2022-2023 Blues Multi-Purpose Thread

[BlueDream]

Blais helps Canada win the Gold Medal with 2 goals against Germany in the Championship game!

He finishes the tourney with 6 goals and 8 points, which tied for Canada’s leading scorer among their forwards.

Really awesome to see him continue to be on fire since leaving New York. His confidence has gotta be back at an all-time high now and I’m excited to see him suit up for us again next season.

Neighbours also had a respectable 5 points in the tourney, being one of the youngest players on the team.

 

[STL fan in MN]

Blais helps Canada win the Gold Medal with 2 goals against Germany in the Championship game!

He finishes the tourney with 6 goals and 8 points, which tied for Canada’s leading scorer among their forwards.

Really awesome to see him continue to be on fire since leaving New York. His confidence has gotta be back at an all-time high now and I’m excited to see him suit up for us again next season.

Neighbours also had a respectable 5 points in the tourney, being one of the youngest players on the team.

He’s been good. Right place at the right time all tournament long while also being a wrecking ball. Came close to getting the hattie today barely missing an empty net goal.

He’s generally been pencilled in as the 4th line RW but I think he’s more capable than that. That’s how he earned his way into the league but he was a top scorer in Jrs. The skill is there.

Neighbours has been pretty good in this tourney…for what he is. I’ve been really impressed with Krebs in the games I’ve seen. He and Blais worked very well together on Canada’s 3rd line (but they basically just rolled 4 lines as the top-6 wasn’t stacked). Neighbours was more of a benefactor of those two IMO. He’s a chaos type of player. Works hard, hits, is a good teammate but his lack of creativity and skill also shown through IMO. He’s the type that’ll be a good role guy 3rd liner but he just doesn’t have the skills/creativity to be more IMO. Blais for example was much more deliberate and effective.

But congrats to both as well as Hofer for the gold medals. Amazing finishes for Germany and Latvia as well.

 

[Stealth JD]

Blais is about to level-up and hit 55-points next year.

That would be f***ing hilarious after a nightmare stint in the Big Apple...but the kid has the hands and IQ to do it.
Can he (1) stay healthy and (2) get put in a scoring role in order to make it happen?

He should be a top-9 lock...but Kyrou, Thomas, Saad, Buchy, Schenn, Vrana & Kapanen have 7 of the 9 spots claimed, since they're not 4th liners.
Neighbors probably gets the 8th. Then you've gotta think Army may look at a veteran-depth UFA to compete in the top-9. Blais will have to earn a role, but he's gotta have the inside track based on his performance since returning to the Lou from NYR.

That offense should be at least middle-of-the-pack, league-wide. It's the rest of the club that'll decide how long this retool lasts.

 

[jura]

 

[ChicagoBlues]

He’s been good. Right place at the right time all tournament long while also being a wrecking ball. Came close to getting the hattie today barely missing an empty net goal.

He’s generally been pencilled in as the 4th line RW but I think he’s more capable than that. That’s how he earned his way into the league but he was a top scorer in Jrs. The skill is there.

Neighbours has been pretty good in this tourney…for what he is. I’ve been really impressed with Krebs in the games I’ve seen. He and Blais worked very well together on Canada’s 3rd line (but they basically just rolled 4 lines as the top-6 wasn’t stacked). Neighbours was more of a benefactor of those two IMO. He’s a chaos type of player. Works hard, hits, is a good teammate but his lack of creativity and skill also shown through IMO. He’s the type that’ll be a good role guy 3rd liner but he just doesn’t have the skills/creativity to be more IMO. Blais for example was much more deliberate and effective.

But congrats to both as well as Hofer for the gold medals. Amazing finishes for Germany and Latvia as well.

Agree on Neighbours.

I think he will top out at about 45-50 points at least once in his career, but he appears to be more of a 15G, 15A type of of guy. If he can do that and still provide expected 1st-rounder effectiveness, then we will end up being happy with him. Jury is out, but I'm excited for the kid.

 

[Davimir Tarablad]

Blais going the Perron career route of improving every time he comes back to the Blues.

 

[STL fan in MN]

Blais going the Perron career route of improving every time he comes back to the Blues.

