2021 Off Season Discussion Thread

[Reality Czech]

We have to let those guys go if we want to allow our younger players like Kyrou, Thomas, and Kostin to grow. Bozak and Maroon aren't going to improve at this stage of their careers.

I partly agree with you, but it's also tough to let go of reliable veterans at a reasonable price. I was a bit disappointed they let Maroon go just because he was such a good fit here on and off the ice, though I get why they didn't. I would have probably signed Patty for the $1 mil and not given it a second thought, and I also wish they could find a spot for Bozak because he's the ultimate role player. He'd probably be signed now if a Tarasenko trade had gone through and freed up some salary. But you are right that at some point the young guys have to replace the veterans, and I think the Blues still see potential in Sanford even if many fans don't. Kostin also needs to play, sink or swim.

 

[Brian39]

So, do we think there is still room for Bozak on the Blues or has that ship sailed? Obviously, if Tarasenko will be on the roster for the time being it makes his return less likely. I just really want him back on the team next year, and his steady veteran presence will be missed if we don't bring him back. If he signs for $2 million or less, it will be a great value contract for some team.

What do you think, will Bozie be back next year or is he already penning his farewell letter to St. Louis to be posted on the Players Tribune website?

I absolutely think there is still room, but it is a clear bottom 6 role (which I think it is the case whether Tarasenko is here or not). He's not in the top 6 if Tarasenko is moved tomorrow, so the only real change is how much of a chance he has to play on the 3C or 3RW spot. The reality is that Bozak is squarely behind ROR, Schenn, Thomas, Perron, Buch, Kyrou, and Tarasenko on the Blues' depth chart at C and RW. Tarasenko being gone would give him an outside chance at playing 3RW (or 3C with Thomas sliding to 3RW), but he would still be a clear 7th man fighting for one of 6 spots in the top 9 at C or RW. So even without Tarasenko, 2 things would need to happen for Bozak to be playing on the 3rd line. First, one of those RWs (Buch, Perron, or Kyrou) would need to be moved to the LW (which is very likely given our roster construction). Second, the team would need to be comfortable prioritizing Bozak on this year's roster over giving Kostin a shot in the top 9.

Tarasenko being here gives Bozak basically no chance of playing on the 3rd line. But even without Tarasenko, odds are still pretty damn good that Bozak's role on this team would be as a 4th liner who slides up the lineup with injuries.

My belief is that Bozak's decision has never been about money, but is about the role he would have on this team. Does he want to play the role Steen did in his last year with the club? Tarasenko being moved for futures (or a D) might make that role a touch more appealing, but Kostin knocking at the door makes it extremely likely that the opening would not go to Bozak. I want to see Bozak here because I think having him as a 4th liner (who probably ends up playing 25-50% of his games on the 3rd line when injuries hit) is a great luxury to have. But he almost certainly has other teams offering him a middle 6 role. Army has never struck me as a guy who bullshits players about the role they will likely play in our organization and I'd wager that this was made clear to Bozak from the start of negotiations.

As to the Sanford vs. Bozak point, I think Sanford is completely irrelevant to Bozak's decision (and the Blues' decision on Bozak). The only time Berube ever tried Bozak at LW was when he very briefly tried a Bozak-Thomas-Hoffman line. I don't think they even finished one game together and none of them looked good. There was no chance that we were going to enter the season with Saad, Barby, and Clifford as the only guys on the roster who played any LW last season with the hopes that 2 of our top 9 LW spots could be filled with guys shifting over to LW from other positions. Sanford is a cheap LW to provide depth at the most shallow position on our roster. Bozak doesn't/wouldn't address that position.

I've made the point that we can give Bozak a bonus-laden deal too many times to count, so I don't want to beat it to death. But for the millionth time, we can financially fit Bozak into the lineup for the opening (and mid) season cap number of an AHL plug. Assuming the bonuses are super easy to hit, such a contract offers very little risk for Bozak and we can negate that risk by making it a touch more lucrative than a pure-salary deal. I don't think the issue is money and I think it is purely an issue of role. Sanford's role doesn't alter Bozak's potential role and my gut tells me that Kostin's perceived NHL-readiness makes him the likely Tarasenko replacement if/when that is needed. I think Bozak's role on this team is on the 4th line of a fully healthy roster. If we don't have a handshake deal that we are waiting to file for cap purposes, then I think Bozak's hesitancy is to see if he can get a better role in a desired location.

