Let's Go Blues

Hitchcock has said several times that he is pleased with Chris Stewarts play. His stats are only a part of the story, I'm wondering what role exactly does Hitch has him performing.

18tonytwist wrote:Ok...we are now 9 games in and still no further production.

Stewart's lack of production right now is tolerated...because it can be tolerated.
The team is winning and scoring goals at a nice clip, so they can afford to wait for Stewart to come around.
If they were shopping him, it also allows us to ask for a bit more because we don't have to move him right now.
But with his injury, he's not going anywhere for a while.

That is the upside. We all know he's streaky as hell. Possibly the streakiest player I've ever seen play for the Blues.

He's either scoring in bunches or 100% worthless.

The good news is that right now it doesn't matter that he isn't scoring. So he can save his hot streak for when we need it a little more.

How is it Ryan Reaves does more in less than 6 minutes of ice time than Stewart does with more than 15??

In a carry over question from last season, are Stewart's linemates scoring?? It seemed whenever Stewart did not score, none of his linemates did either and the linemates got demoted for it. (See Berglund) Seems to me if one jackass isn't working, which we have all seen from Stewart, shouldn't the jackass be sat or something??

theohall wrote:How is it Ryan Reaves does more in less than 6 minutes of ice time than Stewart does with more than 15??

In a carry over question from last season, are Stewart's linemates scoring?? It seemed whenever Stewart did not score, none of his linemates did either and the linemates got demoted for it. (See Berglund) Seems to me if one jackass isn't working, which we have all seen from Stewart, shouldn't the jackass be sat or something??

Reaves thrives on limited ice time. It allows him to use up all his energy in limited bursts. That isn't a knock. I love it. I just don't think he can sustain his intensity for 15 minutes a game. In fact, I know he can't. I saw him in the ECHL during the lockout. He agitated the whole time due to his mere presence as an NHLer, causing numerous fights. He had some nice goals and devastating hits. But it wasn't the same all out intensity I see in his 5 minutes in the NHL.

As for Stewart's linemates, he started the season with Roy and Morrow. They played on the 4th line a few nights ago with Reaves. This is also partly to make way for Paajarvi and Sobotka who have impressed. With Paajarvi hurt, Roy moved back up Tuesday. Roy has scored some on a line with Stewart, 3g, 4a. And at least one of Steen's goals came on a PP with Stewart screening. Overall, I don't think his linemates are doing well. That said, nobody on the Blues is scoring except for the top line and some early goals by Tarasenko. The top line has more goals than the entire rest of the team, and that is mostly Steen.

BlueNoteworthy wrote:

theohall wrote:How is it Ryan Reaves does more in less than 6 minutes of ice time than Stewart does with more than 15??

In a carry over question from last season, are Stewart's linemates scoring?? It seemed whenever Stewart did not score, none of his linemates did either and the linemates got demoted for it. (See Berglund) Seems to me if one jackass isn't working, which we have all seen from Stewart, shouldn't the jackass be sat or something??

Reaves thrives on limited ice time. It allows him to use up all his energy in limited bursts. That isn't a knock. I love it. I just don't think he can sustain his intensity for 15 minutes a game. In fact, I know he can't. I saw him in the ECHL during the lockout. He agitated the whole time due to his mere presence as an NHLer, causing numerous fights. He had some nice goals and devastating hits. But it wasn't the same all out intensity I see in his 5 minutes in the NHL.

As for Stewart's linemates, he started the season with Roy and Morrow. They played on the 4th line a few nights ago with Reaves. This is also partly to make way for Paajarvi and Sobotka who have impressed. With Paajarvi hurt, Roy moved back up Tuesday. Roy has scored some on a line with Stewart, 3g, 4a. And at least one of Steen's goals came on a PP with Stewart screening. Overall, I don't think his linemates are doing well. That said, nobody on the Blues is scoring except for the top line and some early goals by Tarasenko. The top line has more goals than the entire rest of the team, and that is mostly Steen.

