Rumor: Sobotka to return to St.Louis per his agent

[PatrikOverAuston]

I still hold out hope that Lehtera + Shattenkirk + for Nugent-Hopkins gets done, even if Shatty doesn't want to sign in the West right at this moment. RNH-Stastny-Sobotka-Brodziak is a nice center group for St. Louis and I think the Oilers can, with the new barn, convince Shattenkirk to stay long-term.

 

[wintersej]

I still hold out hope that Lehtera + Shattenkirk + for Nugent-Hopkins gets done, even if Shatty doesn't want to sign in the West right at this moment. RNH-Stastny-Sobotka-Brodziak is a nice center group for St. Louis and I think the Oilers can, with the new barn, convince Shattenkirk to stay long-term.

Thats such a huge risk for Chia, after already messing up Seguin and making a risky move with Hall. Easy for you to say that with no real skin in the game, but if Chia moves out Hall + RNH and ends up with Lehtera + Larsson (after already destroying Boston's cap and messing up the Seguin deal) he wont have a GM job again.

 

[PatrikOverAuston]

Thats such a huge risk for Chia, after already messing up Seguin and making a risky move with Hall. Easy for you to say that with no real skin in the game, but if Chia moves out Hall + RNH and ends up with Lehtera + Larsson (after already destroying Boston's cap and messing up the Seguin deal) he wont have a GM job again.

I don't think Chiarelli has to worry about his long-term employment prospects, but yes, it's a massive risk. However, how good does he look if the basement feeder he walked into two years ago makes the playoffs in only his second season at the helm? That's a career-maker right there, if the Cup wasn't already enough.

 

[izzy]

I like how people keep referring to Tarasenko as nicknames that he specifically requested not to be called.

Oh well, that's how people refer to him on the boards.

He can't just be Vladdy with Sobotka coming back

 

[izzy]

He's been underwhelming thus far, particularly after flying out of the gate when he first got here.

The issue is that he signed a substantial extension (to start this fall) after his first season. It was obviously based on the presumption that he'd improve. Instead he got worse.

In year one he put up 14g-44p. In year two dropped to 9g-34p. If he can produce like he did in his first year his new deal will be... OK. If he can improve and be a 50-60p player then it'll be a really solid contract. If he just repeats what he did last year then it'll be a disaster.

The fact that his production pace in his first two years is almost identical to what Sobotka did in his last two years with the Blues is really disconcerting. Lehtera is fine defensively, but he's not close to Sobotka in that regard, and he was supposed to be a guy who could step into our Top 6 in a way that Sobotka never really could. So far that hasn't been the case.

You can see the offensive potential when watching him, but it hasn't translated outside of a good couple months when he first got here. He had offseason surgery last summer, which likely hurt his conditioning, so hopefully he can rebound this year.

Tarasenko likes playing with him and he is underrated defensively and covers for a lot of Tanks mistakes. His output this year was really disappointing, but I still like having him around.

 

[wintersej]

I don't think Chiarelli has to worry about his long-term employment prospects, but yes, it's a massive risk. However, how good does he look if the basement feeder he walked into two years ago makes the playoffs in only his second season at the helm? That's a career-maker right there, if the Cup wasn't already enough.

Buddy, if you walked into a team with McDavid you would have done just as well.

 

[Sushiko]

Oh well, that's how people refer to him on the boards.

He can't just be Vladdy with Sobotka coming back

Oh doncha know he was a member here planning on participating until he saw a couple members calling him tank? He got pissed and demanded his account be deleted now he hates us.

 

[Brendonhayden]

I like how people keep referring to Tarasenko as nicknames that he specifically requested not to be called.

Because tarasenko does not come on this site

 

[WalterSobchak]

OT: The reason I don't like Lehtera is because on a line with Tarasenko and Schwartz, he makes the line worse. He floats from time to time and Tarasenko will follow suit. Meanwhile when Sobotka was centering Tarasenko and Schwartz, Sobotka is a machine and never quits on a play and with Schwartz being a similar machine, Tarasenko was forced to follow suit.

I hate how Hitchcock treats Lehtera/Tarasenko as if they were the goddamned Sedins. They aren't. and I want a better center for Tarasenko. That center isn't Sobotka but it isn't Lehtera either.

That said, once Sobotka is at training camp, then I'll concern myself with whether or not he is coming back.