 

[Brian39]

You said we needed to let people go like Maroon and Bozak to give young guys room but you failed to notice that we could get rid of Sanford instead.

Neither Kyrou nor Kostin has played LW as pros and I don't believe either played LW in junior. Sanford has never played C or RW as a pro. Removing Sanford from the roster does almost nothing to open a spot up for the young guys in our pipeline.

 

[TK 421]

Neither Kyrou nor Kostin has played LW as pros and I don't believe either played LW in junior. Sanford has never played C or RW as a pro. Removing Sanford from the roster does almost nothing to open a spot up for the young guys in our pipeline.

Not this season anyway and with it being only a 1 year deal he doesn't block Neighbours next season.

 

[Moose and Squirrel]

Neither Kyrou nor Kostin has played LW as pros and I don't believe either played LW in junior. Sanford has never played C or RW as a pro. Removing Sanford from the roster does almost nothing to open a spot up for the young guys in our pipeline.

thought Kostin played LW for his handful of games when he came up

 

[Brian39]

thought Kostin played LW for his handful of games when he came up

In 19/20 he was on the right side for all but a handful of minutes.

Last season he played 2 games with the Blues and was a LW for those. They were the 2 meaningless regular season games at the end of the year and they then scratched him in the playoffs. So while I was technically incorrect that he has "never" played LW, I don't think it is fair to say that he has any meaningful experience there. He was a RW every year in the AHL, he was RW for everything I saw coming out of the KHL and he has consistently been labeled a RW. There is nothing to suggest that he can slide over effectively and it is rare to see rookies have any success playing their off wing as they try to acclimate to the NHL.

 

[Xerloris]

Neither Kyrou nor Kostin has played LW as pros and I don't believe either played LW in junior. Sanford has never played C or RW as a pro. Removing Sanford from the roster does almost nothing to open a spot up for the young guys in our pipeline.

Removing Sanford and keeping Bozak gives the same opening as removing Bozak but keeping Sanford. The only difference is you're keeping someone that's competent.


Buch - ROR - Perron
Saad - Schenn - Tarasenko
???? - Thomas - Kyrou
Barbie - Sunny - ????

Obviously the lines are not what we will use but you get the idea. I would rather have Kostin and Bozak to fill in the holes than Kostin and Sanford. I mean Bozak is reliable and can be trusted in any role. Can we say the same for Sanford? If Bozak is willing to take a cheap ass deal to stay then he's accepting his role on the team as a role player and not a star. Kind of like Steen minus the big contract on Steen.

 

[Moose and Squirrel]

Removing Sanford and keeping Bozak gives the same opening as removing Bozak but keeping Sanford. The only difference is you're keeping someone that's competent.


Buch - ROR - Perron
Saad - Schenn - Tarasenko
???? - Thomas - Kyrou
Barbie - Sunny - ????

Obviously the lines are not what we will use but you get the idea. I would rather have Kostin and Bozak to fill in the holes than Kostin and Sanford. I mean Bozak is reliable and can be trusted in any role. Can we say the same for Sanford? If Bozak is willing to take a cheap ass deal to stay then he's accepting his role on the team as a role player and not a star. Kind of like Steen minus the big contract on Steen.

would love to see Kostin on that 3rd and make it a 'kid line' but doubt berube shares my enthusiasm for that lol

but playing with Barbie on the 4th wouldn't be the worst thing to start him out, and can always juggle as need be

and agree, sign me up for Bozak over Sanford

 

[Brian39]

Removing Sanford and keeping Bozak gives the same opening as removing Bozak but keeping Sanford. The only difference is you're keeping someone that's competent.


Buch - ROR - Perron
Saad - Schenn - Tarasenko
???? - Thomas - Kyrou
Barbie - Sunny - ????

Obviously the lines are not what we will use but you get the idea. I would rather have Kostin and Bozak to fill in the holes than Kostin and Sanford. I mean Bozak is reliable and can be trusted in any role. Can we say the same for Sanford? If Bozak is willing to take a cheap ass deal to stay then he's accepting his role on the team as a role player and not a star. Kind of like Steen minus the big contract on Steen.

Those two question marks are 2 different positions. One of them is for a LW spot and the other is for a RW spot. Sanford is filling the LW spot and Bozak would be filling the RW spot (or filling the 4C spot and having Sunny slide over to the RW spot.