Just keep watching... Stewart's linemates struggle over time. It was painfully obvious in the shortened season.

theohall wrote:

BlueNoteworthy wrote:

theohall wrote:How is it Ryan Reaves does more in less than 6 minutes of ice time than Stewart does with more than 15??

In a carry over question from last season, are Stewart's linemates scoring?? It seemed whenever Stewart did not score, none of his linemates did either and the linemates got demoted for it. (See Berglund) Seems to me if one jackass isn't working, which we have all seen from Stewart, shouldn't the jackass be sat or something??

Reaves thrives on limited ice time. It allows him to use up all his energy in limited bursts. That isn't a knock. I love it. I just don't think he can sustain his intensity for 15 minutes a game. In fact, I know he can't. I saw him in the ECHL during the lockout. He agitated the whole time due to his mere presence as an NHLer, causing numerous fights. He had some nice goals and devastating hits. But it wasn't the same all out intensity I see in his 5 minutes in the NHL.

As for Stewart's linemates, he started the season with Roy and Morrow. They played on the 4th line a few nights ago with Reaves. This is also partly to make way for Paajarvi and Sobotka who have impressed. With Paajarvi hurt, Roy moved back up Tuesday. Roy has scored some on a line with Stewart, 3g, 4a. And at least one of Steen's goals came on a PP with Stewart screening. Overall, I don't think his linemates are doing well. That said, nobody on the Blues is scoring except for the top line and some early goals by Tarasenko. The top line has more goals than the entire rest of the team, and that is mostly Steen.

Just keep watching... Stewart's linemates struggle over time. It was painfully obvious in the shortened season.

The thing is, if Stewart is screening and giving opportunities for others to score, isn't he helping out the team? When he drops gloves and fights, doesn't that help change the momentum abit for our guys? I hate Stewarts streakiness like everyone else, but for Crissake, the guy deserves some credit. He contributes by opening up opportunities which others have scored from and maybe that's Hitchcocks strategy with him because Hitchcock has said on more than one occasion this season how pleased he is with Stewarts performance. Not everything can be tallied by how many goals and assists a player gets, and if you can list a few things he's done that have opened up opportunities for our guys, then he's doing his job as a TEAM player.

That's the part of the argument I don't get. He's not being 'tolerated' as so many say if Hitch is speaking well of him. If he's being paid 4mish to be a setup guy or a guy that opens opportunities for us to score and win games and we do, what the hell is your argument?

The argument is that the Blues don't need more agitators, they need scorers. They have lots of agitators. The past several years, they agitated all the time. They just never had anyone who could score. Now Steener is putting the whole team on his back and carrying them. So they are winning because he is scoring like a champ. But none of us, not even Steen, thinks that is going to last. If he dries up and slumps, from where is the scoring going to come? Are we just going to hope Stewart gets streaky right when we need it? Never has before. If Blues win the cup, I don't think a single one of us will complain about the signing ever again. I know I'll gladly eat a big heaping pile of crow and ask for seconds. The Blues are a top team. But the Blues have been a top team before. And every time before, the scoring dries up and they fail utterly in the playoffs. The fans are getting sick of it. So looking at the team now, we see last years top goal scorer was signed for decent money not scoring goals, and really not even coming close. We see one guy with a career high of 24 goals scoring 30% of the team's goals. We are worried that history will repeat itself. We are hoping to see Stewart live up to his billing and skill set, which is more than just a goon who fights and screens pucks. If they hadn't wasted $8 million signing a 4th line center (where Roy was demoted too) and an agitator (Stewart), they could have made a real offer to a real goal scorer, signed an agitator for a mill and saved money.

So yes, right now the Blues are winning games. But they have been here and been winning before. Where they haven't been since their 3rd year of existence is the Stanley Cup finals. Everyone knows what they needed to get over that hump was scoring. So when one of the guys that was signed to do so doesn't even look like he's trying most of the time, we get worried.