Blues Trade Proposals 2020-21

[simon IC]

I like Krug as well, and the more fans unfairly pile on him, the more I support him. I think most people are hating on him just because they wanted Petro back or they wanted a different type of player. Krug hasn't really done anything wrong this year and he's the same player he's always been. I haven't heard a Boston fan or teammate say a bad word about the guy.

There isn't a single GM in the league that would expose Krug in the expansion draft, and certainly not to protect a guy like Mikkola. What has Mikkola done to show he belongs in the lineup every night? Krug is our best passing/playmaking d-man by far and it seems fans focus on his weaknesses far more than his strengths.

As to the bolded, of course you haven't heard an ex-teammate bad mouth Krug. They don't do that. As for Boston fans, I haven't shared your experience. I read many posts by Bruins fans explaining why they didn't think he should have been re-signed, and there were many informed and insightful posts both on the Bruins board and the trade board detailing his weaknesses.

 

[Reality Czech]

As to the bolded, of course you haven't heard an ex-teammate bad mouth Krug. They don't do that. As for Boston fans, I haven't shared your experience. I read many posts by Bruins fans explaining why they didn't think he should have been re-signed, and there were many informed and insightful posts both on the Bruins board and the trade board detailing his weaknesses.

Fair enough. I'm not saying he doesn't have weaknesses. Of course he does. But people complaining about Krug's defensive game are missing the point. No one should expect him to be better than average defensively, that's not his game. That would be like criticizing ROR for not hitting guys more or expecting Hoffman to be good on the PK. Each player has their own unique set of skills, and I think Boston fans at least knew what they had in Krug.

And I wouldn't expect teammates to bad-mouth him, but they also don't have to gush about what a great guy he is and how devastated they were that he left. Just saying he seems like a great character guy as well.

 

[Celtic Note]

Fair enough. I'm not saying he doesn't have weaknesses. Of course he does. But people complaining about Krug's defensive game are missing the point. No one should expect him to be better than average defensively, that's not his game. That would be like criticizing ROR for not hitting guys more or expecting Hoffman to be good on the PK. Each player has their own unique set of skills, and I think Boston fans at least knew what they had in Krug.

And I wouldn't expect teammates to bad-mouth him, but they also don't have to gush about what a great guy he is and how devastated they were that he left. Just saying he seems like a great character guy as well.

I think most people acknowledge that Krug seems like a good teammate and his game is not a defensive one. He is a miscast player, which most of us knew would happen before his arrival.

The challenges are twofold. He hasn’t been as advertised offensively (I am talking about with the puck on his stick, not just points). He has also been pretty poor defensively and the team needs better defense.

So, collectively he is not fitting in, nor is he playing well by his standards. At his price point, some of that is on him and some of that on the GM (one could argue coach too, but to a much lesser extent IMO).

 

[MissouriMook]

While I don’t think there is any chance that Krug is exposed in the draft based on the current roster, I do feel that (aside from getting Parayko healthy) the most important move Armstrong needs to make to shore up the defense is to find a reliable LD that can play big minutes on the first pairing with Parayko. If that opportunity presents itself before the expansion draft, I am perfectly fine sacrificing Krug rather than passing on such an opportunity. I don’t think the answer to that need is currently on our roster, and both Krug and Faulk are miscast in the top pairing role.

 

[joe galiba]

Actually Krug is better defensively than anyone else on the left side other than Scandella, who is playing mostly on the right side
He was brought in to play top 4 o-zone pairing minutes and the power play (his strengths) and has been forced into a role that isn't his strength but has still been solid in that role - he is not a shut down guy, but he is also not a train wreck either

 

[Vincenzo Arelliti]

If only there was a way to pry Noah Hanifin out of CGY without giving up Thomas or Kyrou. During the summer I think we could have found a way, but we didn’t have the cap, nor the protection slot.

He’s starting to pick up his game in CGY, and unless they get an impact center, winger to eventually replace Johnny or a RHS version of Hanifin, I don’t think they trade him now. To me, he’s going to be (but isn’t yet) the LHS-version of Pietrangelo or at the very least a JBo-type.

if there’s a way to grab him after the expansion draft, we need to do it.

