Blues Discussion Thread 2018-2019

[BlueDream]

The Blues didn't really need to add speed during FA. They needed to address their roster concerns by adding some quality at center (check), find some RH shots with skill that can play in the top 6, on the PP, and at RW if needed (check), and clear out some space in their bottom six (check).

Guys like Fabbri, Thomas, and Kyrou should be adding some dynamic skating/speed to the lineup...hopefully in the immediate future.

Plus, all the players we let go (Stastny, Berglund, Sobotka, Brodziak, Thompson) aren't fast either so it's not like we got slower.

The main thing is we added a lot more skill. Allows us to play faster and just be a way better team.

 

[Celtic Note]

The Blues didn't really need to add speed during FA. They needed to address their roster concerns by adding some quality at center (check), find some RH shots with skill that can play in the top 6, on the PP, and at RW if needed (check), and clear out some space in their bottom six (check).

Guys like Fabbri, Thomas, and Kyrou should be adding some dynamic skating/speed to the lineup...hopefully in the immediate future.

I would also argue that none of these guys are slow. We move out a player in Berglund who was relatively slow and replaced him with Bozak, who is certainly faster (both as a skater and in puck moving). Stastny for ROR is basically a wash. Sobotka for Perron is lateral. Thomas or whoever replaces Brodziak is an upgrade. Pushing Jaskin and Thorburn down the chart is a positive speed gain. And then we have Fabbri and potentially Kyrou. The net gain is significantly positive.

 

[wannabebluesplayer]

I would also argue that none of these guys are slow. We move out a player in Berglund who was relatively slow and replaced him with Bozak, who is certainly faster (both as a skater and in puck moving). Stastny for ROR is basically a wash. Sobotka for Perron is lateral. Thomas or whoever replaces Brodziak is an upgrade. Pushing Jaskin and Thorburn down the chart is a positive speed gain. And then we have Fabbri and potentially Kyrou. The net gain is significantly positive.

It's hard to compare rosters since the Blues were so heavily injured last year without the proper depth to fill back in the holes. If you compare O'Reilly to Stastny as the comparison, then I think it's advantage to O'Reilly. He's better defensively, on the dot, has better, skating, and a better shot. Stastny has better vision and passing, but their hockey IQ looks equal. Comparing Bozak to Berglund, Bozak has the better hockey IQ, skating, vision, and passing while being better on the dot, but Berglund has the shooting and defensive skills. That's advantage Bozak. Perron to Sobotka, this is a wash where I'd argue defensive acumen, and IQ are about the same. Perron has the advantage on shooting and skating, but Sobotka is a better passer and vision. Perron does take some stupid penalties where as Sobotka is more disciplined. It's a wash but Perron fits our team better than Sobotka. Thomas replacing Thompson, the only thing Thompson has is his shot, and even that is close. Thomas is better in every conceivable way.

I think our 4th line is really where you're going to see a difference in player comparison. They're going to suffer a bit defensively as Brodziak and Upshall are better than Barbashev and Soshnikov defensively. However, I think Barbashev and Soshnikov add some more offensive punch and speed. Our 4th line won't be as reliable defensively late in games, therefore probably not used as much, but they are going to push play, be a bit more tenacious, and can be coached up on the defensive end.

Schwartz Schenn ?
? O'Reilly Tarasenko
Steen Bozak ?
? Barbashev Soshnikov

Those are the pairs I think you'll see after training camp and you fill in the ? with Fabbri, Perron, Thomas, Jaskin, or Kyrou. I don't really see Kostin, Blais, Foley, Stevens, Thorburn, or Nolan pushing into that w/o an injury. Jaskin would be my pick on the 4th line with Barbashev and Soshnikov because he's a possession guy while Barbashev and Sosh are more shooters. I really believe that Thomas would benefit the most from being with Schenn and Schwartz, splitting face-offs and defensive responsibilities with Schenn, but he'll probably start with Bozak and Steen. Fabbri will be on O'Reilly's left with Perron up with Schenn and Schwartz.