Kyrou doesn't play LW (which is why you put him on the RW). Kostin doesn't play LW. Buch has played RW for at least the last 2 years. Perron has been a RW for almost his entire stint paired with ROR. Tarasenko is a RW. Thomas plays RW when he slides to the wing. Sunny plays RW when he slides to the wing. Bozak plays RW when he isn't playing center. Our roster is loaded with guys who are more comfortable at RW and C.

The only way to open up a RW spot by letting Sanford walk is to put one of Perron, Buch, or Saad on the 3rd line. Perron was the team's leading scorer last year and we just gave Buch and Saad a combined $45M ($5.8 x 4 and $4.5 x 5). Neither of those guys were signed to play 3rd line minutes and it isn't realistic to act like that isn't a consideration. When choosing one player over another would force such a large change in the lineup, those players in question are playing different roles.

Sanford and Bozak would be playing different roles/positions on the team and the position/role Kostin plays is the same one as Bozak (not Sanford). 3LW is a different opening than 4RW.

 

[Xerloris]

Those two question marks are 2 different positions. One of them is for a LW spot and the other is for a RW spot. Sanford is filling the LW spot and Bozak would be filling the RW spot (or filling the 4C spot and having Sunny slide over to the RW spot.

Kyrou doesn't play LW (which is why you put him on the RW). Kostin doesn't play LW. Buch has played RW for at least the last 2 years. Perron has been a RW for almost his entire stint paired with ROR. Tarasenko is a RW. Thomas plays RW when he slides to the wing. Sunny plays RW when he slides to the wing. Bozak plays RW when he isn't playing center. Our roster is loaded with guys who are more comfortable at RW and C.

The only way to open up a RW spot by letting Sanford walk is to put one of Perron, Buch, or Saad on the 3rd line. Perron was the team's leading scorer last year and we just gave Buch and Saad a combined $45M ($5.8 x 4 and $4.5 x 5). Neither of those guys were signed to play 3rd line minutes and it isn't realistic to act like that isn't a consideration.

Sanford and Bozak would be playing different roles/positions on the team and the position/role Kostin plays is the same one as Bozak (not Sanford). Middle/bottom 6 LW is a different opening than clear bottom 6 RW.

It's clear that we're not trading Tarasenko before the season starts and I don't think we trade him at all. If we don't keep Bozak and get rid of Sanford because "but someone needs to play LW" Then our only option is Kostin on the 4th line or Kostin playing LW. Do we really want to use Kostin as a 4th liner? I don't think we do. I would also prefer to use Bozak on the 4th line with barbie and Sunny because Bozak is so much more reliable than Sanford.

 

[Bye Bye Blueston]

It's clear that we're not trading Tarasenko before the season starts and I don't think we trade him at all. If we don't keep Bozak and get rid of Sanford because "but someone needs to play LW" Then our only option is Kostin on the 4th line or Kostin playing LW. Do we really want to use Kostin as a 4th liner? I don't think we do. I would also prefer to use Bozak on the 4th line with barbie and Sunny because Bozak is so much more reliable than Sanford.

I think we absolutely want to use Kostin on 4th line. If he forces his way up in lineup, all the better. But would be big surprise if he isn’t slated to start there.

 

[Stupendous Yappi]

I’d love that 4th line with Sundqvist-Barbashev/Bozak-Kostin. Kostin’s emergence would probably mean Bozak gets healthy scratches if the roster is healthy. More likely, Bozak would be a useful utility player who provides center depth for injuries. I hope they sign him.

 

[Moose and Squirrel]

It's clear that we're not trading Tarasenko before the season starts and I don't think we trade him at all. If we don't keep Bozak and get rid of Sanford because "but someone needs to play LW" Then our only option is Kostin on the 4th line or Kostin playing LW. Do we really want to use Kostin as a 4th liner? I don't think we do. I would also prefer to use Bozak on the 4th line with barbie and Sunny because Bozak is so much more reliable than Sanford.

I agree with this but I doubt Berube puts a 'kids line' out there.. would love to see it tho

 

[Ranksu]

Hate to see if Clifford is ahead of Kostin. Vet > prospect

 

[Brian39]

Hate to see if Clifford is ahead of Kostin. Vet > prospect

I'd rather see Clifford getting healthy scratched with Kostin in the AHL than Kostin getting healthy scratched with Clifford in the AHL.

Being the 14th forward is "ahead" of every AHLer on the depth chart, but that doesn't mean much to me. I absolutely want a vet riding the press box than a guy I'm still developing. I don't think Clifford has a spot in the healthy top 12 forwards.

