2024-2025 Blues Multi-Purpose Thread.

[Reality Czech]

He did prove he is impactful last year. He was 3rd on the team in P/60. 5th on team in shots per 60. He was 5th on team in GF%. He was 9th in xGF% but ahead of Neighbours. He actually had more defensive starts than offensive and wasn't sheltered like Neighbours. And he got better as he got more games. He had 5 points in his last 6 once he got comfortable

I'd assume he is leadingg the team in shots across the pre-season as well, although sites don't track all our games. He has 10 shots in 3 games and I've never seen him near the bottom of thise advanced stats impact charts for any game this pre-season. This is not a case of him not being impactful, or needing to develop or leveling off. If he is sent down, it's 100% about protecting a worthless older player.

I don't think the coaches are basing their roster decisions on advanced stats from a handful of games last season. Or at least I hope not. And doing well in preseason games against non-NHL players doesn't really mean much. He'll play a few weeks in the AHL and will come up hungry and ready to make a difference. Nothing to stress about.

I can already see Kapanen is the new whipping boy but he's not worthless. We'll get good value out if him for a million dollars.

 

[SirPaste]

Kapanen likely earned a spot on the team with his performance tonight.

My preference would be to keep Bolduc but I’d be ok if he was sent down to start the season.

My guess is he almost certainly won’t be on the opening night roster as he’s waiver exempt. But could be a paper transaction and he’s brought back up the next day.

These are pretty much my thoughts as well. I would prefer Bolduc up in the NHL but also not really worried about him starting off in the AHL either. I am sure he will be up before long.

 

[Frenzy31]

So if you state that Bolduc looked good against -non-NHL players - How can you argue that Kap has not had the same benefit?

Further, are you trying to argue that Kap was better than Bolduc last year? Your are welcome to your opinion, but I think that is a terrible take.

I would take the 70+ game sample of regular season play and feel pretty confident in thinking that Bolduc will have a much better year than Kap.

 

[Majorityof1]

I don't think the coaches are basing their roster decisions on advanced stats from a handful of games last season. Or at least I hope not. And doing well in preseason games against non-NHL players doesn't really mean much. He'll play a few weeks in the AHL and will come up hungry and ready to make a difference. Nothing to stress about.

I can already see Kapanen is the new whipping boy but he's not worthless. We'll get good value out if him for a million dollars.

So coaches won't base thei evaluation on last year where Bolduc increased his role and played well over 25 games vs Kapanen's role decreasing throughout the year? They won't use this pre-season either to make roster decisions?.

What are the hell are they basing their decisions on? Are they calling the psychic hotline? Ms. Cleo has a strong premonition Kapanen will be good this year and Buch can play C and Bolduc needs more seasoning.

 

[GoBluz24]

So my take is that if a Blues player's last name starts with a "K', then they are going to get shit on and be a whipping boy. Kappenen, Kyrou, Krug. Am I missing anybody else?

 

[Linkens Mastery]

I don't think either Kapanen or Bolduc is on the opening night roster if Saad is in the lineup. Plus it's much easier to stomach Kapanen being healthy scratched every night than Bolduc.

I think Walker and Kapanen are the 13th and 14th forwards With Saad on the 3rd line and Sunny on the 4th. Then Bolduc gets reps on the top line in the AHL with Dvorsky.

 

[PocketNines]

Kapanen is a maddening player. He can completely convince you he's worthless then you look up and he's outplaying similarly situated guys. So then you say ok, let's see more of this, and, unless the Blues are trying to get a better draft pick and he's daggering those hopes, it won't happen. Maddening player

 

[Majorityof1]

So my take is that if a Blues player's last name starts with a "K', then they are going to get shit on and be a whipping boy. Kappenen, Kyrou, Krug. Am I missing anybody else?

Are you telling me we shouldn't be down on KKK (Kapanen, Kyrou and Krug)?

 

[GoBluz24]

Are you telling me we shouldn't be down on KKK (Kapanen, Kyrou and Krug)?

Well actually, I forgot about Kessel. Currently he's the exception but the season has just begun, lol.

 

[Reality Czech]

So coaches won't base thei evaluation on last year where Bolduc increased his role and played well over 25 games vs Kapanen's role decreasing throughout the year? They won't use this pre-season either to make roster decisions?.

What are the hell are they basing their decisions on? Are they calling the psychic hotline? Ms. Cleo has a strong premonition Kapanen will be good this year and Buch can play C and Bolduc needs more seasoning.

