2024-2025 Blues Trade Proposals Thread.

[LetsGoBooze]

But what does all of this have to do with Trade proposals or FA signings?
Couldn't this discussion be in the multipurpose thread?

 

[Beninnola]

But what does all of this have to do with Trade proposals or FA signings?
Couldn't this discussion be in the multipurpose thread?

I think it is steering towards what a next deal could look like, or what we may look to do. I think guessing at our plans next year with our young guys is probably the way to guess what our offseason trades could look like.

JR guessed that a likely trade candidate this season was Bolduc. I’m guessing he said that because we have lots of young guys.

Adding Dvorsky and Snuggerud to Bolduc as guys you’d expect to see next year creates a little bit of a log jam. It seems like neighbors, Holloway, Kyrou, and Buch plus those guys and then the guys we have signed is just a lot of guys to find icetime for. The ahl assignment probably works for Dvo, but maybe not Snuggerud.

I’m not really motivated to shop around the nhl and use Bolduc, Dvorsky or Snuggerud as currency. I don’t want to trade them.

But I’m starting to get the feeling that if a deal presented itself that we could be paying for it with one of these young guys. If I could find a depth chart that made sense I’d probably back off this ledge.

 

[LetsGoBooze]

I think it is steering towards what a next deal could look like, or what we may look to do. I think guessing at our plans next year with our young guys is probably the way to guess what our offseason trades could look like.

JR guessed that a likely trade candidate this season was Bolduc. I’m guessing he said that because we have lots of young guys.

Adding Dvorsky and Snuggerud to Bolduc as guys you’d expect to see next year creates a little bit of a log jam. It seems like neighbors, Holloway, Kyrou, and Buch plus those guys and then the guys we have signed is just a lot of guys to find icetime for. The ahl assignment probably works for Dvo, but maybe not Snuggerud.

I’m not really motivated to shop around the nhl and use Bolduc, Dvorsky or Snuggerud as currency. I don’t want to trade them.

But I’m starting to get the feeling that if a deal presented itself that we could be paying for it with one of these young guys.

Agreed, just trying to steer the lineup discussions over there.

 

[Beninnola]

Agreed, just trying to steer the lineup discussions over there.

I hear ya.

I think the depth chart is an integral part of any trade.

I would suggest if you took “the reason” everybody was traded, the depth chart and team fit would be the most common reason.

I would suggest that avoiding these topics because they’re also gameday topics will result in a lower quality conversation. Being able to or not able to build a teams lines In the future is a super good way to find a problem that a trade will solve.

I’ll take a week or two off and reconsider.

Didn’t want to ruin the fun with all this big brain stuff

 

[Reality Czech]

Next season should look like this imo.

Bolduc-Thomas-Snuggerud
Holloway-Dvorsky-Kyrou
Neighbours-Schenn-Buchnevich
Alexandrov-Sundqvist-Toropchenko
Walker

Fowler-Parayko
Broberg-Ekblad
Tucker-Kessel-Sutter

Trade Faulk, Leddy, Joseph and Texier

Sign Ekblad 7/8.5

Extend Fowler, Broberg and Holloway

Why is everyone so eager to bump Neighbours down to the third line? In favor of two rookies no less. I can pretty much guarantee the lines won't look like that next year.

 

[Linkens Mastery]

Why is everyone so eager to bump Neighbours down to the third line? In favor of two rookies no less. I can pretty much guarantee the lines won't look like that next year.

Because just being they are the "3rd line" they will still play around the same amount as the 2nd line. And with how Monty runs his lines Neighbours and Schenn will still end up with top 6 minutes.

 

[BlueMed]

Why is everyone so eager to bump Neighbours down to the third line? In favor of two rookies no less. I can pretty much guarantee the lines won't look like that next year.

He's not much a play driver, and there's reason to believe that he's gotten fairly close to his potential. I think he's a third liner on a contender.

 

[ChicagoBlues]

He's not much a play driver, and there's reason to believe that he's gotten fairly close to his potential. I think he's a third liner on a contender.

I still agree with this. Jake on the 3rd line would be a very good situation. This is an eventual thing, not something that will happen next season by two rookies, as BD posted.

In a couple more seasons, Jake will be forced to the 3rd line and that will be dangerous good.

