2021 Off Season Discussion Thread

[Davimir Tarablad]

in Chiarelli’s defense no one has turned Edmonton around

also, based on his name, he has Italian heritage which is maybe the most important thing in evaluating anybody

 

[jura]

blast from the past

 

[Brian39]

Armstrong is quoted in the Post Dispatch saying Hitch is there for Berube to have someone to discuss their profession with since he himself doesn’t have that specific experience he wanted to give him someone that did.

JR indicated that Hitch was already a mentor to Berube. It sounds like this is more of a "we wanted to make sure Hitch didn't go somewhere else and stop helping Berube" than "we wanted to provide a new source of support for Berube."

On the surface, I don't love the 'old boys club' optics of recycling failed GMs over and and over around the league. However, none of us have any idea what anyone in the front office does and how much sway any one individual has. Any opinion we have is pure gut feeling and is too ill informed to be reliable. We don't even know whether the actual job responsibilities changed for any position with these two moves. For every executive level promotion that is a true expansion of role/power, there is an executive level promotion that is about keeping someone satisfied and preventing them from going somewhere else. That's true in pretty much every large scale business, not just pro sports.

 

[Em etah Eh]

No, it’s the pearl-clutching that’s stupid. In what way has he hurt the Blues the last 2 years?

Well, we won the cup pre Chia. Now no cups... Dude is cursed I tell ya!

 

[TK 421]

Has Doug Armstrong had a killer offseason or what?

Tarasenko publically requests a trade and you're thinking, 'This will be bad...'. So what does he do?

He smells blood in the water and takes rookie Rangers GM Chris Drury into the woods with the lure of candy and puppies and comes back out alone with Buchnevich for Blais and a 2nd round pick. He then extends Buchnevich for reasonable money and term.

Then he waits while other GM's are throwing money and term like they're at the strip club. Ends up quietly getting Saad locked up to another reasonable contract.

He follows that up by extending his No.1 defenseman Colton Parayko to what many consider a steal relative to what he could have gotten in UFA.

Meanwhile the entire time various fanbases are eyeballing Bozak hoping to poach him and Doug gets him for a very team friendly deal.

I really wanted an upgrade at LD but I can't help but be impressed at what Armstrong has done under the pressure of Tarasenko wanting out.

We are going to miss having a GM this good when he's gone.

 

[Zezel’s Pretzels]

Has Doug Armstrong had a killer offseason or what?

Tarasenko publically requests a trade and you're thinking, 'This will be bad...'. So what does he do?

He smells blood in the water and takes rookie Rangers GM Chris Drury into the woods with the lure of candy and puppies and comes back out alone with Buchnevich for Blais and a 2nd round pick. He then extends Buchnevich for reasonable money and term.

Then he waits while other GM's are throwing money and term like they're at the strip club. Ends up quietly getting Saad locked up to another reasonable contract.

He follows that up by extending his No.1 defenseman Colton Parayko to what many consider a steal relative to what he could have gotten in UFA.

Meanwhile the entire time various fanbases are eyeballing Bozak hoping to poach him and Doug gets him for a very team friendly deal.

I really wanted an upgrade at LD but I can't help but be impressed at what Armstrong has done under the pressure of Tarasenko wanting out.

We are going to miss having a GM this good when he's gone.

Nice post. Can also add the Kyrou and Thomas AAV's as potentially nice wins.

 

[Stealth JD]

JR indicated that Hitch was already a mentor to Berube. It sounds like this is more of a "we wanted to make sure Hitch didn't go somewhere else and stop helping Berube" than "we wanted to provide a new source of support for Berube."

So, what you're saying is that we've got our next Coach-in-waiting, Yeo-style.

 

[bradrich99]

So, what you're saying is that we've got our next Coach-in-waiting, Yeo-style.

Already had him in Montgomery. Hitch has to go to the back of the line. Haha

 

[joe galiba]

Already had him in Montgomery. Hitch has to go to the back of the line. Haha

You definitely want to be in front of him in the buffet line

 

[Stupendous Yappi]

JR indicated that Hitch was already a mentor to Berube. It sounds like this is more of a "we wanted to make sure Hitch didn't go somewhere else and stop helping Berube" than "we wanted to provide a new source of support for Berube."

On the surface, I don't love the 'old boys club' optics of recycling failed GMs over and and over around the league. However, none of us have any idea what anyone in the front office does and how much sway any one individual has. Any opinion we have is pure gut feeling and is too ill informed to be reliable. We don't even know whether the actual job responsibilities changed for any position with these two moves. For every executive level promotion that is a true expansion of role/power, there is an executive level promotion that is about keeping someone satisfied and preventing them from going somewhere else. That's true in pretty much every large scale business, not just pro sports.

Armstrong’s comments made me wonder whether Berube had requested something like this. With such inexperienced assistants, it’s nice to have some coaching grey hair in the organization to support him.

 

[joe galiba]

i have always liked Hitch, he really knows hockey and seems to be a genuinely good dude even if he hates pretty offensive plays

 

[BlueDream]

Armstrong’s comments made me wonder whether Berube had requested something like this. With such inexperienced assistants, it’s nice to have some coaching grey hair in the organization to support him.