They'll use preseason games and training sessions, which most fans are not able to watch. Plus they'll consider what role each player would have and how well suited they are for that role. I think it's pretty obvious if the open role is a guy who will play on the 4th line, maybe take a few shifts on the PK and sit in the press box sometimes then obviously Kapanen fits that role better while Bolduc can get top 6 reps in the A.

But I doubt they're looking at some advanced stats from last year to play any part in their decisions. Pretty sure the coaches know what they have in each player without looking at dobberhockey.com. I really don't see the downside in starting him in the AHL. What's the rush?

 

[Majorityof1]

They'll use preseason games and training sessions, which most fans are not able to watch. Plus they'll consider what role each player would have and how well suited they are for that role. I think it's pretty obvious if the open role is a guy who will play on the 4th line, maybe take a few shifts on the PK and sit in the press box sometimes then obviously Kapanen fits that role better while Bolduc can get top 6 reps in the A.

But I doubt they're looking at some advanced stats from last year to play any part in their decisions. Pretty sure the coaches know what they have in each player without looking at dobberhockey.com. I really don't see the downside in starting him in the AHL. What's the rush?

People get so bent of shape with advanced stats. They automatically dismiss any point if it is supported with advanced stats.

#1 if you think coaches and GMs don't look at advanced metrics, you are way behind the times and seriously deluding yourself.

#2 Advanced stats and metrics are not used exclusively. They are a tool, You can test your assumptions, look for blind spots in the rest of you evaluation tools, and condense complex data into more easily trackable format.

#3 Advanced stats make discussion on a discussion forum simpler and more productive. I don't find any value in "X was one of our better forwards" "That's not what I saw", "it is what I saw", "not", "is". Instead one side can present data to show why they think something and the other side can present counter points.

#4. Who says the open role is a bottom 6 guy. We have a ton of those. We want to push Schenn down, we could also push Saad down to 3rd. We went out and got Faksa, Joseph, Texier who can all fill that role. Toropchenko is that. Sunny, Walker and Kap who are fighting for that role all fit that bill.

I'd think a young player who did not look out of place last year in the top 6, can generate shots on goal at ES, be a trigger man on the PP, and even has some C experience to fill in in a pinch is a far, far more rare and needed skillset for this team in the short and especially in the long term.

 

[Brian39]

Did I miss something where the coaching staff or front office is suggesting that Kappy will be playing top 6 or middle 6 minutes this year? Everything I've seen suggests that Kappy's potential role on this team is in the bottom 6, the PK, and/or the press box.

I don't want Bolduc playing those roles and I don't think the organization does either. I have mixed feelings about whether Bolduc has done enough to earn an NHL spot, but Kappy doesn't really factor into that decision at all. Bolduc has to outplay guys who will be asked to score and play every night, not guys who will be asked to defend and potentially be a regular scratch.

 

[Stealth JD]

Looks like a 2nd line, two 3rd lines and a 4th line to me. I don't know how you can argue Schenn-Faksa-Texier is a 4th line when Schenn is a middle-six player that puts up 50 points, Texier a 3rd liner with 40 point upside, and Faksa a 3rd/4th liner tweener that's 55% on the dot with strong defense.

Still not close to a bottom feeder forward group.

I dunno. I'd be surprised if Schenn or Texier put up 40 points this season; and both are terrible defensively. It's a line of has beens (Schenn/Faksa) and cast-offs (Faksa/Texier). I look at those lines without Thomas as the anchor holding some semblance of an attack together, and it looks like a rebuilding club fighting to stay out of the basement. Maybe not last overall, but very much in the thick for a top-5 pick. You yourself said 5-10; not too much different than what I see.

 

[MissouriMook]

Did I miss something where the coaching staff or front office is suggesting that Kappy will be playing top 6 or middle 6 minutes this year? Everything I've seen suggests that Kappy's potential role on this team is in the bottom 6, the PK, and/or the press box.

I don't want Bolduc playing those roles and I don't think the organization does either. I have mixed feelings about whether Bolduc has done enough to earn an NHL spot, but Kappy doesn't really factor into that decision at all. Bolduc has to outplay guys who will be asked to score and play every night, not guys who will be asked to defend and potentially be a regular scratch.