 

[Linkens Mastery]

If the Blues are keeping Tarasenko, Having him on a line with Buch might be a good thing. Blues could then run 3 pretty decent offensive lines.

Saad-RoR-Perron
Schenn-Thomas-Kyrou
Buch-Barbie-Tarasenko
Sanford/MacMac-Sunny-Kostin

or If Kostin shows up and can be a top 9 player.

Saad-RoR-Perron
Kostin-Schenn-Kyrou
Buch-Thomas-Tarasenko
MacMac-Sunny-Barbie

 

[Moose and Squirrel]

I'd rather see Clifford getting healthy scratched with Kostin in the AHL than Kostin getting healthy scratched with Clifford in the AHL.

Being the 14th forward is "ahead" of every AHLer on the depth chart, but that doesn't mean much to me. I absolutely want a vet riding the press box than a guy I'm still developing. I don't think Clifford has a spot in the healthy top 12 forwards.

would imagine Cliff being in a rotational playing schedule thingy.. he prolly got more ice time than the team wanted last year due to injuries

if it's Cliff or an ECHL'er, I take Cliff

heck, he was better than the AHL guys they brought up last year

 

[542365]

Clifford was quite a bit better than I expected him to be last year, but he's still not ideally in the lineup every night. Fine with him as a 13th or 14th forward. He's fine as a 4th liner.

 

[Reality Czech]

I absolutely think there is still room, but it is a clear bottom 6 role (which I think it is the case whether Tarasenko is here or not). He's not in the top 6 if Tarasenko is moved tomorrow, so the only real change is how much of a chance he has to play on the 3C or 3RW spot. The reality is that Bozak is squarely behind ROR, Schenn, Thomas, Perron, Buch, Kyrou, and Tarasenko on the Blues' depth chart at C and RW. Tarasenko being gone would give him an outside chance at playing 3RW (or 3C with Thomas sliding to 3RW), but he would still be a clear 7th man fighting for one of 6 spots in the top 9 at C or RW. So even without Tarasenko, 2 things would need to happen for Bozak to be playing on the 3rd line. First, one of those RWs (Buch, Perron, or Kyrou) would need to be moved to the LW (which is very likely given our roster construction). Second, the team would need to be comfortable prioritizing Bozak on this year's roster over giving Kostin a shot in the top 9.

Tarasenko being here gives Bozak basically no chance of playing on the 3rd line. But even without Tarasenko, odds are still pretty damn good that Bozak's role on this team would be as a 4th liner who slides up the lineup with injuries.

My belief is that Bozak's decision has never been about money, but is about the role he would have on this team. Does he want to play the role Steen did in his last year with the club? Tarasenko being moved for futures (or a D) might make that role a touch more appealing, but Kostin knocking at the door makes it extremely likely that the opening would not go to Bozak. I want to see Bozak here because I think having him as a 4th liner (who probably ends up playing 25-50% of his games on the 3rd line when injuries hit) is a great luxury to have. But he almost certainly has other teams offering him a middle 6 role. Army has never struck me as a guy who bullshits players about the role they will likely play in our organization and I'd wager that this was made clear to Bozak from the start of negotiations.

As to the Sanford vs. Bozak point, I think Sanford is completely irrelevant to Bozak's decision (and the Blues' decision on Bozak). The only time Berube ever tried Bozak at LW was when he very briefly tried a Bozak-Thomas-Hoffman line. I don't think they even finished one game together and none of them looked good. There was no chance that we were going to enter the season with Saad, Barby, and Clifford as the only guys on the roster who played any LW last season with the hopes that 2 of our top 9 LW spots could be filled with guys shifting over to LW from other positions. Sanford is a cheap LW to provide depth at the most shallow position on our roster. Bozak doesn't/wouldn't address that position.

I've made the point that we can give Bozak a bonus-laden deal too many times to count, so I don't want to beat it to death. But for the millionth time, we can financially fit Bozak into the lineup for the opening (and mid) season cap number of an AHL plug. Assuming the bonuses are super easy to hit, such a contract offers very little risk for Bozak and we can negate that risk by making it a touch more lucrative than a pure-salary deal. I don't think the issue is money and I think it is purely an issue of role. Sanford's role doesn't alter Bozak's potential role and my gut tells me that Kostin's perceived NHL-readiness makes him the likely Tarasenko replacement if/when that is needed. I think Bozak's role on this team is on the 4th line of a fully healthy roster. If we don't have a handshake deal that we are waiting to file for cap purposes, then I think Bozak's hesitancy is to see if he can get a better role in a desired location.