The assistants aren’t inexperienced, especially when they have a Cup already.

 

[Mike Liut]

I admit that I’m a Blues homer, but I really like this years roster. I like our 4 lines better than the cup winning team. Our 3rd line might be Kostin-Thomas- Tarasenko. That’s going to be a stud 3rd line.

 

[Ranksu]

I admit that I’m a Blues homer, but I really like this years roster. I like our 4 lines better than the cup winning team. Our 3rd line might be Kostin-Thomas- Tarasenko. That’s going to be a stud 3rd line.

How it went.

Offensive wins games, but defensive wins Cups?

 

[A Real Barn Burner]

How it went.

Offensive wins games, but defensive wins Cups?

Pittsburgh won back to back cups. One with Letang in 2016 and one without in 2017. I am of the opinion that Letang is only average defensively, but even if you think he is better than Faulk and/or Krug, we still have Parayko to eat up minutes. Parayko is miles better than anyone on the 2017 Penguins Defense imho.

Since I know you or someone else will mention Crosby and Malkin as generational center talent. I would suggest an analysis of advanced stats would give us an indication of how many expected goals we would need from our improved forward roster to produce vs how many extra goals we are expected to give up considering our weaker defense vis-à-vis our 2019 Cup winning team. Or even better past Cup winners like Pittsburgh, Boston, Chicago, LA ….etc.

I would do this myself but I only dabble in advanced stats. So I implore someone who knows how to help answer this question.

 

[Ranksu]

Pittsburgh won back to back cups. One with Letang in 2016 and one without in 2017. I am of the opinion that Letang is only average defensively, but even if you think he is better than Faulk and/or Krug, we still have Parayko to eat up minutes. Parayko is miles better than anyone on the 2017 Penguins Defense imho.

Since I know you or someone else will mention Crosby and Malkin as generational center talent. I would suggest an analysis of advanced stats would give us an indication of how many expected goals we would need from our improved forward roster to produce vs how many extra goals we are expected to give up considering our weaker defense vis-à-vis our 2019 Cup winning team. Or even better past Cup winners like Pittsburgh, Boston, Chicago, LA ….etc.

I would do this myself but I only dabble in advanced stats. So I implore someone who knows how to help answer this question.

What you think how current Avs, Tampa, Florida, Carolina, Islanders and Vegas would look vs 2016&2017 Pens?

There is reason why we are on odds in 21th spot to win Stanley Cup coming season.

 

[wiscrev]

Thanks DD

 

[SIU LAW]

(paraphrasing) Army essentially said in a recent radio interview that Mikkola and Walman need to essentially do something or get off the pot in terms of becoming regulars on the roster versus being supplanted by others on the depth chart (or perhaps an outside veteran) (“the future is now”).

Blues President of Hockey Operations and GM, Doug Armstrong – 101 ESPN

 

[Reality Czech]

Blues Facebook is saying there will be a "big announcement" at 5pm, any guesses what it might be?

 

[A Real Barn Burner]

Blues Facebook is saying there will be a "big announcement" at 5pm, any guesses what it might be?

First thing that comes to mind is a Tank trade but you would think an insider would have leaked something by now, and usually you don’t announce a press conference before the trade has been finalized.

I am trying to think of other reasons Armstrong has held press conferences in the past.

1) Coach Fired
2) Major signings (Thomas and Parayko already signed)
3) Ownership issues
4) After Season Presser and Draft Presser

A Major trade like Orielly is the only other reason I can recall but as I said above would be an unusual way to go about it since a trade hasn’t been announced yet.

 

[High n Wide]

Blues Facebook is saying there will be a "big announcement" at 5pm, any guesses what it might be?

Hoping for an Army extension. Fearing a Chiarelli GM in waiting. Potentially announcing ads on jerseys.

 

[CaliforniaBlues310]

Perron extension?

 

[A Real Barn Burner]

Hoping for an Army extension. Fearing a Chiarelli GM in waiting. Potentially announcing ads on jerseys.

The latter two never occurred to me. Both are terrifying. Hoping for the first as well Armstrong being extended would be awesome.

 

[kimzey59]

First thing that comes to mind is a Tank trade but you would think an insider would have leaked something by now, and usually you don’t announce a press conference before the trade has been finalized.

I am trying to think of other reasons Armstrong has held press conferences in the past.

1) Coach Fired
2) Major signings (Thomas and Parayko already signed)
3) Ownership issues
4) After Season Presser and Draft Presser

A Major trade like Orielly is the only other reason I can recall but as I said above would be an unusual way to go about it since a trade hasn’t been announced yet.

Not sure the Timing is right for any of these but Army also did Presser's for the Winter Classic Announcement, the Frozen 4 Announcement and the All-Star Game announcement.
Maybe we get the Draft after Montreal?

 

[High n Wide]

The latter two never occurred to me. Both are terrifying. Hoping for the first as well Armstrong being extended would be awesome.

To be fair, I think the Chiarelli scenario is pretty unlikely and there’s been nothing I can see to indicate it’s even a possibility, but it would be pretty Bluesy so I can’t fully take it off the table lol.

I think the jersey ads are inevitable but I definitely feel like it would be a real slap in the face to make this announcement to bring attention to something that would be almost universally hated.