offseason so far

Discuss the St. Louis Blues, the NHL, or anything hockey. (Formerly the Blues News Forum)

Moderator: LGB Mods

User avatar
gaijin
Hall Of Fame
Hall Of Fame
Posts: 4820
Joined: Mon Feb 24, 2003 7:46 pm
Location: Peterson AFB, CO

Re: offseason so far

Post by gaijin »

A little update on Hitch's plans for next season:
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/hockey/p ... 0a65f.html
Jeremy Rutherford wrote:In the summer before his final season behind the Blues’ bench, Ken Hitchcock is changing nothing about his routine. He calls August “scheming and dreaming time for coaches,” so while he relaxes in Western Canada, his mind is starting to wander.

“You’re imagining line combinations, all types of stuff,” Hitchcock said.

Back in St. Louis, there is some fear among the Blues’ fans about how those combos will look given that David Backes and Troy Brouwer are gone. Their free-agent departures to Boston and Calgary, respectively, will subtract 356 career regular-season goals and 1,340 games. Also, without the 32-year-old Backes and 30-year-old Brouwer, the average age of the forwards drops to 26.7 years, and it’s even younger among the top nine (25.9).

Hitchcock admitted having some concern about growing playoff beards with peach fuzz this season. But while walking a golf course in Kelowna, British Columbia, it was a Blues’ rival of all people who helped convince the coach that his team should be fine.

“Out here is ‘Chicago country’ because quite a few Chicago players summer out here, and I ran into a couple of guys on the golf course,” Hitchcock said. “It was a short conversation, but one guy said something that really tweaked me. He said, ‘You guys are a veteran team.’ It never hit me until I started driving home, like that ah-ha moment, where I thought, ‘You know what, he’s right, we’re a young team, but we’re a young team only in age, not in experience.’”

The average age of the Blues’ entire roster, including defensemen and goaltenders, is 26.9 years, but the average number of NHL games per player is 354.6. Defenseman Jay Bouweester (990 games) and forwards Kyle Brodziak (697) and Scottie Upshall (623) raise that total, but core players such as Alex Pietrangelo (459), Vladimir Tarasenko (259) and Jaden Schwartz (240) cannot be classified as newbies.

“We’ve got experienced players who are just hitting their prime now,” Hitchcock said. “We have a lot of guys that started young and we’ve grown them into the group. We are a veteran team that has a chance to get even better because they’re just starting to reach maturity.”

Hitchcock has been scheming and dreaming about the possibilities. He foresees a couple of significant issues with the loss of Backes and Brouwer but found some positives in the flexibility he’ll have with his forwards. He also believes that while the Blues will be forced to play a different style with a smaller lineup, the arrival of ‘coach in waiting’ Mike Yeo and fellow assistant Rick Wilson is well-timed because of the success they had with an undersized group in Minnesota.

First, the potential problems.

“Backes and Brouwer played a lot of minutes at the end of games, and we’re going to have to find out in exhibition games who can do those things,” Hitchcock said. “And how are we going to structure our power play to make it just as effective as it’s been the last four years? We’ll probably have to adopt a little bit of strategies from a couple of other teams, but we’ve got a lot of really experienced guys that know how to play the game.”

Two veterans who will probably log that key ice time are Alexander Steen and Paul Stastny, whom Hitchcock plans to play on a line with Tarasenko.

“We have a chance to load up the line, so when everybody is back (healthy), we will probably want to look at that combination,” Hitchcock said. “The great chemistry that Schwartz and (Vladimir) Sobotka have allows us to do that. The parts here have a chance to be real interchangeable because we’ve got a lot of guys that can play up and down. We’ve got so many options on how we’re going to build our lineup.”

That lineup will have only one way to play — tenaciously — and the influence of the ex-Wild coaches is expected to help that transition.

“This is the first time in five years that there’s going to be a significant change in a part of the system that we play,” Hitchcock said. “We’re able to cherry-pick what Minny did. Their team was built the same way that our team is going to be built this year, not really big on size, but a bunch of puck-hunters.”

Specifically, the Blues want to create more turnovers in the neutral zone. That’s where they struggled against Minnesota in the past, because they couldn’t figure out the “reads,” but Yeo and Wilson have passed that information along.

“They gave us fits and we wanted to know how they did it, so they explained it to us in detail and it fit our personnel perfectly, so we’re putting it in,” Hitchcock said. “It’s going to be a change, but the change is going to be good for the way we’re built.”

So don’t count Hitchcock among those worried about how the offseason has weakened the Blues. And you can thank a Blackhawk for opening his eyes.