 

[kimzey59]

I still agree with this. Jake on the 3rd line would be a very good situation. This is an eventual thing, not something that will happen next season by two rookies, as BD posted.

In a couple more seasons, Jake will be forced to the 3rd line and that will be dangerous good.

I think it's entirely possible that Neighbours does start on the 3rd line next year.
Not necessarily because his play warrants it; but because it helps ease two rookies into the lineup to put them with more experienced linemates.

Buch and Thomas can undoubtedly carry a rookie on their line and still be effective.
Neighbours and Bolduc both play a mature enough game to do the same IMO.

 

[Reality Czech]

He's not much a play driver, and there's reason to believe that he's gotten fairly close to his potential. I think he's a third liner on a contender.

Why would anyone believe Neighbours has reached his potential at 22? Did Holloway reach his potential at 22? Is Bolduc a play driver? I feel like people always discount Jake and can't figure out why.

 

[Beauterham]

Why would anyone believe Neighbours has reached his potential at 22? Did Holloway reach his potential at 22? Is Bolduc a play driver? I feel like people always discount Jake and can't figure out why.

I don't think people are discounting Jake, however I do believe that a lot of people want to 'spread the wealth' over 3 lines. I understand why people think putting a shooter (Bolduc, Snuggerud) on Thomas' wing is something that should be explored and could be adjusted per game. That's not a slight on Neighbours at all, but rather a testament of our potential depth at wing.

 

[MissouriMook]

I don't think people are discounting Jake, however I do believe that a lot of people want to 'spread the wealth' over 3 lines. I understand why people think putting a shooter (Bolduc, Snuggerud) on Thomas' wing is something that should be explored and could be adjusted per game. That's not a slight on Neighbours at all, but rather a testament of our potential depth at wing.

If we have the luxury, I would love to see a disher, a shooter, and a skilled grinder on each of the top three lines.

 

[ChicagoBlues]

Why would anyone believe Neighbours has reached his potential at 22? Did Holloway reach his potential at 22? Is Bolduc a play driver? I feel like people always discount Jake and can't figure out why.

No one is discounting Jake and I can’t figure out why some here think so.

 

[bleedblue1223]

Whether they go kid line with Bolduc-Dvorsky-Snuggerud or each of the kids get paired on a different line with 2 vets or Dvorsky or Snuggy start in Springfield, it's not like a vet on the "3rd" line will have decreased minutes or a rookie on the "1st" line will suddenly have 18+ minutes. I'd put strong money down on Dvorsky and Snuggerud starting with 8th and 9th most minutes of the top 9 players and possibly even being under someone like Sunny on the 4th as he'd play up at times and/or get more special teams minutes.

 

[BleedBlue14]

Why would anyone believe Neighbours has reached his potential at 22? Did Holloway reach his potential at 22? Is Bolduc a play driver? I feel like people always discount Jake and can't figure out why.

His skillset is why.

He doesn’t have a high end shot, he isn’t a high end playmaker, isn’t a high end skater. The one thing he has that is absolutely high end is his compete.

The question is how far his will can take him on the depth chart. He could certainly progress and get a bit better of an outside shot. He could hypothetically improve his skating.

However, in comparison to Holloway his tools are a lot less evident and a couple steps behind. I’d say his skating and shooting tools and probably even playmaking tools are also noticeably behind what Bolduc has flashed.

I think Jake is an integral part of the Blues new foundation they’re forming. But I don’t for a second think he’s going to be doing so playing 18-23 minutes a night in a top 6. He’s going to get his points in front of the net and he’s going to add a spark as a really good 3rd liner. It’s just what his profile thus far is screaming.

 

[bleedblue1223]

Since Monty took over, Neighbours has been scoring at a 50 point pace, 12 goals and 20 assists in 52 games. I don't think anyone is arguing he'll get 18-23 minutes, I think he'll get the 16ish minutes that he currently gets and he'll get that on any of the top 3 lines.

 

[BleedBlue14]

Since Monty took over, Neighbours has been scoring at a 50 point pace, 12 goals and 20 assists in 52 games. I don't think anyone is arguing he'll get 18-23 minutes, I think he'll get the 16ish minutes that he currently gets and he'll get that on any of the top 3 lines.