That's a very nice summary, and I'm on board with pretty much everything. As you've laid out, it seems that the Blues could probably squeeze him in if they wanted, but I think the key is the last paragraph. Is that something the Blues want to do, or would they rather keep come cap flexibility and give more ice time to the kids. And would Bozak accept a $900K+ bonus offer here if he's offered more money and a bigger role elsewhere? I feel like Bozak would have already signed elsewhere if he wanted to move on, but in the end he may not have a choice.

As a side note, I believe they tried Sanford at center last year for a stretch. I wonder if they are hoping he can be a bottom 6 option at center, or if it was out of necessity with so many regular centers injured.

 

[Brian39]

As a side note, I believe they tried Sanford at center last year for a stretch. I wonder if they are hoping he can be a bottom 6 option at center, or if it was out of necessity with so many regular centers injured.

It was definitely out of necessity. We had a month long stretch where Thomas, Bozak and Barby were all injured. DLR got hurt about 10 days into that month and we spent the next three weeks or so missing 4 of the club's top 7 centers. It was during that stretch where we tried Sanford at center, but it was short lived because he just isn't a center. Dakota Joshua took over 4C duties with ROR/Schenn/Sunny centering the top 9. Bozak returned, Sunny immediately got hurt, and then Thomas returned to get us back to reasonable center depth.

Even with us spending a month with only 3 NHL-caliber centers on the roster, Sanford still only took 68 faceoffs last year. It was definitely a move out of necessity and not a move done with the hopes that he could be a long term center. Additionally, I don't think that bottom 6 C is an area of weakness for us that would encourage us to try new guys there. Despite the trouble we got into last year, our center depth is pretty damn good. ROR, Schenn, Thomas, Sunny, and Barby were all brought up as centers and I'm comfortable with 4 of those guys playing 3C. Barby is best suited as a winger IMO, but is capable of playing adequate 4C.

I think we have a top 5 center group if Bozak re-ups here. If not top 5 then right at 6th. ROR is a consensus above-average 1C and is arguably just inside the top 10 centers league-wide. I have concerns about Schenn's contract, but he finished 38th in points and 37th in goals among centers last year. He was 24th in points and 20th in goals the year before. 46th and 65th the year before (although he missed 10 games). Taken together over the last 3 years, he is 35th in points, 31st in goals and 36th in points per game (minimum 100 games played). He is a top-tier 2C since ROR got here and was a decent 1C the year he was used in that role here.

Now, there are few teams who have a 1-2 center punch that is substantially better (McDavid/Drai, Sid/Malkin, Matthews/Tavares, Point/Stamkos) and 1 team with a superstar 1C who erases the gap between Schenn and their 2C (MacKinnon and Kadri). After those 5 teams, there are a number of teams that have an arguably comparable/better 1-2 punch at center (Aho/Trochek, Giroux/Couts, Scheifle/Copp, Zibanejad/Strome, Backstrom/Kuzy, and let's throw the Isles and Stars in there for good measure).

For 1 season, I would take ROR/Schenn over every tandem in that second group (although Carolina and NYR make me stop to think). Even if you like a few of those other tandems better, our depth out shines the bottom 6 centers for those groups. Thomas, Sunny, Bozak and Barby as centers for the bottom 6 is better than any of the bottom 6 center groups for those teams and Bozak/Thomas/Sunny are all capable of sliding into the 2C role for a few weeks to tread water with an injury to Schenn/ROR. That depth makes us the clear best center group among that 3rd tier and I'd argue that it leap frogs us over 1 or 2 of the elite 1-2 punch teams. The center depth in Toronto is bottom 10 in the league and the jury is out on how Tampa's center depth looks with Gourde and Johnson both leaving this summer. I like Cirelli, but they are fully unproven after that.

From top to bottom, I think we have the 5th best center group in the NHL if we can get both Bozak and Thomas onto the roster. If not 5th, I don't see how you could slide us lower than 6th or 7th. Without Bozak, it probably dips a few spots, but is still top 10.

Edit: And Bozak is back! Sign Thomas to anything under $2.4M, run a 22 man roster and you have a cap compliant team with a top 5 center group in the league. God damn right Army.

 

[illinidave]

Bozak 1yr @ $750k? That's a steal.....

 

[illinidave]

Thomas+Tarasenko to Sabres for Eichel? :-p

 

[Linkens Mastery]

Thomas+Tarasenko to Sabres for Eichel? :-p

With what capspace? lol. Plus Buffalo would be asking for A LOT more than that.