“We have experienced players who have a lot of growth still in them and that part is exciting,” he said. “Everybody is good in the Central (Division), everybody. But who’s going to get better? Well, I look at us and we’ve got a real chance to get better because we’re not bringing in a bunch of first-year players and seeing if they can play. After talking to that (Chicago) guy, you know what, we’re in a great spot. There’s a lot of improving race horses on our team, and it’s our job as a coaching staff to get it out.”
So essentially the plan for the 2017 Blues is to become the 2015 Minnesota Wild. Not sure how I feel about this, but it doesn't really instill me with a whole lot of confidence. Sounds like Hitch wants to be Yeo and Yeo wants to be Yeo with us. :?
Image

ecbm
All-Star
All-Star
Posts: 1327
Joined: Thu Jul 11, 2013 9:42 am

Re: offseason so far

Post by ecbm »

“You’re imagining line combinations, all types of stuff,” Hitchcock said.
Hitchcock...found some positives in the flexibility he’ll have with his forwards.
Ah. So it's that time again. Hockey season, when Hitchcock shows that after X years, he still has no idea what any of his ideal line combos are, and some journalists will try to convince me that that's a good thing. :roll:
Mike Yeo and fellow assistant Rick Wilson...success they had with an undersized group in Minnesota
They didn't have what I'd call success. In five seasons, Yeo's Wild missed the playoffs once and won two post season series.
Specifically, the Blues want to create more turnovers in the neutral zone. That’s where they struggled against Minnesota in the past, because they couldn’t figure out the “reads,” but Yeo and Wilson have passed that information along.
Struggle? The Blues went 14-8-1 against Mike Yeo's Wild. And unless he was impersonating Devan Dubnyk in that playoff series, he's not responsible for that either.

A lot of mentions of Chicago in that piece. Um, why don't we imitate them? Just a thought...

User avatar
Toasted Oates
1st Line Sniper
1st Line Sniper
Posts: 658
Joined: Sat Apr 18, 2009 3:59 pm

Re: offseason so far

Post by Toasted Oates »

Classic pom pom puff piece from Jeremy & Ken. They probably shared a malt with 2 straws before going their separate ways.

Enough about Sobotka. He does not cure what ails this team.
2016-2017 LGB sponsor of your boy, goaltender Jake Allen and a center for Vladi Tarasenko (UPDATE: FOUND! Ryan O' Reilly. July 1, 2018).
2017-2018 LGB sponsor of a damn fine rearguard, Capt. Alex Pietrangelo.
2018-2019 LGB sponsor of the 2nd greatest Joel in Blues history, #6 Joel "Eddy" Edmundson.

ecbm
All-Star
All-Star
Posts: 1327
Joined: Thu Jul 11, 2013 9:42 am

Re: offseason so far

Post by ecbm »

Toasted Oates wrote:Enough about Sobotka. He does not cure what ails this team.
As much as I like the guy: absolutely. And, you know-there's the sticky little thing where it's mid-August and he's not actually signed in any case.

User avatar
WaukeeBlues
Hockey God
Hockey God
Posts: 6164
Joined: Sun Apr 08, 2007 3:00 pm
Location: Phi Alpha

Re: offseason so far

Post by WaukeeBlues »

Overall, the Blues took a step back this offseason, no question. But almost every cap team also did. The mantra for those other teams are the same as it is for us: finding cheap depth within the organization, young guys stepping up and some veterans over-achieving.

We desperately need Perron to get over 20 goals this season. That will drastically help soften the blow of losing Backes and Brouwer from the production standpoint. From the grit standpoint we bring back our entire 4th line, which (IMO) performed magnificently in the playoffs last season and Sobotka could help that too. Grit is cheap though.

Looking to see a kid or two make the roster on the offensive side of the puck in camp. This team has no other choice really.
Official 2021-2022 LGB Sponsor of Torey Krug
Official 2021 LGB Sponsor of Brayden Schenn
Official 2018-2019 LGB Sponsor of Jaden Schwartz
2018 LGB Playoff Challenge Champ
Official 2017-2018 LGB Sponsor of Vladimir Tarasenko
Official 2016-2017 LGB Sponsor of Scottie Upshall
Official 2015-2016 LGB Sponsor of Kevin Shattenkirk

glen a richter
Hockey God
Hockey God
Posts: 11471
Joined: Thu Feb 20, 2003 8:02 am
Location: Long Island, NY

Re: offseason so far

Post by glen a richter »

Rattie and Barbashev have the best shot at making the team, Maceachern with an outside chance I'd say.
Sponsor of Joel "Future" HOFer 2023-2024

tjk002
2nd Line Scorer
2nd Line Scorer
Posts: 283
Joined: Fri Feb 21, 2003 1:32 pm
Location: Section 315, Row 1

Re: offseason so far

Post by tjk002 »

Any ideas on who the Avs will target to take over the head coaching job?

User avatar
theohall
Hockey God
Hockey God
Posts: 9239
Joined: Thu Feb 20, 2003 9:49 pm
Location: Jacksonville, FL

Re: offseason so far

Post by theohall »

NHL Radio is doing the Blues preview tomorrow at 3PM CT. Going to attempt to record it and find a way to share. Practice recording went fine today.

