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We definitely hope so.This guy has great stats in AHL. For his age and draft rank, he's looking like a steal. Yes or no?
appears that scout knew what he was talking aboutI wonder if there is a calculus there were you take a player with a late pick periodically just to reward the work from a scout. If I were a scout and you never picked a guy I recommended it would get demoralizing. A 7th rounder isn’t much cost to take a chance and show a guy you have confidence in his scouting.
Yes, absolutely.This guy has great stats in AHL. For his age and draft rank, he's looking like a steal. Yes or no?
Yep. Hitting in the 3rd round and later really really helps a team. 7th round? That’s extra tasty gravy.Goalies are completely unpredictable, but even if he’s “just” a quality AHL goalie, that’s still pretty valuable given the draft position. If he’s even more than that, which his numbers this season in his first year in North America suggest that he might be, that’s just gravy.
Noah Beck and Ivan Vorobyov haven't exactly been disappointing either. Still far to early to say for sure but the stats look pretty good on both of them.Yep. Hitting in the 3rd round and later really really helps a team. 7th round? That’s extra tasty gravy.
And the Blues appear to have likely hit in the 7th round 2 years in a row - 2018 with Tucker and 2019 with Zherenko.
Still waiting for Filip Helt and Nikolaj Krag-Christensen to blossom though…
Hard to say. He clearly has NHL talent but the difference between the 30th best goalie in the NHL and 70th best in an NHL org is not a lot. This season should tell a lot. But he’s big with fast reflexes. He absolutely has the makings of an NHL goalie so I’d bet on him more than some others that are currently #3 on their respective depth charts.Future backup for y'all or will he eventually end up back in Russia/Europe?
Definitely possible he ends up being the backup but I have a feeling he's going to end up playing elsewhere in the NHL as I don't see the team moving on quickly enough from Binnington to match Zherenko's timeline. He's been very impressive when I've seen him in action but he had a rocky season last year with an injury that kept him out for more than a month. This will be a big season for him.Future backup for y'all or will he eventually end up back in Russia/Europe?
I agree with this. He definitely has NHL upside and should probably get a chance at some point, barring injuries it will be a tough path for him in STL as they seem pretty content with the Binner/Hofer pairing for the foreseeable future. Binny I guess could be moved in a couple years towards the end of his deal if Hofer make some big strides and is the real deal. My bet is Zherenko ends up getting moved at some point but he is third in line at the moment, if there was an injury to Binner/Hofer he would be the guy called up and would see action.Definitely possible he ends up being the backup but I have a feeling he's going to end up playing elsewhere in the NHL as I don't see the team moving on quickly enough from Binnington to match Zherenko's timeline. He's been very impressive when I've seen him in action but he had a rocky season last year with an injury that kept him out for more than a month. This will be a big season for him.
I'd just like to add on his season last year that he had a .937sv% pre-injury and was dominating the majority of the time. So it's really unfortunate he had the injury issues as he's really close to taking the next step to the NHL.Definitely possible he ends up being the backup but I have a feeling he's going to end up playing elsewhere in the NHL as I don't see the team moving on quickly enough from Binnington to match Zherenko's timeline. He's been very impressive when I've seen him in action but he had a rocky season last year with an injury that kept him out for more than a month. This will be a big season for him.
I only ever saw that it was a "lower body injury" but I believe it was ankle/foot related.What exactly was Zherenko’s injury?
I tend to favor goaltenders like Hofer who are rocks positionally and being massive between the pipes doesn't hurt. It's not as flashy and doesn't create as many highlight-reel saves but I gravitate towards goalies like that because that was my play style as a bigger keeper. Zherenko is more athletic but lacks the polish that Hofer has shown. If Z can tighten up that portion of his game, there's no reason he can't have success in the NHL. He's shown flashes of star potential at times in viewings I've had, including some of his preseason performances with the Blues. I wouldn't be surprised in the least to see him get the nod as an AHL All-Star keeper this season.I'd just like to add on his season last year that he had a .937sv% pre-injury and was dominating the majority of the time. So it's really unfortunate he had the injury issues as he's really close to taking the next step to the NHL.
I'm in the camp that feels he has the highest upside of all the goalies in the organization, even more than Hofer who I like very much. While I would love to see him in the NHL this year I think it's a great situation for him to get #1 minutes in Springfield and be ready as the call up if need be. I also hope Colten Ellis continues his growth this year and pushes for time as well, as he seemed to really turn the corner in his development about half way through the season last year (kind of reminds me of what happened with Binnington in his development).
I feel like I had read that it was a high ankle sprain but haven't been able to find confirmation of that. Ankle sprains can be season-killers for goalies.What exactly was Zherenko’s injury?
Not great from what I've seen.Out of curiosity, how would people rate his puck handling?
Yeah I definitely agree. I'm a big fan of Hofer and compare his upside to Hellebuyck actually.I tend to favor goaltenders like Hofer who are rocks positionally and being massive between the pipes doesn't hurt. It's not as flashy and doesn't create as many highlight-reel saves but I gravitate towards goalies like that because that was my play style as a bigger keeper. Zherenko is more athletic but lacks the polish that Hofer has shown. If Z can tighten up that portion of his game, there's no reason he can't have success in the NHL. He's shown flashes of star potential at times in viewings I've had, including some of his preseason performances with the Blues. I wouldn't be surprised in the least to see him get the nod as an AHL All-Star keeper this season.
Hofer's mental game is off the charts. He's unflappable, so I have a ton of faith in his ability to withstand the psychological rigors that NHL goalies have to go through, but I do recognize the possibility that Zherenko ends up being an NHL starter as well. Unfortunately we're in a position where we have two good goalies at the pro level in Binnington and Hofer and may run out of time to find Z a spot.
Ellis was a major surprise this past season. I'm interested to see how his development continues this year because I had all but written him off.
Our goaltending pipeline is in fantastic shape right now.
I feel like I had read that it was a high ankle sprain but haven't been able to find confirmation of that. Ankle sprains can be season-killers for goalies.
High ankle sprains are killer, especially for goalies. So if the real Zherenko is the one that put up a .937 SV% pre-injury then maybe he really breaks out this season.I feel like I had read that it was a high ankle sprain but haven't been able to find confirmation of that. Ankle sprains can be season-killers for goalies.