I have to disagree with you on the bolded. Roster construction is very much a numbers game, and the organization could very easily decide to let Bolduc spend some time in the AHL because he is waivers exempt so that they don't have to expose a guy like Kapanen to waivers, despite the fact that they are not competing for the same role. We currently have 15 forwards that are legitimate NHL forwards and we will only be rostering 13 or 14 of them. Bolduc and Neighbours are the only ones who are exempt from waivers, and I don't see them sending Neighbours down. If they do keep Bolduc, I wouldn't be surprised if Walker gets sent down even though he deserves to stay, simply because he is less likely to be claimed than Kapanen.

 

[Thallis]

Did I miss something where the coaching staff or front office is suggesting that Kappy will be playing top 6 or middle 6 minutes this year? Everything I've seen suggests that Kappy's potential role on this team is in the bottom 6, the PK, and/or the press box.

I don't want Bolduc playing those roles and I don't think the organization does either. I have mixed feelings about whether Bolduc has done enough to earn an NHL spot, but Kappy doesn't really factor into that decision at all. Bolduc has to outplay guys who will be asked to score and play every night, not guys who will be asked to defend and potentially be a regular scratch.

He's been playing on the 3rd line which is also the middle 6. On principle I don't think there's much of a difference between construction of a 3rd line in the current era and a 2nd line, expected production is usually the bigger difference imo.

 

[HighNote]

I dunno. I'd be surprised if Schenn or Texier put up 40 points this season; and both are terrible defensively. It's a line of has beens (Schenn/Faksa) and cast-offs (Faksa/Texier). I look at those lines without Thomas as the anchor holding some semblance of an attack together, and it looks like a rebuilding club fighting to stay out of the basement. Maybe not last overall, but very much in the thick for a top-5 pick. You yourself said 5-10; not too much different than what I see.

Schenn has put up at least 40 points for the last 11 seasons aside from 20-21 when he played only 56 games. 6 of those seasons he put up at least 50. Why would it surprise you to see him hit 40? That's all he's done pretty much his whole career. It would be more surprising if he didn't hit 40.

Could he be aging? Sure, but even in a down year like last year he still put up 46. In a reduced role where he's up against lesser competition, it's absolutely reasonable to think he'd be in the 40-50 point range again. Faksa takes some of the weight off in terms of having to play center and defend, so he can focus more on offense/forechecking, which I think are his strengths. I think we all like the winger version of Schenn these days, there's more production, less responsibility.

Texier put up 30 on one of the worst teams in the league last season. A change of scenery and with better linemates, it's reasonable to believe he could have a 10 point bump. I'm not saying I expect 40, but I wouldn't be surprised if he did.

Faksa I would not consider to be a has been, he's only 30. I think he has plenty left in him. And if he views himself as being cast-off by Dallas, that might be beneficial for his game and for our team. And since we signed him to just a 1 year deal, this is a contract year for him as well.

 

[Stealth JD]

Schenn has put up at least 40 points for the last 11 seasons aside from 20-21 when he played only 56 games. 6 of those seasons he put up at least 50. Why would it surprise you to see him hit 40? That's all he's done pretty much his whole career. It would be more surprising if he didn't hit 40.

Could he be aging? Sure, but even in a down year like last year he still put up 46. In a reduced role where he's up against lesser competition, it's absolutely reasonable to think he'd be in the 40-50 point range again. Faksa takes some of the weight off in terms of having to play center and defend, so he can focus more on offense/forechecking, which I think are his strengths. I think we all like the winger version of Schenn these days, there's more production, less responsibility.

Texier put up 30 on one of the worst teams in the league last season. A change of scenery and with better linemates, it's reasonable to believe he could have a 10 point bump. I'm not saying I expect 40, but I wouldn't be surprised if he did.

Faksa I would not consider to be a has been, he's only 30. I think he has plenty left in him. And if he views himself as being cast-off by Dallas, that might be beneficial for his game and for our team. And since we signed him to just a 1 year deal, this is a contract year for him as well.

Know who else was a consistent 50+ point scorer right up until his age 33 season?

David Backes

That’s not to say Schenn is going to follow that trajectory exactly; but they both had a lot of miles and heavy usage on their bodies. I expect the decline with Schenn to be swift and soon. Based on his play last year, I think you have to expect a decline from his norm.

 

[HighNote]

Know who else was a consistent 50+ point scorer right up until his age 33 season?

David Backes

That’s not to say Schenn is going to follow that trajectory exactly; but they both had a lot of miles and heavy usage on their bodies. I expect the decline with Schenn to be swift and soon. Based on his play last year, I think you have to expect a decline from his norm.

All I'm saying is don't be surprised if he hits 40+.