blueston]

They are ridiculously thin now at LD since Chara moved on. That is probably their greatest weakness. I don’t know if that bridge has been burned and I feel like there is less than a 5% chance we trade Krug in the near term, but that is one move that might actually make sense if we look to clear a path for Perunovich -AND- use Tarasenko’s cap space for a shutdown LD upgrade.

Interesting thought. I was just saying they had 2 midget D and made Finals.

 

[PocketNines]

The strength of that Boston team was its dominant top line produced nearly every game, Krug QB'd a dominant PP, and Rask would give them a chance to win. The defense was very average for a playoff team. Boston defense was literally the thing the Blues could, and did, take advantage of to win the Cup. The Blues generated chances from forechecking that defense and in the end the Bruins were vulnerable.

 

[Meatball]

Scandella-Parayko
Perunovich-Faulk
Krug-Bortuzzo

So, apparently, we have "Cale Makar-light" sitting right under our noses.

Perunovich will be the difference. I'd rather have a bunch of offensively skilled defensemen who can skate and move the puck and team defense is good enough anyway (wait til we get Sunny back). Whatever "problems" they might have defensively, they more than makeup for it with skill.

The prevailing thought on this board is that we need another shutdown d-man back there...why not more firepower instead?

This group with the forwards?

Well, it'll be a fun season!

 

[Renard]

Walman seems like just a guy to me. The announcers cite it every time he does some nimble footwork to escape defensive zone pressure, and he has a good point shot, and he has some sense of when to join an offensive rush, but none of it is amazing. He's a poor man's Kris Russell despite being a few inches taller. It's enough to just be better than Mikkola. He also has problems in his own zone. Krug was overmatched but I thought Walman was particularly poor against Colorado's pressure, some bad clearing attempts that the Avs pounced on.

I think that of all the guys on the left, Scandella is by far the best defensive defenseman the Blues have and it's why he's getting more minutes than he should.

X - Parayko
Scandella - Faulk
Krug - Bortuzzo
with Krug running the #1 PP and getting more minutes when they are behind.

X is neither Mikkola nor Walman, they should not even being considered for top pair duty. They are borderline players.

Walman has played in 36 NHL games. That is far too few to get a read on him and his potential.

 

[Louie the Blue]

Walman has played in 36 NHL games. That is far too few to get a read on him and his potential.

He's a 25 year-old defenseman that was picked in the 3rd round 7 years ago.

I feel like at this point the Blues know what they have in him.

I'm not sure I can think of a defenseman that the Blues have drafted recently that went from being a fringe player to a solid contributor at that age. Otherwise, the only player I can think of who had a curve like that at a certain age is Binnington (which may not have necessarily been due to his own performance but to management's ineptness handling goalies).

 

[Renard]

He's a 25 year-old defenseman that was picked in the 3rd round 7 years ago.

I feel like at this point the Blues know what they have in him.

I'm not sure I can think of a defenseman that the Blues have drafted recently that went from being a fringe player to a solid contributor at that age. Otherwise, the only player I can think of who had a curve like that at a certain age is Binnington (which may not have necessarily been due to his own performance but to management's ineptness handling goalies).

You overlook the dramatic improvement Walman made in the last couple of years. For a while, it looked like he was a bust, but he improved.

People learn at different paces. And defensemen take longer than forwards. Al MacInnis said that he didn't feel comfortable as an NHL defenseman until he had played 200 games in the NHL.

I'm not predicting greatness for Walman, but I think its too soon to write him off.

Hakanpaa is with Dallas now after having been a minor league bust for us. They really like him and he is 29 years old.

 

[Renard]

I went to my first game this year.

It was a sloppy and boring contest until the third period.

I was anxious to see Buchnevich for the first time in person. He did not stand out in a good way.

Joshua was noticeable in his limited ice time, and Kostin had his moments. Clifford looked incompetent, sorry but its true.

The best thing about the game was that the Hawk fans who attended were humble, as they have reason to be.

 

[greybush314]

He's a 25 year-old defenseman that was picked in the 3rd round 7 years ago.

I feel like at this point the Blues know what they have in him.

I'm not sure I can think of a defenseman that the Blues have drafted recently that went from being a fringe player to a solid contributor at that age. Otherwise, the only player I can think of who had a curve like that at a certain age is Binnington (which may not have necessarily been due to his own performance but to management's ineptness handling goalies).

No player was affected more from the Blues AHL turmoil than Walman. Remember when he left college he was being heralded as a draft steal and one of the Blues top prospects, if not the top. But in his first year in the AHL, the Blues had to move him off of Chicago's roster because they were handling him so poorly. It didn't get much better fir him going forward and the pandemic halted his progress when he started turning things around.

 

[execwrite1]

No player was affected more from the Blues AHL turmoil than Walman. Remember when he left college he was being heralded as a draft steal and one of the Blues top prospects, if not the top. But in his first year in the AHL, the Blues had to move him off of Chicago's roster because they were handling him so poorly. It didn't get much better fir him going forward and the pandemic halted his progress when he started turning things around.

I think that Walman was a forward as a youngster and switched to the blueline a little later than most do. His skating is his strength which fits right in to the NHL game these days.

Hockeydb has him listed at 6.2 215. Good size for a d-man if that's accurate.

 

[PocketNines]

Walman has played in 36 NHL games. That is far too few to get a read on him and his potential.

While I completely respect that Walman has made strides to improve in recent years (the Blues do too, they're playing him), I haven't seen anything upside that he does, even in flashes, that I think "that's a thing I'm going to see on a regular basis when this guy plays." Not even the supposedly vaunted slapshot weapon. The only thing I see is that he and Kyrou have chemistry that hasn't produced yet. It's kind of weird for your bottom pairing defenseman to show offensive chemistry with one forward and almost nothing else. I feel equally nervous about opponent scoring when he and Krug are each in their own zone. Walman is subpar defensively.

 

[DoubleK81]

Husso placed on the COVID list. Looks like its going to make an early run through the team.

 

[ItsOnlytheRiver]

And back to back this week.

 

[Linkens Mastery]

Maybe the Blues will get shut down for a week like the Avs and Wild did last season.

 

[Linkens Mastery]

And back to back this week.

Luckily Lindgren has actual NHL experience.

 

[Bobby Orrtuzzo]

Hofer getting called up

 

[Ridge1982]

Better this happening now than later. Just keep piling up points.

 

[TruBlu]

Better this happening now than later. Just keep piling up points.

There's no guarantee that they won't get Covid protocol a few months from now. You can have it several times, be vaccinated, etc., and still have to do "submit" to their protocol if you test positive (for the antibodies).

 

[Stealth JD]

Without looking, I'm going to guess that the 2nd half of the Blues schedule is brutal. With the talk of a condensed season due to an Olympic year it's amazing the Blues are off until Wednesday and are going to have games-in-hand on the rest of the division for what will likely be the entire rest of the season. Multiple teams will have finished their 11th games before the Blues start their 8, but maybe that will allow for a wire-to-wire division win with the team always one step ahead of its pursuers. Hopefully the team can weather the Covid-storm and get people back quickly. You'd hate for ROR, or anyone on the team for that matter, to have long-term symptoms and after-effects. With the team having been fully vaccinated, outbreaks should be mild, but another pandemic-plagued season would be really disheartening.