2022-2023 Blues Multi-Purpose Thread

[Louie the Blue]

So, how bad is next season going to be?

 

[Linkens Mastery]

So, how bad is next season going to be?

Won't know until about a week after free agency

 

[Memento]

So, how bad is next season going to be?

It depends on whom we draft, whom we trade and trade for, and who makes our team. My thought is that it's going to be quite bad, but this isn't a one-year fix, in my honest opinion. I'm hoping we get one of the Big Four in this year's draft, but even then - and especially with Michkov - I feel we'll be a lottery team next year.

That's not to say that we don't have some incredible pieces: Neighbours and Alexandrov should be full-time regulars. Dean will be a great addition, even if he and Bolduc have to play in the AHL. Snuggerud is Snuggerud, and maybe he forgoes college after this year (unlikely, but more unlikely things have happened). Then you have a bunch of excellent defensive prospects in Loof, Beck, Kessel, Tucker, and maybe Galloway in the AHL, with guys like Buchinger, Gaudet, and Koromyslov not very far away. And that's not even counting draft picks.

But yeah, I think that next season is going to be just as bad as this one, if not worse, especially if we trade guys like Parayko, Faulk or Schenn.

 

[tfriede2]

Agreed except for “excellent defensive prospects” - none, aside from maybe Buchinger and Koromyslov, project as anything more than 5-6 d-men.

Kapanen wearing #42 at practice - interesting. Not that the number should be retired or anything (it shouldn’t), but I think many fans still think of Backes when seeing that number.

 

[Mike Liut]

So, how bad is next season going to be?

We’ll be drafting in the top 5

 

[Memento]

Agreed except for “excellent defensive prospects” - none, aside from maybe Buchinger and Koromyslov, project as anything more than 5-6 d-men.

Kapanen wearing #42 at practice - interesting. Not that the number should be retired or anything (it shouldn’t), but I think many fans still think of Backes when seeing that number.

Fair enough. I guess I overstated the defensive prospects, but I have a soft spot for Leo Loof, so I'd include him with Buchinger and Koromyslov. Beck is almost PPG in college. Kessel had an excellent college career, and I think you fit him on the third right-hand slot when Bortuzzo is inevitably gone. Gaudet could be a real gem, honestly.

While they aren't excellent defense prospects, I'd definitely think that they have the potential to be solid NHL players.

 

[bleedblue1223]

I like the idea of starting Kapanen with Thomas and Buchnevich. If he's going to rebound and do well here, that's the spot to do it.

 

[Bye Bye Blueston]

It depends on whom we draft, whom we trade and trade for, and who makes our team. My thought is that it's going to be quite bad, but this isn't a one-year fix, in my honest opinion. I'm hoping we get one of the Big Four in this year's draft, but even then - and especially with Michkov - I feel we'll be a lottery team next year.

That's not to say that we don't have some incredible pieces: Neighbours and Alexandrov should be full-time regulars. Dean will be a great addition, even if he and Bolduc have to play in the AHL. Snuggerud is Snuggerud, and maybe he forgoes college after this year (unlikely, but more unlikely things have happened). Then you have a bunch of excellent defensive prospects in Loof, Beck, Kessel, Tucker, and maybe Galloway in the AHL, with guys like Buchinger, Gaudet, and Koromyslov not very far away. And that's not even counting draft picks.

But yeah, I think that next season is going to be just as bad as this one, if not worse, especially if we trade guys like Parayko, Faulk or Schenn.

I think we are likely to be crappy next year, but I don't think the season will be as bad. We will have lower expectations and likely more consistent effort. So we may be among 5 worst teams in the league, but won't be as unlovable.

 

[Memento]

I think we are likely to be crappy next year, but I don't think the season will be as bad. We will have lower expectations and likely more consistent effort. So we may be among 5 worst teams in the league, but won't be as unlovable.

I mean, I never said they'd be unlovable, far from it. I'm just saying we might be just as bad - record-wise - next year than we are this year, if not worse. I feel that we will end up firing some of the coaching staff after this year, whether it's MacTavish, Van Ryn or whomever. My apologies for not being specific.

Either way, the Blues of next year are going to be a very different team than the Blues of this year, and I will be very intrigued as to what they do in the offseason.

 

[Bye Bye Blueston]

I mean, I never said they'd be unlovable, far from it. I'm just saying we might be just as bad - record-wise - next year than we are this year, if not worse. I feel that we will end up firing some of the coaching staff after this year, whether it's MacTavish, Van Ryn or whomever. My apologies for not being specific.

Either way, the Blues of next year are going to be a very different team than the Blues of this year, and I will be very intrigued as to what they do in the offseason.

sorry, i wasn't trying to disagree with you. just adding my $.02 to what you had said.

 

[Memento]

sorry, i wasn't trying to disagree with you. just adding my $.02 to what you had said.

No, no need to apologize. It's just a miscommunication. No harm, no foul, right?

 

[Bye Bye Blueston]

No, no need to apologize. It's just a miscommunication. No harm, no foul, right?

All good!

 

[jura]

 

[Drubilly]

Fair enough. I guess I overstated the defensive prospects, but I have a soft spot for Leo Loof, so I'd include him with Buchinger and Koromyslov. Beck is almost PPG in college. Kessel had an excellent college career, and I think you fit him on the third right-hand slot when Bortuzzo is inevitably gone. Gaudet could be a real gem, honestly.