That's a definite improvement in the speed/transition game over what was there last year. That team also seems more like the Mike Yeo style team that beat the Blues in the 2015 playoffs.

 

[Stealth JD]

Perron to Sobotka, this is a wash where I'd argue defensive acumen, and IQ are about the same. Perron has the advantage on shooting and skating, but Sobotka is a better passer and vision. Perron does take some stupid penalties where as Sobotka is more disciplined. It's a wash but Perron fits our team better than Sobotka.

say again?



I think you're either drastically over-estimating Sobotka, or under-estimating Perron. I don't think there's any doubt Perron is a dramatically better player overall.

 

[wannabebluesplayer]

say again?



I think you're either drastically over-estimating Sobotka, or under-estimating Perron. I don't think there's any doubt Perron is a dramatically better player overall.

I don't know. Perron can certainly score and make some better offensive plays, but there are arguments for parts of the game Sobotka is better than Perron. We shall see. I don't know about drastically over or under estimating anything but I could over and under estimating on both players.

 

[542365]

I don't know. Perron can certainly score and make some better offensive plays, but there are arguments for parts of the game Sobotka is better than Perron. We shall see. I don't know about drastically over or under estimating anything but I could over and under estimating on both players.

Pre-KHL Soby would fit this argument. Current Soby it does not. Maybe being traded will piss him off and light a fire under his ass to be the old Soby, but the guy we had last year was just a giant pile of meh.

 

[Dbrownss]

Pre-KHL Soby would fit this argument. Current Soby it does not. Maybe being traded will piss him off and light a fire under his ass to be the old Soby, but the guy we had last year was just a giant pile of meh.

I doubt it will, from what I understand, its injury related

 

[Mike Liut]

I doubt it will, from what I understand, its injury related

After a couple concussions, his game changed. Probably smart on his side. He got a decent contract and is a little older now, so no reason to play that style anymore. He just doesn’t have the skill level to play a skilled game. So glad hes gone. Nothing personal, he just isn’t good with his new style.

 

[DatDude44]

I would also argue that none of these guys are slow. We move out a player in Berglund who was relatively slow and replaced him with Bozak, who is certainly faster (both as a skater and in puck moving). Stastny for ROR is basically a wash. Sobotka for Perron is lateral. Thomas or whoever replaces Brodziak is an upgrade. Pushing Jaskin and Thorburn down the chart is a positive speed gain. And then we have Fabbri and potentially Kyrou. The net gain is significantly positive.

I easily argue Perron>Sobotka and i also believe ROR>Stastny....I absolutely think the net gain is extremely positive.

We spent most of last year with Dmitrij Jaskin on our 2nd line.......and then we even had brodz there after we moved stastny.

This new look blues team is so much better than last years it's a joke IMO.

 

[AjaxManifesto]

After a couple concussions, his game changed. Probably smart on his side. He got a decent contract and is a little older now, so no reason to play that style anymore. He just doesn’t have the skill level to play a skilled game. So glad hes gone. Nothing personal, he just isn’t good with his new style.

Wife, kids, house, good paycheck, a functioning brain...yep, I think this would do it. I remember when Army signed at the end of the 2016-2017 season he was asked why come back from the KHL and he said he did it for his family...meaning, good steady work, good paycheck, etc. That probably was code for "I don't have to put my body at higher risk anymore".

I don't blame him and there is a reason people keep saying the league is getting younger. It all takes a toll on your body. Plus, with all the CTE stuff in football, you start to question: "should I really put my body at risk like this?"

 

[AjaxManifesto]

Plus, all the players we let go (Stastny, Berglund, Sobotka, Brodziak, Thompson) aren't fast either so it's not like we got slower.

The main thing is we added a lot more skill. Allows us to play faster and just be a way better team.

Lahtera was good to have around because he set the bar for slow. Everybody else was faster in comparison.