 

[Brian39]

With what capspace? lol. Plus Buffalo would be asking for A LOT more than that.

I don't think that we are interested in Eichel and I agree that Buffalo would want more.

But the cap is fairly close. Eichel makes $2.5M more than Tarasenko against the cap and Thomas will get somewhere between $1.5 and $2.5M. Including Barby or Sanford in the trade evens out the cap space once you factor in the replacement players for the additional 2 bottom 6 guys for our lineup.

 

[Reality Czech]

It was definitely out of necessity. We had a month long stretch where Thomas, Bozak and Barby were all injured. DLR got hurt about 10 days into that month and we spent the next three weeks or so missing 4 of the club's top 7 centers. It was during that stretch where we tried Sanford at center, but it was short lived because he just isn't a center. Dakota Joshua took over 4C duties with ROR/Schenn/Sunny centering the top 9. Bozak returned, Sunny immediately got hurt, and then Thomas returned to get us back to reasonable center depth.

Even with us spending a month with only 3 NHL-caliber centers on the roster, Sanford still only took 68 faceoffs last year. It was definitely a move out of necessity and not a move done with the hopes that he could be a long term center. Additionally, I don't think that bottom 6 C is an area of weakness for us that would encourage us to try new guys there. Despite the trouble we got into last year, our center depth is pretty damn good. ROR, Schenn, Thomas, Sunny, and Barby were all brought up as centers and I'm comfortable with 4 of those guys playing 3C. Barby is best suited as a winger IMO, but is capable of playing adequate 4C.

I think we have a top 5 center group if Bozak re-ups here. If not top 5 then right at 6th. ROR is a consensus above-average 1C and is arguably just inside the top 10 centers league-wide. I have concerns about Schenn's contract, but he finished 38th in points and 37th in goals among centers last year. He was 24th in points and 20th in goals the year before. 46th and 65th the year before (although he missed 10 games). Taken together over the last 3 years, he is 35th in points, 31st in goals and 36th in points per game (minimum 100 games played). He is a top-tier 2C since ROR got here and was a decent 1C the year he was used in that role here.

Now, there are few teams who have a 1-2 center punch that is substantially better (McDavid/Drai, Sid/Malkin, Matthews/Tavares, Point/Stamkos) and 1 team with a superstar 1C who erases the gap between Schenn and their 2C (MacKinnon and Kadri). After those 5 teams, there are a number of teams that have an arguably comparable/better 1-2 punch at center (Aho/Trochek, Giroux/Couts, Scheifle/Copp, Zibanejad/Strome, Backstrom/Kuzy, and let's throw the Isles and Stars in there for good measure).

For 1 season, I would take ROR/Schenn over every tandem in that second group (although Carolina and NYR make me stop to think). Even if you like a few of those other tandems better, our depth out shines the bottom 6 centers for those groups. Thomas, Sunny, Bozak and Barby as centers for the bottom 6 is better than any of the bottom 6 center groups for those teams and Bozak/Thomas/Sunny are all capable of sliding into the 2C role for a few weeks to tread water with an injury to Schenn/ROR. That depth makes us the clear best center group among that 3rd tier and I'd argue that it leap frogs us over 1 or 2 of the elite 1-2 punch teams. The center depth in Toronto is bottom 10 in the league and the jury is out on how Tampa's center depth looks with Gourde and Johnson both leaving this summer. I like Cirelli, but they are fully unproven after that.

From top to bottom, I think we have the 5th best center group in the NHL if we can get both Bozak and Thomas onto the roster. If not 5th, I don't see how you could slide us lower than 6th or 7th. Without Bozak, it probably dips a few spots, but is still top 10.

Edit: And Bozak is back! Sign Thomas to anything under $2.4M, run a 22 man roster and you have a cap compliant team with a top 5 center group in the league. God damn right Army.

Nice breakdown. ROR just doesn't get enough credit league-wide, and I'm tired of seeing these rankings that put guys like Matthews and Pettersson ahead of ROR just because of their highlight reel abilities. As far as I'm concerned ROR is right up there with Bergeron and Couturier as the top 2-way centers in the game and are much more likely to help a team win a championship than a 1-dimensional scoring center. I agree, our center group should be considered one of the best in the game.

Great to see Bozak re-signed! I guess we can presume that he prioritized staying in St. Louis over signing with another team and only get a slight raise.