I can see it now. Blais goes to Houston in the 2027 expansion draft, re-signs with the Blues years later at age 34 and is a beast.

 

[Brian39]

Blais is about to level-up and hit 55-points next year.
...
He should be a top-9 lock...but Kyrou, Thomas, Saad, Buchy, Schenn, Vrana & Kapanen have 7 of the 9 spots claimed, since they're not 4th liners.
Neighbors probably gets the 8th. Then you've gotta think Army may look at a veteran-depth UFA to compete in the top-9. Blais will have to earn a role, but he's gotta have the inside track based on his performance since returning to the Lou from NYR.

Blais probably doesn't have a top 9 spot carved in stone, but he has a massive edge over Neighbours right now.

Blais had 9 goals and 20 points in 31 games with us last year, which is a 24 goal and 53 point pace. And he was still an absolute wrecking ball out there. His 119 hits were 5th on the team even though he only played 31 games.

Neighbours looked noticeably improved in his final call up of the year, but that 13 game stretch saw him score 2 goals and no assists over about 13 minutes a night. He needs to take a major step over the summer to steal a 3rd line job from Blais in camp.

I like the long-term outlook for Neighbours as middle 6 NHL forward, but he hasn't done much to tell me that he is ready for that role right now. I think starting the year on the 4th line works for his skillset and gives him a chance to contribute without as much pressure to produce offensively. He's not a 'top 9 or bust' prospect that might when a 3rd line job just for us to avoid sending him to the AHL, so he is going to have to beat Blais on merit to take a 3rd line job from him. Blais was way ahead at the end of our season and what I've seen from the World Championship doesn't tell me that Neighbours closed the gap.

 

[Xerloris]

Blais probably doesn't have a top 9 spot carved in stone, but he has a massive edge over Neighbours right now.

Blais had 9 goals and 20 points in 31 games with us last year, which is a 24 goal and 53 point pace. And he was still an absolute wrecking ball out there. His 119 hits were 5th on the team even though he only played 31 games.

Neighbours looked noticeably improved in his final call up of the year, but that 13 game stretch saw him score 2 goals and no assists over about 13 minutes a night. He needs to take a major step over the summer to steal a 3rd line job from Blais in camp.

I like the long-term outlook for Neighbours as middle 6 NHL forward, but he hasn't done much to tell me that he is ready for that role right now. I think starting the year on the 4th line works for his skillset and gives him a chance to contribute without as much pressure to produce offensively. He's not a 'top 9 or bust' prospect that might when a 3rd line job just for us to avoid sending him to the AHL, so he is going to have to beat Blais on merit to take a 3rd line job from him. Blais was way ahead at the end of our season and what I've seen from the World Championship doesn't tell me that Neighbours closed the gap.

Should trade for who ever they played with in the worlds. Krebbs? Those 3 seemed to really work well together.

 

[Xanadude]

If Blais stays healthy I like him as a 40 point player on the third line, maybe moving up in the lineup with injuries or if we need some physicality to make room for scorers. Honestly, same with Neighbors-the difference being that Neighbors strikes me as more of a physical presence around the crease while Blais has better hands. Frankly, put a responsible center between them and that's a killer grinding line.

I agree with a few posters. We aren't going to be setting scoring records but I really, really like our forward group if we can add a 2-way center to the bottom six. The season hinges on revamping defense, however that happens.

 

[Reality Czech]

Should trade for who ever they played with in the worlds. Krebbs? Those 3 seemed to really work well together.

Sammy "James" VanDerBlais has been a man on a mission since the trade. He looked great at the Worlds, but I doubt Buffalo is parting with Krebs for cheap considering where they are from a franchise standpoint.

A little tidbit about Jake Neighbours....Strickland mentioned on his podcast that Jake Neighbours was clocked at the fastest speed of any player at the World Championships, which is pretty surprising since he's never been known for his speed. I gotta say I am pretty optimistic about his future. He was robbed of a chance to prove himself last year due to injuries but I think Jake will be a pleasant surprise this season.

 

[Brian39]

Should trade for who ever they played with in the worlds. Krebbs? Those 3 seemed to really work well together.