 

[Reality Czech]

I think most people acknowledge that Krug seems like a good teammate and his game is not a defensive one. He is a miscast player, which most of us knew would happen before his arrival.

The challenges are twofold. He hasn’t been as advertised offensively (I am talking about with the puck on his stick, not just points). He has also been pretty poor defensively and the team needs better defense.

So, collectively he is not fitting in, nor is he playing well by his standards. At his price point, some of that is on him and some of that on the GM (one could argue coach too, but to a much lesser extent IMO).

Definitely true, though I don't think his defensive play would be as much of an issue with a healthy Parayko in the lineup. Krug is being asked to shoulder a heavier defensive load by necessity, and while he's not great I don't think he's been terrible either. He averaging 23 minutes per game, which beats his career high by a minute and a half. It would be nice to see a few more goals and he has been underwhelming on the PP so far, but in terms of passing and puck moving he's been good. He's still on a 42 point pace despite somehow only scoring 1 goal so far.

So while he could be much better I don't think it's as bad as some make it out to be.

 

[Moose and Squirrel]

I don't necessarily think that's a bad thing. He's not supposed to be a number 1 or 2 defenseman, and we've lucked out into Faulk being a really solid number 2 defenseman. Parayko was supposed to be that number 1, and I would imagine he pairs with Scandella whenever he gets healthy. Having Krug and Faulk on a pair together or even sheltering Krug just a bit makes this defense very dynamic and lets Krug beat less skilled opponents with a good first pass. The only issue we've run into right now is our top guy is out and now Krug has had to step up A LOT. The drop off from Parayko to Faulk to Krug is quite significant in terms of being able to defend, but again I think he's done good enough

yup, totally agree, but at the beginning of the year, Berube had him and parayko as the top pair, and that's a mistake IMO.
to me, he's a 2nd pair and PP guy

but this post was more to the folks that were saying Krug was going to be much better next year, and honestly, I don't see it. he'll LOOK better if he's positioned where he should be and not having to play against other teams' top lines, and maybe that's what folks meant.

 

[Stupendous Yappi]

When Mikkola couldn’t establish a regular spot in a depleted defensive line-up like this year, how is any GM going to waste their draft pick on him? This board gets such skewed notions of player value some times. Take Krug off the top pairing and he looks like a lot better player against less elite competition, as he has for most of his career. He’s signed through his prime for a fairly reasonable cap hit.

I still have hopes for Mikkola, but his limitations have been spotlighted this season. He has work to do to be penciled into next season’s line-up. His reviews this season are mixed. Has he looked better than Walman? I can’t make a very strong argument that he has.

 

[Vincenzo Arelliti]

Krug with a healthy Parayko should be a very good pairing, though not as dominant as a JBo-Parayko pairing defensively. The Krug hate on here is unreasonable.

That said, I do think we need to attempt to make a XXX-Parayko shutdown pairing and a Krug-Faulk pairing the plan going forward from the expansion draft.

 

[Oberyn]

I was quite excited about the Krug signing but he has not extremely disappointing in my eyes. Far too many turnovers for someone who is heralded as a puck mover, and a lot more defensive lapses than I expected. I'll give him a pass for his first year on a new team combined with being thrust into a role that may not be suited for him, but he needs a lot of improvement to be worth his contract.

 

[WeWentBlues]

When Mikkola couldn’t establish a regular spot in a depleted defensive line-up like this year, how is any GM going to waste their draft pick on him? This board gets such skewed notions of player value some times. Take Krug off the top pairing and he looks like a lot better player against less elite competition, as he has for most of his career. He’s signed through his prime for a fairly reasonable cap hit.

I still have hopes for Mikkola, but his limitations have been spotlighted this season. He has work to do to be penciled into next season’s line-up. His reviews this season are mixed. Has he looked better than Walman? I can’t make a very strong argument that he has.

Just from the eye test, I'd rather have Walman out there.

 

[ezcreepin]

Just from the eye test, I'd rather have Walman out there.