While they aren't excellent defense prospects, I'd definitely think that they have the potential to be solid NHL players.

I’m definitely rooting for Loof!

 

[67Blues]

The trap will be back next year for the Blues. Learn it, live it, love it.

 

[Drubilly]

The trap will be back next year for the Blues. Learn it, live it, love it.

Hitchcock will return as an assistant?

 

[The Note]

The trap will be back next year for the Blues. Learn it, live it, love it.

 

[Louie the Blue]

Speaking of the trap, with Poile retiring and Trotz going back to the future as GM, Armstrong will be the longest tenured GM.

 

[67Blues]

Hitchcock will return as an assistant?

Nah, but Mike Kitchen could be available.

 

[Drubilly]

Nah, but Mike Kitchen could be available.

Gross

 

[DatDude44]

I like the idea of starting Kapanen with Thomas and Buchnevich. If he's going to rebound and do well here, that's the spot to do it.

That's the line I was hoping to see. I think kyrou and thomas are better when they're separated anyway.

 

[Brian39]

We need a lot of young guys to mature to get to even the pretender phase. So, what is the likelihood of Stillman signing off on spending to the cap next year if we are not in compete mode? We all have heard the stories of needing to get into the playoffs to make any money. Will the ownership group be willing to lose more money by spending to the cap next year without much hope for playoff revenue so they can speed up our retool (but looking more like a rebuild at this point)?

I think 'pretender phase' sells a hell of a lot more regular season tickets than 'start of an obvious long term rebuild' would. I'm not all that interested in a plan to just try to make the playoffs, but that is almost certainly better financially than tanking even if it costs the team a few million dollars more in payroll.

The West sucks at the moment. Looking toward next year, I'm not predicting a massive improvement. Minnesota eats an additional $2M in cap penalties and isn't going to be able to extend Dumba. Winnipeg probably isn't going to get an extension done with Dubois. Colorado is probably going to see some depth price themselves off the team. Seattle and LA don't have big cap squeezes coming, but I'm not expecting either to take another step (or two) into elite territory. Edmonton is still a deeply flawed roster with cap issues and Calgary has a ton of decisions to make that will be more difficult given the frustrating season they've had.

There are a ton of avenues to parlay some of the assets we just accumulated into a team that can be middle of the pack in the West and reasonably sell the notion that 'anything can happen' once the playoffs start in this middling conference. Again, I'm not interested in that. But from a dollars and cents perspective it is probably more appealing to spend a bit more on payroll to do that than to sell everything not bolted down and play in front of 12k fans a night.

 

[oPlaiD]

I like the idea of starting Kapanen with Thomas and Buchnevich. If he's going to rebound and do well here, that's the spot to do it.

I mean... the guy a team just waived looks more like a real top 6 forward than any of the other guys who could take that wing spot in that posted lineup. Truly a sad state of affairs.

 

[LetsGoBooze]

DA selling off early was huge. We ended up with 2023 1sts from teams who look like they are moving multiple years worth of 1sts (Tor, and soon to be NYR?) Although i guess NYR still has their "earlier of the two" 1sts in 2023. But who knows, if Kane went to NYR first that coulda tanked Tarasenkos value or they literally could had offered us the 2024 first and we woulda had to accept it. Im happy with all these deadline moves. Follow it up by moving Krug in the offseason, a few savvy FA additions and we can be right back competing for the playoffs by 2025.

 

[Celtic Note]

I think 'pretender phase' sells a hell of a lot more regular season tickets than 'start of an obvious long term rebuild' would. I'm not all that interested in a plan to just try to make the playoffs, but that is almost certainly better financially than tanking even if it costs the team a few million dollars more in payroll.

The West sucks at the moment. Looking toward next year, I'm not predicting a massive improvement. Minnesota eats an additional $2M in cap penalties and isn't going to be able to extend Dumba. Winnipeg probably isn't going to get an extension done with Dubois. Colorado is probably going to see some depth price themselves off the team. Seattle and LA don't have big cap squeezes coming, but I'm not expecting either to take another step (or two) into elite territory. Edmonton is still a deeply flawed roster with cap issues and Calgary has a ton of decisions to make that will be more difficult given the frustrating season they've had.

There are a ton of avenues to parlay some of the assets we just accumulated into a team that can be middle of the pack in the West and reasonably sell the notion that 'anything can happen' once the playoffs start in this middling conference. Again, I'm not interested in that. But from a dollars and cents perspective it is probably more appealing to spend a bit more on payroll to do that than to sell everything not bolted down and play in front of 12k fans a night.

I hear you. I would be surprised if we were a pretender by next year though, even in a bad West. Some coaching changes may help us net something like 20 more points with the roster we had? That’s an in the playoffs number, but we sort of lost a whole 1B /2A forward line, a 3rd liner and a strong fourth liner since last season. We might not have taken it too the studs in all rooms, but it’s still a heavy remodel. Plus, we have got to fix that D. It might pass the ole McGiver muster, but spit and ducktape only holds for so long. I know I am probably droning on a bit about these points in my posts, I just haven’t seen anything I would consider a good answer to how we get competitive or even fix or D by next year yet.