I didn't watch the games, but I'd wager Krebs would be hard to pry away from Buffalo. He's still just 22 and he had a ton of hype as a prospect. I wouldn't give up on a (soon to age out) prospect like that unless I was getting a decent roster piece in return. With that said, if he has another middling season this year, Buffalo is a buyer at the deadline, and we are sellers then maybe you target him as part of a deadline deal.

There are some potential scenarios where Vrana plays well enough to be worth a 1st and a guy like Krebs at the deadline. I wouldn't say it is likely that Vrana plays that well and the team can't/won't extend him, but it is certainly possible. If we bleed goals again, then Vrana could be on a 35 goal pace for us without the team improving all that dramatically. If we can't reach an extension and don't look like contenders, then I can absolutely see Army shopping him (and offering 50% retention to bring his hit down to $1.3M). A 1st and a flawed prospect from a buyer is right in line with the value of a goal scoring winger with some concerns.

Long shot, but doable.

 

[joe galiba]

Sammy "James" VanDerBlais has been a man on a mission since the trade. He looked great at the Worlds, but I doubt Buffalo is parting with Krebs for cheap considering where they are from a franchise standpoint.

A little tidbit about Jake Neighbours....Strickland mentioned on his podcast that Jake Neighbours was clocked at the fastest speed of any player at the World Championships, which is pretty surprising since he's never been known for his speed. I gotta say I am pretty optimistic about his future. He was robbed of a chance to prove himself last year due to injuries but I think Jake will be a pleasant surprise this season.

View attachment 714155

to me, last year Neighbours seemed to defer too much, he just needs a dose of confidence that he belongs in the NHL and I think the rest of his game will start to really come out

 

[stl76]

A little tidbit about Jake Neighbours....Strickland mentioned on his podcast that Jake Neighbours was clocked at the fastest speed of any player at the World Championships, which is pretty surprising since he's never been known for his speed. I gotta say I am pretty optimistic about his future. He was robbed of a chance to prove himself last year due to injuries but I think Jake will be a pleasant surprise this season.

View attachment 714155

This is honestly a bit shocking to me...love to see it, but shocking nonetheless. Did anyone get to see many full games? Has Neighbours really improved his skating THAT much?

 

[DatDude44]

Blais is about to level-up and hit 55-points next year.

That would be f***ing hilarious after a nightmare stint in the Big Apple...but the kid has the hands and IQ to do it.
Can he (1) stay healthy and (2) get put in a scoring role in order to make it happen?

He should be a top-9 lock...but Kyrou, Thomas, Saad, Buchy, Schenn, Vrana & Kapanen have 7 of the 9 spots claimed, since they're not 4th liners.
Neighbors probably gets the 8th. Then you've gotta think Army may look at a veteran-depth UFA to compete in the top-9. Blais will have to earn a role, but he's gotta have the inside track based on his performance since returning to the Lou from NYR.

That offense should be at least middle-of-the-pack, league-wide. It's the rest of the club that'll decide how long this retool lasts.

Not sure the IQ is there(In the sense of driving a line offensively in the NHL), but agree with your other points. I'd love to see him in a zach hyman/michael bunting type role with let's say Thomas and buchnevich and see if his speed, physicality and skill combo could mesh well with the other two and allow us to spread our talent around a little more.

 

[stlbluz]

If Blais stays healthy I like him as a 40 point player on the third line, maybe moving up in the lineup with injuries or if we need some physicality to make room for scorers. Honestly, same with Neighbors-the difference being that Neighbors strikes me as more of a physical presence around the crease while Blais has better hands. Frankly, put a responsible center between them and that's a killer grinding line.

I agree with a few posters. We aren't going to be setting scoring records but I really, really like our forward group if we can add a 2-way center to the bottom six. The season hinges on revamping defense, however that happens.

Any chance Dean fills that roll?

 

[CaliforniaBlues310]

I think I’ve decided that I want the Blues to get Toews on a 35+ incentive based contract to be our 3C next year.

It would royally piss off Hawks fans, and I think he’s petty enough to be that spiteful towards them after the way everything ended this past year.

Plus, we probably aren’t going to be a contender anyways, so if he sucks we move on in a year and let Dean/Alexandrov grow into that role. We could use some leadership in our room, and that’s probably the biggest thing he’s known for. We also lack a shutdown center, so that’d be nice too.