I really wish we could have Bouw out there to teach fundamentals to Mikkola cause that dude reacts like he has a grenade on his stick any time he has the puck. Walman can at least move it out of the zone, but Mikkola is so big and is a strong guy that once he learns how to pass it out of the zone or at least skate it out like Parayko, he's gonna be real solid.

 

[CaliforniaBlues310]

I’m not sure what the exact price we’d have to pay would be, but the more research I’ve done on Lehkonen, the more I’m into trading for him.

He seems like a perfect fit for the 4th line, with the ability to be a nice piece on the 3rd line in case we hit the injury bug again.

 

[Vincenzo Arelliti]

I’m not sure what the exact price we’d have to pay would be, but the more research I’ve done on Lehkonen, the more I’m into trading for him.

He seems like a perfect fit for the 4th line, with the ability to be a nice piece on the 3rd line in case we hit the injury bug again.

I'm a fan of Lehkonen, but I wouldn't be willing to pay much for him since I don't think he's a necessity. The expansion draft further complicates things.

 

[CaliforniaBlues310]

I'm a fan of Lehkonen, but I wouldn't be willing to pay much for him since I don't think he's a necessity. The expansion draft further complicates things.

Yeah, see this is how I feel as well. If we can trade another guy for him who's not going to be protected, then might as well.

 

[ChicagoBlues]

I really wish we could have Bouw out there to teach fundamentals to Mikkola cause that dude reacts like he has a grenade on his stick any time he has the puck. Walman can at least move it out of the zone, but Mikkola is so big and is a strong guy that once he learns how to pass it out of the zone or at least skate it out like Parayko, he's gonna be real solid.

Zackly!

Relaxation techniques can be learned, if Mikkola is open to them.

He has the smarts and skating ability to get out of trouble, but now he needs to breathe and relax and hopefully not get too frustrated with the process.

If he turns out to be hard-headed, then his NHL career could get cut short.

 

[Vincenzo Arelliti]

Blues should claim Evgeny Svechnikov. We need the offense, and he isn’t afraid to play his size. I’ve been wanting the Blues to pick him up for years.

 

[TerminatorBlue]

I think the Blues need a big shakeup if we are gonna make the playoffs. Most of our remaining games are against Avs, Vegas and the Wild.

 

[Ranksu]

I think the Blues need a big shakeup if we are gonna make the playoffs. Most of our remaining games are against Avs, Vegas and the Wild.

What shakeup? What trades?

 

[TerminatorBlue]

What shakeup? What trades?

Not really sure what Army can do with the available cap space and all the NTC's on the team. I don't see us making the playoffs with our remaining schedule and the players that we have.

Maybe we'll' turn it around and get hot but it's not looking good.

 

[Frenzy31]

So if we bottom out over the next 4 games, would you trade Schwartz at the deadline?

We can always bring him back, but a playoff team would likely love to have him. 1st and a b prospect would be the likely return.

I love Schwartz, but with his history of injuries, I think his eventual contract will be a long term anchor.

 

[Mike Liut]

So if we bottom out over the next 4 games, would you trade Schwartz at the deadline?

We can always bring him back, but a playoff team would likely love to have him. 1st and a b prospect would be the likely return.

I love Schwartz, but with his history of injuries, I think his eventual contract will be a long term anchor.

Not a bad thought. I probably would

 

[Stupendous Yappi]

So if we bottom out over the next 4 games, would you trade Schwartz at the deadline?

We can always bring him back, but a playoff team would likely love to have him. 1st and a b prospect would be the likely return.

I love Schwartz, but with his history of injuries, I think his eventual contract will be a long term anchor.

It’s important to remember, the Blues only need to beat Arizona, LA and San Jose for a playoff spot. None of them are very good. If the market weren’t so poor, this notion would have more merit. But I think this is a year you bet one your veteran guys and the team getting healthy.

 

[Beauterham]

So if we bottom out over the next 4 games, would you trade Schwartz at the deadline?

We can always bring him back, but a playoff team would likely love to have him. 1st and a b prospect would be the likely return.

I love Schwartz, but with his history of injuries, I think his eventual contract will be a long term anchor.

If Schwartzy is up for it, I'd definitly go the Tkachuk route.