GDT: Preseason Game #2 Utah @ Bluesy

[taylord22]

Watching live, I thought Perunovich looked just fine. His limitations are obvious but he made some good defensive stops and kept guys wide. Moved the puck well on the PP.

I think 6 of the D spots are obvious. Peru, POJ and Tucker are battling for the #7 spot. Maybe an extra survives if they keep 8.

I've been assuming we're going to keep 8 — sending Tucker through waivers, but I don't know who/how you're anticipating to create time for two players when Kessel and Suter are the only real candidates for swapping in/out. Suter/Kessel is an interesting pairing that I suppose you can break up to jolt the PP, but...clearly Perunovich is not going to be anchoring PP1 if he's playing every day.

Got home from the game. Some thoughts:

Parayko’s an awesome dude. My kid had a sign asking for a puck. Not only did Parayko give him a puck but he also banged on the glass a couple times and winked at him. He simply gets it. My son has a new favorite player.


Dvorsky looked ok. Some good plays but pretty clearly not NHL ready IMO.

Re: Dvorsky — Curious if you got good looks on some of those one handed and/or reaching passes he makes? The broadcast views in junior, tourney, and camp don't provide the best angles, but it has come across as a very unique skill. I said it another thread but it looks like he's got exceptional power/accuracy from every part of his blade regardless if he's reaching or jammed up.

Awesome to hear re: Parayko. My Dad is plugged into the same 'racing circle' as Parayko. The team gushes about how great of a guy he is and how far out of his way he goes to be thoughtful and just a good dude.

 

[STL fan in MN]

I've been assuming we're going to keep 8 — sending Tucker through waivers, but I don't know who/how you're anticipating to create time for two players when Kessel and Suter are the only real candidates for swapping in/out. Suter/Kessel is an interesting pairing that I suppose you can break up to jolt the PP, but...clearly Perunovich is not going to be anchoring PP1 if he's playing every day.

Re: Dvorsky — Curious if you got good looks on some of those one handed and/or reaching passes he makes? The broadcast views in junior, tourney, and camp don't provide the best angles, but it has come across as a very unique skill. I said it another thread but it looks like he's got exceptional power/accuracy from every part of his blade regardless if he's reaching or jammed up.

Awesome to hear re: Parayko. My Dad is plugged into the same 'racing circle' as Parayko. The team gushes about how great of a guy he is and how far out of his way he goes to be thoughtful and just a good dude.

Didn’t notice any one-handed passes in particular but he did make a couple really nice plays in tight coverage.

I have my complaints with Parayko’s game sometimes but as an actual person, he seems to be an amazing person.

I should note that Holloway gave my son a puck as well. Then Parayko did a couple min later so we gave the 2nd one to a kid that didn’t get one. But Parayko in particular was really seeking out each kid on the glass during warmups and giving them attention.

 

[Snubbed4Vezina]

I'm not one to overreact over two preseason games, but I think it's pretty clear we're going to lose every game this season.

 

[Celtic Note]

I'm not one to overreact over two preseason games, but I think it's pretty clear we're going to lose every game this season.

This was great. Thanks for the chuckle

 

[Memento]

The problem isn't that Yamamoto is 5'8".
The problem is that Yamamoto weigh's in at 155 lbs.
Yamamoto's not even a "heavy" small player like Dingo is. He's just tiny.
Granted he has some "buzz saw" to his game, but I've had plushie's that were more physically imposing.

All of my (seventy-three, hopefully soon to be 125. ...What? Better than spending what little money I have on crack-cocaine or heroin, right?) plushies are more physically imposing than Kailer Yamamoto.

 

[Bye Bye Blueston]

I have my complaints with Parayko’s game sometimes but as an actual person, he seems to be an amazing person.

I should note that Holloway gave my son a puck as well. Then Parayko did a couple min later so we gave the 2nd one to a kid that didn’t get one. But Parayko in particular was really seeking out each kid on the glass during warmups and giving them attention.

Love it. I remember Berube saying that Parayko is the guy you'd want your daughter to marry.

 

[ChicagoBlues]

Lame

 

[Eldon Reid]

I'm not one to overreact over two preseason games, but I think it's pretty clear we're going to lose every game this season.

So what's the hash tag for the 1st overall pick?

We had #suckhardforbedard and as we can tell that didn't work out.

 

[MissouriMook]

So what's the hash tag for the 1st overall pick?

We had #suckhardforbedard and as we can tell that didn't work out.

Don't forget #PlayLikeAWeenieForCelebrini

 

[Linkens Mastery]

So what's the hash tag for the 1st overall pick?

We had #suckhardforbedard and as we can tell that didn't work out.

#PlayLikeLamesForJames ??