Buchnevich-Thomas-Vrana
Blais-Schenn-Kyrou
Saad-Toews-Kapanen
Neighbours-Alexandrov-Toropchenko

 

[Snubbed4Vezina]

What of Toews performance the last couple season suggests he's worth signing and taking a roster spot from another player that will most certainly have more value? What value does his leadership have in a room where he's not likely to be around for more than a season?

 

[CaliforniaBlues310]

What of Toews performance the last couple season suggests he's worth signing and taking a roster spot from another player that will most certainly have more value? What value does his leadership have in a room where he's not likely to be around for more than a season?

I mean he fills a hole that we need filled, and says he expects to be fully healthy going into next season.

If we’re only gonna be anywhere from average to maybe good(aka 1st round exit), we might as well piss off our biggest rivals in the meantime for some entertainment.

On a fully serious note, obviously I would prefer if we traded for a 2C in the vein of Dubois, or someone like that…but if we can get a decent stopgap 3C that can shut guys down, while using our late 1sts to improve the D, we should do that instead.

 

[BlueDream]

Any chance Dean fills that roll?

Next season? Unlikely. In the future he could though, yes.

—-

In regards to Toews, I’m not interested. We don’t need to be signing anyone that old and I really doubt Toews would even be interested in signing here. There’s better ways to improve the team than just trying to piss off the Hawks fanbase. We already have a couple former Hawks in Saad and Leddy so let’s do more to improve the team than Toews, so that those two can win a Cup with us. They probably won’t, but I’m being optimistic here.

 

[Mike Liut]

Buchnevich-Thomas-Vrana
Blais-Schenn-Kyrou
Saad-?-Kapanen
Neighbours-Alexandrov-Toropchenko

VS


Jaden Schwartz--Brayden Schenn--Vladimir Tarasenko
Sammy Blais--Ryan O’Reilly--David Perron
Pat Maroon--Tyler Bozak--Robert Thomas
Ivan Barbashev--Oskar Sundqvist--Alex Steen

Joel Edmundson--Alex Pietrangelo
Jay Bouwmeester--Colton Parayko
Carl Gunnarsson--Robert Bortuzzo


Haha, we’ve got so soft.

 

[Xerloris]

Buchnevich-Thomas-Vrana
Blais-Schenn-Kyrou
Saad-?-Kapanen
Neighbours-Alexandrov-Toropchenko

VS


Jaden Schwartz--Brayden Schenn--Vladimir Tarasenko
Sammy Blais--Ryan O’Reilly--David Perron
Pat Maroon--Tyler Bozak--Robert Thomas
Ivan Barbashev--Oskar Sundqvist--Alex Steen

Joel Edmundson--Alex Pietrangelo
Jay Bouwmeester--Colton Parayko
Carl Gunnarsson--Robert Bortuzzo


Haha, we’ve got so soft.

At least we got Sammy back.

 

[Snubbed4Vezina]

I mean he fills a hole that we need filled, and says he expects to be fully healthy going into next season.

If we’re only gonna be anywhere from average to maybe good(aka 1st round exit), we might as well piss off our biggest rivals in the meantime for some entertainment.

On a fully serious note, obviously I would prefer if we traded for a 2C in the vein of Dubois, or someone like that…but if we can get a decent stopgap 3C that can shut guys down, while using our late 1sts to improve the D, we should do that instead.

He fills a roster spot but I don't see how he fills any holes given the little gas he's likely to have left in the tank. I don't put any stock into what Toews says about being healthy. What's he supposed to say going into free agency?

Hard pass on Toews for me. I think you'd get more out of bringing Sunny back for center depth than signing Toews.

 

[TheDizee]

One of the main priorities should be resigning Sunny IMO.

Team chemistry is important and when they traded him, they lost some. Plus we need 3rd/4th line C to replace Barbashev loss.

 

[Bye Bye Blueston]

One of the main priorities should be resigning Sunny IMO.

Team chemistry is important and when they traded him, they lost some. Plus we need 3rd/4th line C to replace Barbashev loss.

I love Sunny, but seems like he is 4th line winger at this point.