Pre-Game Talk: 2024 Blues Training Camp Thread

[Stupendous Yappi]

it all depends on Bolduc. he has to show his true NHL identity - what he can be relied on to do. that is why I am uncomfortable placing him higher on my prospect chart. he has strong potential but it would be very reasonable for him to go either way in the NHL.

This is why this season is so much more engaging than last year. We will have more than one young player with promise getting a chance to grow and seize their destiny. A lot more compelling than the hodge podge roster we had last year.

 

[stl76]

I think most people really underestimate how much defensive responsibility Thomas had last year compared to other point-producing 1Cs.

Thomas was 1 of 17 centers who was on the ice for 60+ goals for at 5 on 5 last year. Thomas was the only one of them with an O-zone start rate below 50%. 11 of the other 16 guys were at 60% or higher and 14 of 16 were above 55%. If you expand that list to the 36 centers who were on the ice for 55+ goals for (which includes Kyrou, lol), Thomas is one of just two guys with an O-zone start rate under 50% at 5 on 5. 26 of the 36 were at 55% or higher.

I very much share your optimism that Faksa playing middle 6 minutes should free up Thomas to be deployed like a normal top line center instead of a shutdown top line center. We don't need to start him in the O-zone 60%-65% of the time like the guys who push for scoring titles, but approaching 55% would create a lot more opportunities for him.

Exactly.

I think a lot of people also really underestimate the defensive role Faksa has played in the past. The zone starts and quality of competition prior to 2022 were eye popping.

Now, his role did diminish the past couple years, so maybe he doesn’t have what it takes anymore and won’t have the impact I’m predicting. But I think it had more to do with the team/coach situation and roster construction in Dallas that it had to do with his play declining. Faksa had a similar defensive deployment under both Montgomery and Bowness, and he thrived in that role. Once DeBoer came on board tho, he saw less and less ice time while Hintz and then Johnston took on larger roles.

We’ll see, I could be wrong. But I’m optimistic that Faksa can still handle a substantial defensive load and that it will open up opportunities for Robert Thomas and the rest of the Blues’ top 6 this year.

 

[MortiestOfMortys]

If we’re going to make the playoffs this season — which I’m slightly bearish on — Faksa is going to have to have a return-to-form season. With all of the other uncertainty at the center position, he and Thomas are really the only two “natural” centers we have right now. Schenn was a converted winger. Buch would be the same. Sunny has been most successful on the wing. We’ve got Dean and Dvorsky, both of whom might be ready for a role at some point this season, but injuries notwithstanding they won’t be helping us get into a playoff position by Thanksgiving. It’s a shame that Alexandrov hasn’t taken enough steps forward at this point, he’d be really valuable right about now.