 

[Bye Bye Blueston]

We had 15 forwards play in at least half our games last year. 7 of those are no longer with the team and a few more are hanging on by a thread. Can't remember the last time we had such roster upheaval. And pretty much all of it positive.

 

[The Note in MI]

In The Slot: Pietrangelo excited by new additions

Some great quotes from Pietrangelo in Lou’s latest blog. Love this one.

"This is our time. We feel like we've got a really good roster and I think even me just writing down the lines, my wife was making fun of me. She says, 'You guys don't play for 40 days,' but I was getting excited trying to come up with lines. You forget about Robby [Fabbri] because he didn't play last year, but you put him back into the mix of players and you write down the young guys that are coming up, you look at your forwards, it's a pretty good group right now. A lot of guys, a good mix of not only skill but you've got the group that will be hard to play against. We went out and did that, because guys like Bozak and O'Reilly, having played against them -- I've played with O'Reilly -- but having played against those guys, they're a pain in the butt to play against. Nobody knows more than a defenseman how hard a forward is to play against."

 

[mk80]

In The Slot: Pietrangelo excited by new additions

Some great quotes from Pietrangelo in Lou’s latest blog. Love this one.

"This is our time. We feel like we've got a really good roster and I think even me just writing down the lines, my wife was making fun of me. She says, 'You guys don't play for 40 days,' but I was getting excited trying to come up with lines. You forget about Robby [Fabbri] because he didn't play last year, but you put him back into the mix of players and you write down the young guys that are coming up, you look at your forwards, it's a pretty good group right now. A lot of guys, a good mix of not only skill but you've got the group that will be hard to play against. We went out and did that, because guys like Bozak and O'Reilly, having played against them -- I've played with O'Reilly -- but having played against those guys, they're a pain in the butt to play against. Nobody knows more than a defenseman how hard a forward is to play against."

I would love to see all the line combinations he came up with.

 

[Brian39]

I really wonder who is going to make the roster in camp. We have

Locks:
1. Tarasenko
2. Schwartz
3. Schenn
4. ROR
5. Bozak
6. Perron
7. Steen

Their spot to lose:
8. Fabbri
9. Soshnikov
10. Barbashev
11. Jaskin

Rookies:
12. Thomas
13. Kyrou
14. Blais
15. Sanford
16. Foley

Waivers pls:
17. Sundquist
18. Thorburn

We can only keep 14, 13 if we keep 8 D. Talk about some heavy competition. It’s an absolute tossup to me.

Fabbri is a lock to make the roster. He is not waivers exempt and would absolutely be lost if we tried to send him to the AHL. There is zero chance we are going to give up on him because of a bad camp after waiting a year and a half to get him back in the lineup. Same thing with Barby and probably Jaskin. They haven't met expectations, but they are without a doubt NHL caliber player and great depth. It would be shortsighted to risk losing that depth in order to plug guys like Kyrou, Blais and Foley into the lineup immediately. Injuries are going to happen at some point and they'll get their chances if they are ready for the NHL. If they truly shine, we'll spend the first month of the season trying to recover a low value asset off the NHL roster before passing them through waivers. Here's my list:

Locks: Tarasenko, Schenn, Schwartz, ROR, Bozak, Perron, Steen, Fabbri, Barby

Their spot to lose: Soshnikov, Jaskin, Thomas

Battling for the last 1 or 2 spots (or maaaybe stealing a job from that group of 3): Kyrou, Blais, Sanford, Foley, Thorburn, Sundqvist, Kostin

 

[CaliforniaBlues310]

The only way Fabbri doesn’t start is health IMO. Kyrou and Thomas will be fighting for the last top 9 spot, and Jaskin, Barbie, Sosh, Sanford, and Sunny will be fighting for 4th line time. Kostin and Blais will go to the AHL, along with Thorburn.

 

[Vincenzo Arelliti]

In The Slot: Pietrangelo excited by new additions

Some great quotes from Pietrangelo in Lou’s latest blog. Love this one.