That pace is mainly stapled to Thomas hip though. As of the last couple of games and I think it’s mainly due to Buch being out Thomas has jumped up with Holloway and Thomas and really produced a lot of points.

The question with all of the high end forwards we have in the organization becomes is Thomas better with someone else, and if he is where does Neighbors fit?

 

[bleedblue1223]

That pace is mainly stapled to Thomas hip though. As of the last couple of games and I think it’s mainly due to Buch being out Thomas has jumped up with Holloway and Thomas and really produced a lot of points.

The question with all of the high end forwards we have in the organization becomes is Thomas better with someone else, and if he is where does Neighbors fit?

It'll all sort itself out. I think people focus too much on what specific line a guy is on. If all our guys hit, and we have an issue of too much talent, then non of it really matters, it doesn't matter if they are on 1st or 3rd line, they'll get their minutes, and they'll produce. I think it's still early enough in Neighbours' career that we don't truly know his offensive upside.

If he remains a 40ish point guy, he'll probably be a 3rd liner getting 15ish mintues. If he brings his production up a level and is consistently around 55ish points or more, then he can play on any line and we'll be fine.

It would be crazy and unlikely that all over Bolduc, Dvorsky, Snuggerud, Neighbours, Stenberg hit their peak potential. Then throw in some of the non-1sts. No point in worry about future lines until we know what we have in some of them.

 

[Bye Bye Blueston]

His skillset is why.

He doesn’t have a high end shot, he isn’t a high end playmaker, isn’t a high end skater. The one thing he has that is absolutely high end is his compete.

The question is how far his will can take him on the depth chart. He could certainly progress and get a bit better of an outside shot. He could hypothetically improve his skating.

However, in comparison to Holloway his tools are a lot less evident and a couple steps behind. I’d say his skating and shooting tools and probably even playmaking tools are also noticeably behind what Bolduc has flashed.

I think Jake is an integral part of the Blues new foundation they’re forming. But I don’t for a second think he’s going to be doing so playing 18-23 minutes a night in a top 6. He’s going to get his points in front of the net and he’s going to add a spark as a really good 3rd liner. It’s just what his profile thus far is screaming.

I wouldn’t sell him short. I don’t think we know his ceiling yet. His skating, shot, and passing all look better this year. Was it Hitch who used to say “hard work is a skill”?

 

[BleedBlue14]

It'll all sort itself out. I think people focus too much on what specific line a guy is on. If all our guys hit, and we have an issue of too much talent, then non of it really matters, it doesn't matter if they are on 1st or 3rd line, they'll get their minutes, and they'll produce. I think it's still early enough in Neighbours' career that we don't truly know his offensive upside.

If he remains a 40ish point guy, he'll probably be a 3rd liner getting 15ish mintues. If he brings his production up a level and is consistently around 55ish points or more, then he can play on any line and we'll be fine.

It would be crazy and unlikely that all over Bolduc, Dvorsky, Snuggerud, Neighbours, Stenberg hit their peak potential. Then throw in some of the non-1sts. No point in worry about future lines until we know what we have in some of them.

I agree with you on the entirety of that post. I was just outlining why people are a bit more quick to write off Jake as taking more steps vs. Holloway and Bolduc. I think Neighbors is going to be a 35-55 point guy for a long time and he's going to have alot of intangibles that make him more valuable than just a 3rd liner.

And truthfully I do agree with you in regards to depth of the lineup. It's a real strength for the foreseeable future in the forward group. Top 9 lines and minutes will likely fluctuate. The difference will be with the guys like Thomas and Kyrou who are likely to always be put out there if we need to push for offense as we've been seeing lately.

 

[BleedBlue14]

I wouldn’t sell him short. I don’t think we know his ceiling yet. His skating, shot, and passing all look better this year. Was it Hitch who used to say “hard work is a skill”?

Didn't mean to downplay how important compete is. His profile is just not near as projectible as a lot of our other young forwards. Along with that, he has a skillset that can be very valuable on a 3rd line and on the powerplay. He's just going to have to take much larger steps than some of the other young forwards we have. It's what makes it easier to speculate. But speculation is just speculation and rarely works out in the future as it does on paper. I don't think anyone would be rooting against Jake, and would openly welcome it, it's just harder to see now.

 

[Reality Czech]

His skillset is why.