 

[joe galiba]

#PlayLikeLamesForJames ??

james?

 

[Linkens Mastery]

james?

James Hagens

 

[Memento]

If we're getting a #1 overall pick, it better be in 2026 and "No-Winna-for-McKenna". Hagens seems like a very underwhelming #1 overall pick, much like Nugent-Hopkins. I get the feeling he'll have a solid, but not spectacular career.

 

[Bye Bye Blueston]

If we get 1OA I'd be tempted by Schaeffer.

 

[kimzey59]

So what's the hash tag for the 1st overall pick?

We had #suckhardforbedard and as we can tell that didn't work out.

Not even sure who the #1 is at this point.
There isn't much separating any of the top 9 at this point. It's the 2022 draft on steroids.

 

[ChicagoBlues]

#loozcuzblooz

 

[BlueSeal]

Preseason is just tryouts. They mean nothing to me.

Saying that, Utah's own goal was an epic omen. May The Yote Curse thrive well in Utah!

 

[TK 421]

It's a little early for 1st overall fantasies so let me throw some cold water on that right now.

Erik Johnson. A project who didn't switch full time to hockey until he was 16 years old that subsequently got outsmarted by a golf cart and later a headset that he himself accidentally dragged onto the ice. Dude is 0-2 against inanimate objects that we know of. Anyway that's what we did with our only 1st overall pick because Jarmo is dummo. Who the f*** is Tomas Kana anyway? You know?

 

[Linkens Mastery]

It's a little early for 1st overall fantasies so let me throw some cold water on that right now.

Erik Johnson. A project who didn't switch full time to hockey until he was 16 years old that subsequently got outsmarted by a golf cart and later a headset that he himself accidentally dragged onto the ice. Dude is 0-2 against inanimate objects that we know of. Anyway that's what we did with our only 1st overall pick because Jarmo is dummo. Who the f*** is Tomas Kana anyway? You know?

Wasn't EJ the unanimous pick to go 1st overall? I really don't think picking EJ 1st overall warrants calling anyone Dumb. It's real easy to look back 20 years later and say we probably should have picked someone else. But at the time the draft happened EJ was ranked #1 that draft.

 

[bleedblue1223]

EJ was the clear projected #1 that year, I was hoping we would've went with Toews though, although I understood the logic with Johnson. It would be somewhat interesting to wonder what we would've done in 2007 if we went with Toews, Staal, or Backstrom. I think it's more likely we go with a defenseman, and not Eller. Maybe we don't trade back and we fall in love with McDonagh, maybe we just draft Shattenkirk instead. Imagine a core of Toews/McDonagh/Pietrangelo, instead of Johnson/Eller/Pietrangelo.

Can't complain too much since we did get the Cup in 19 and Petro played a major part, but we certainly left a lot of value on the table in 06 and 07.

 

[TK 421]

Wasn't EJ the unanimous pick to go 1st overall? I really don't think picking EJ 1st overall warrants calling anyone Dumb. It's real easy to look back 20 years later and say we probably should have picked someone else. But at the time the draft happened EJ was ranked #1 that draft.

Yes he was largely held to be the 1st overall but it wasn't universal and there were preferences for both Backstrom and Toews expressed. These ended up being slam dunk picks while taking a defenseman that didn't start playing hockey in a dedicated manner until 16 years old should have been a red flag and obvious pass due to time it would take to develop him-If he even developed. Personally I wanted Backstrom but had you wanted Toews you also would have been making a shrewd pick. Taking EJ was a gamble that we lost and his other picks blew as well but this was the crucial pick and we blew it. Let me put this in perspective for you, he took our best draft position ever and returned NOTHING where we should have made at least one BIG gain and all we got was a project D that didn't pan and a couple of players that did next to nothing with our top 3 picks at 1st, 31st and 64th. It was a big fail no matter how you cut it and squandered what should have been a foundational piece being added at minimum. Edit- Just checked to be sure but it was 6 games from Tomas Kana and 4 games from Jonas Junland and that's it. The Blues whiffed on every pick from rounds 2-7 for a grand total of 10 games played from picks outside of round 1.

So yes, I mockingly called him dummo but I'm not Monday morning quarterbacking here. I held these opinions at the time of the draft in question and have even gone into detail regarding 2006 draftee Cal Clutterbuck and how I was certain he was going to be a solid pick. I was screaming from the hill tops that we needed to take him at 31st or 64th and it turns out that would have been a very solid investment as Clutterbuck has 1,064 games and counting which is 8th most in the entire draft class.