"This is our time. We feel like we've got a really good roster and I think even me just writing down the lines, my wife was making fun of me. She says, 'You guys don't play for 40 days,' but I was getting excited trying to come up with lines. You forget about Robby [Fabbri] because he didn't play last year, but you put him back into the mix of players and you write down the young guys that are coming up, you look at your forwards, it's a pretty good group right now. A lot of guys, a good mix of not only skill but you've got the group that will be hard to play against. We went out and did that, because guys like Bozak and O'Reilly, having played against them -- I've played with O'Reilly -- but having played against those guys, they're a pain in the butt to play against. Nobody knows more than a defenseman how hard a forward is to play against."

Alright, I’ll admit it - I’m Alex Pietrangelo.

 

[Celtic Note]

I easily argue Perron>Sobotka and i also believe ROR>Stastny....I absolutely think the net gain is extremely positive.

We spent most of last year with Dmitrij Jaskin on our 2nd line.......and then we even had brodz there after we moved stastny.

This new look blues team is so much better than last years it's a joke IMO.

I don’t disagree. My post was simply trying to illustrate that we were a faster team despite not adding notably fast players.

 

[WeWentBlues]

How many seasons left until Eddie gains UFA status? 18-19 and 19-20?

 

[Stelmacki]

Can we just, like, start the season?

 

[Vladys Gumption]

I haven’t been this excited for a season in a long time.

 

[mk80]

I haven’t been this excited for a season in a long time.

Can we just, like, start the season?

The only thing I regret about this off-season is not buying a Perron T-shirt that I really liked at the Blues summer sale... it was only $10

 

[simon IC]

Fabbri is a lock to make the roster. He is not waivers exempt and would absolutely be lost if we tried to send him to the AHL. There is zero chance we are going to give up on him because of a bad camp after waiting a year and a half to get him back in the lineup. Same thing with Barby and probably Jaskin. They haven't met expectations, but they are without a doubt NHL caliber player and great depth. It would be shortsighted to risk losing that depth in order to plug guys like Kyrou, Blais and Foley into the lineup immediately. Injuries are going to happen at some point and they'll get their chances if they are ready for the NHL. If they truly shine, we'll spend the first month of the season trying to recover a low value asset off the NHL roster before passing them through waivers. Here's my list:

Locks: Tarasenko, Schenn, Schwartz, ROR, Bozak, Perron, Steen, Fabbri, Barby

Their spot to lose: Soshnikov, Jaskin, Thomas

Battling for the last 1 or 2 spots (or maaaybe stealing a job from that group of 3): Kyrou, Blais, Sanford, Foley, Thorburn, Sundqvist, Kostin

Minor quibble, but I am not sure if Barbashev is a lock. If he shows up to a crowded and competitive camp, and shows the same work ethic issues that the coaching staff has had issues with in the past, I could see him start in the AHL.

 

[BlueDream]

Minor quibble, but I am not sure if Barbashev is a lock. If he shows up to a crowded and competitive camp, and shows the same work ethic issues that the coaching staff has had issues with in the past, I could see him start in the AHL.

Good point. If a guy like Sanford is better than him, you’d have to choose him.

Edit: didn't realize he was waiver eligible though. That makes things tougher.

 

[Brian39]

Minor quibble, but I am not sure if Barbashev is a lock. If he shows up to a crowded and competitive camp, and shows the same work ethic issues that the coaching staff has had issues with in the past, I could see him start in the AHL.

I just don't see him clearing waivers. He was drafted 33rd overall and is still just 22 with fewer than 100 NHL games. Some middling or bad team will give him a shot on their 3rd line to see if they can still develop him into a serviceable 3rd line center. I don't see us being willing to lose him for nothing due to a bad camp, especially since he is a cost controlled guy that should be able to play a 4C role. At the end of the day, he was on pace for 20 points last year, had okay possession numbers and has room to grow.

Sanford, Foley, Kostin and Blais can all be sent to the AHL without being put on waivers. Asset management is absolutely a consideration and makes Barby a lock to make the NHL roster IMO.