He doesn’t have a high end shot, he isn’t a high end playmaker, isn’t a high end skater. The one thing he has that is absolutely high end is his compete.

The question is how far his will can take him on the depth chart. He could certainly progress and get a bit better of an outside shot. He could hypothetically improve his skating.

However, in comparison to Holloway his tools are a lot less evident and a couple steps behind. I’d say his skating and shooting tools and probably even playmaking tools are also noticeably behind what Bolduc has flashed.

I think Jake is an integral part of the Blues new foundation they’re forming. But I don’t for a second think he’s going to be doing so playing 18-23 minutes a night in a top 6. He’s going to get his points in front of the net and he’s going to add a spark as a really good 3rd liner. It’s just what his profile thus far is screaming.

Fair enough. Not every player's "tools" are so obvious or flashy. Someone could watch ROR play and he wouldn't jump off the screen as one of the best players on the ice. People seem to act like scoring goals from the perimeter count for more than goals scored in front of the net, but I'd argue there are fewer guys that can survive in that part of the ice than the perimeters.

I'm just a bit confused because he's already shown he can be an effective top 6 player at the age of 22, but for some reason people think he'll be 3rd-line caliber during his prime years. Guess we will see in a few years. I'd bet that he'll spend more time in the top 6 than on the 3rd line for most of his career, but of course that depends on a lot of things.

 

[ChicagoBlues]

Fair enough. Not every player's "tools" are so obvious or flashy. Someone could watch ROR play and he wouldn't jump off the screen as one of the best players on the ice. People seem to act like scoring goals from the perimeter count for more than goals scored in front of the net, but I'd argue there are fewer guys that can survive in that part of the ice than the perimeters.

I'm just a bit confused because he's already shown he can be an effective top 6 player at the age of 22, but for some reason people think he'll be 3rd-line caliber during his prime years. Guess we will see in a few years. I'd bet that he'll spend more time in the top 6 than on the 3rd line for most of his career, but of course that depends on a lot of things.

Again, no one is acting like that.

 

[BleedBlue14]

Fair enough. Not every player's "tools" are so obvious or flashy. Someone could watch ROR play and he wouldn't jump off the screen as one of the best players on the ice. People seem to act like scoring goals from the perimeter count for more than goals scored in front of the net, but I'd argue there are fewer guys that can survive in that part of the ice than the perimeters.

I'm just a bit confused because he's already shown he can be an effective top 6 player at the age of 22, but for some reason people think he'll be 3rd-line caliber during his prime years. Guess we will see in a few years. I'd bet that he'll spend more time in the top 6 than on the 3rd line for most of his career, but of course that depends on a lot of things.

ROR did alot of little things that were extremely valuable though that sure Jake can learn, but he's not there yet, nor would I expect him to be.

When most people speak of Neighbors as a 3rd liner, it's not or it shouldn't be a knock. A lot of it is speculation that if the Blues want to be a true perennial contender Neighbors profiles as a 3rd liner on that type of team right now.


I see a lot of Barbashev in him minus the flexibility of playing center. He's got skill, it's not high end but it's average to above average. He's got a decent shot, again bordering average to slightly above average. He's physical and is a good enough skater. He also has an incredible compete level. He can be a guy that is in the top 6 like Barbashev if he's stapled to an elite player. But he's never going to be doing the heavy lifting for the line.

 

[ToastedRavioli]

I think next year we see something like this:

Buchnevich - Thomas - Snuggerud
Holloway - Schenn - Kyrou
Neighbours - Dvorsky - Bolduc
Toropchenko - Sundqvist - Joseph
Walker, Texier

Fowler - Parayko
Broberg - Faulk
Suter - Leddy
Tucker, Kessel

Binnington
Hofer

The reason I have Snuggerud on the first line is not because I see him making an immediate impact in the top 6, but rather just balancing lines and finding ways to get the best out of all the players. I view that decision similarly to when we had Sanford or Blais playing with ROR and Perron. I don't see them putting Dvorsky and Snuggerud together on the 3rd line, and I don't see either playing on the 4th line. I also don't see us breaking up the Holloway line, so that really only leaves putting Snuggerud with Thomas, unless they send Dvorsky or Snuggerud to the AHL. Any way you organize it though, this is a very, very good forward group if we see even okay development from Dvorsky and Snuggerud.