 

[MortiestOfMortys]

Yes he was largely held to be the 1st overall but it wasn't universal and there were preferences for both Backstrom and Toews expressed. These ended up being slam dunk picks while taking a defenseman that didn't start playing hockey in a dedicated manner until 16 years old should have been a red flag and obvious pass due to time it would take to develop him-If he even developed. Personally I wanted Backstrom but had you wanted Toews you also would have been making a shrewd pick. Taking EJ was a gamble that we lost and his other picks blew as well but this was the crucial pick and we blew it. Let me put this in perspective for you, he took our best draft position ever and returned NOTHING where we should have made at least one BIG gain and all we got was a project D that didn't pan and a couple of players that did next to nothing with our top 3 picks at 1st, 31st and 64th. It was a big fail no matter how you cut it and squandered what should have been a foundational piece being added at minimum. Edit- Just checked to be sure but it was 6 games from Tomas Kana and 4 games from Jonas Junland and that's it. The Blues whiffed on every pick from rounds 2-7 for a grand total of 10 games played from picks outside of round 1.

So yes, I mockingly called him dummo but I'm not Monday morning quarterbacking here. I held these opinions at the time of the draft in question and have even gone into detail regarding 2006 draftee Cal Clutterbuck and how I was certain he was going to be a solid pick. I was screaming from the hill tops that we needed to take him at 31st or 64th and it turns out that would have been a very solid investment as Clutterbuck has 1,064 games and counting which is 8th most in the entire draft class.

STL fans on this forum have always skewed positive on their assessment of Jarmo’s work here. But you’re right, he didn’t do a good job mostly. Took a ton of draft capital and turned it into a ton of 1st- and 2nd-round exits. His main weakness always seemed to be good international tourney performances. You look at guys like Kana, Wannstrom, etc who didn’t work out, and we usually took them because they had good WJC18 performances that far outpaced their actual regular season production. He took big gambles on upside, and it was rare that those swings worked out relative to the draft position.

The 2019 cup team was more of Bill Armstrong’s doing than Jarmo’s.

 

[bleedblue1223]

STL fans on this forum have always skewed positive on their assessment of Jarmo’s work here. But you’re right, he didn’t do a good job mostly. Took a ton of draft capital and turned it into a ton of 1st- and 2nd-round exits. His main weakness always seemed to be good international tourney performances. You look at guys like Kana, Wannstrom, etc who didn’t work out, and we usually took them because they had good WJC18 performances that far outpaced their actual regular season production. He took big gambles on upside, and it was rare that those swings worked out relative to the draft position.

The 2019 cup team was more of Bill Armstrong’s doing than Jarmo’s.

Jarmo drafted Petro, Schwartz, Tarasenko, Allen, and technically Perron. To downplay his role on the 2019 team is just silly.

I'd agree Bill was better, but the Cup team had Jarmo, Bill, and mostly Doug written all over it.

 

[Thallis]

STL fans on this forum have always skewed positive on their assessment of Jarmo’s work here. But you’re right, he didn’t do a good job mostly. Took a ton of draft capital and turned it into a ton of 1st- and 2nd-round exits. His main weakness always seemed to be good international tourney performances. You look at guys like Kana, Wannstrom, etc who didn’t work out, and we usually took them because they had good WJC18 performances that far outpaced their actual regular season production. He took big gambles on upside, and it was rare that those swings worked out relative to the draft position.

The 2019 cup team was more of Bill Armstrong’s doing than Jarmo’s.

I just can't agree with this when around half of the core were Jarmo picks almost 10 years after his departure. Jarmo obviously had more to work with (though there was also more time to move from his picks), but his picks in the top half of the lineup were Parayko, Binnington, and Dunn vs Pietrangelo, Schwartz, Tarasenko, & Perron.

 

[MortiestOfMortys]

I just can't agree with this when around half of the core were Jarmo picks almost 10 years after his departure. Jarmo obviously had more to work with (though there was also more time to move from his picks), but his picks in the top half of the lineup were Parayko, Binnington, and Dunn vs Pietrangelo, Schwartz, Tarasenko, & Perron.

Jarmo left after the 2010 season, so none of Parayko, Binnington, or Dunn were his picks. AFAIR he wasn’t at the draft table for the Schwartz/Tarasenko draft either, but he gets partial credit for being on the scouting department that year either way.

There were a lot of really deep drafts between 03-10, and he never had a single one without muffing a gimme pick. Shawn Belle at 30th overall in 03 set us back years, imo. He had 24 non-1st round top-100 picks in his tenure, and only hit on 4: Backes, Allen, Bishop, and Soderberg, who never played a game for us. 5 if you count Lehtera. That’s abysmal value for the draft positions he was gifted.

Edit: not to mention that if he drafted Cory Schneider instead of Marek Schwarz then we don’t have to waste assets on Halak or Ryan Miller. The goalie carousel of the mid-2000s - late teens gets avoided entirely.