Armstrong will be on the show. Last season he surprised them on this same preview show by bringing up Parayko as the player who would have a strong impact. Maybe he has another secret weapon to reveal.
Official LGB sponsor of Robert Thomas 2022-2023 Season

User avatar
cprice12
Site Admin
Site Admin
Posts: 21530
Joined: Thu Feb 20, 2003 1:26 am
Location: Center Ice
Contact:

Re: offseason so far

Post by cprice12 »

gaijin wrote:A little update on Hitch's plans for next season:
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/hockey/p ... 0a65f.html
Jeremy Rutherford wrote:In the summer before his final season behind the Blues’ bench, Ken Hitchcock is changing nothing about his routine. He calls August “scheming and dreaming time for coaches,” so while he relaxes in Western Canada, his mind is starting to wander.

“You’re imagining line combinations, all types of stuff,” Hitchcock said.

Back in St. Louis, there is some fear among the Blues’ fans about how those combos will look given that David Backes and Troy Brouwer are gone. Their free-agent departures to Boston and Calgary, respectively, will subtract 356 career regular-season goals and 1,340 games. Also, without the 32-year-old Backes and 30-year-old Brouwer, the average age of the forwards drops to 26.7 years, and it’s even younger among the top nine (25.9).

Hitchcock admitted having some concern about growing playoff beards with peach fuzz this season. But while walking a golf course in Kelowna, British Columbia, it was a Blues’ rival of all people who helped convince the coach that his team should be fine.

“Out here is ‘Chicago country’ because quite a few Chicago players summer out here, and I ran into a couple of guys on the golf course,” Hitchcock said. “It was a short conversation, but one guy said something that really tweaked me. He said, ‘You guys are a veteran team.’ It never hit me until I started driving home, like that ah-ha moment, where I thought, ‘You know what, he’s right, we’re a young team, but we’re a young team only in age, not in experience.’”

The average age of the Blues’ entire roster, including defensemen and goaltenders, is 26.9 years, but the average number of NHL games per player is 354.6. Defenseman Jay Bouweester (990 games) and forwards Kyle Brodziak (697) and Scottie Upshall (623) raise that total, but core players such as Alex Pietrangelo (459), Vladimir Tarasenko (259) and Jaden Schwartz (240) cannot be classified as newbies.

“We’ve got experienced players who are just hitting their prime now,” Hitchcock said. “We have a lot of guys that started young and we’ve grown them into the group. We are a veteran team that has a chance to get even better because they’re just starting to reach maturity.”

Hitchcock has been scheming and dreaming about the possibilities. He foresees a couple of significant issues with the loss of Backes and Brouwer but found some positives in the flexibility he’ll have with his forwards. He also believes that while the Blues will be forced to play a different style with a smaller lineup, the arrival of ‘coach in waiting’ Mike Yeo and fellow assistant Rick Wilson is well-timed because of the success they had with an undersized group in Minnesota.

First, the potential problems.

“Backes and Brouwer played a lot of minutes at the end of games, and we’re going to have to find out in exhibition games who can do those things,” Hitchcock said. “And how are we going to structure our power play to make it just as effective as it’s been the last four years? We’ll probably have to adopt a little bit of strategies from a couple of other teams, but we’ve got a lot of really experienced guys that know how to play the game.”

Two veterans who will probably log that key ice time are Alexander Steen and Paul Stastny, whom Hitchcock plans to play on a line with Tarasenko.

“We have a chance to load up the line, so when everybody is back (healthy), we will probably want to look at that combination,” Hitchcock said. “The great chemistry that Schwartz and (Vladimir) Sobotka have allows us to do that. The parts here have a chance to be real interchangeable because we’ve got a lot of guys that can play up and down. We’ve got so many options on how we’re going to build our lineup.”

That lineup will have only one way to play — tenaciously — and the influence of the ex-Wild coaches is expected to help that transition.

“This is the first time in five years that there’s going to be a significant change in a part of the system that we play,” Hitchcock said. “We’re able to cherry-pick what Minny did. Their team was built the same way that our team is going to be built this year, not really big on size, but a bunch of puck-hunters.”

Specifically, the Blues want to create more turnovers in the neutral zone. That’s where they struggled against Minnesota in the past, because they couldn’t figure out the “reads,” but Yeo and Wilson have passed that information along.

“They gave us fits and we wanted to know how they did it, so they explained it to us in detail and it fit our personnel perfectly, so we’re putting it in,” Hitchcock said. “It’s going to be a change, but the change is going to be good for the way we’re built.”

So don’t count Hitchcock among those worried about how the offseason has weakened the Blues. And you can thank a Blackhawk for opening his eyes.

“We have experienced players who have a lot of growth still in them and that part is exciting,” he said. “Everybody is good in the Central (Division), everybody. But who’s going to get better? Well, I look at us and we’ve got a real chance to get better because we’re not bringing in a bunch of first-year players and seeing if they can play. After talking to that (Chicago) guy, you know what, we’re in a great spot. There’s a lot of improving race horses on our team, and it’s our job as a coaching staff to get it out.”
So essentially the plan for the 2017 Blues is to become the 2015 Minnesota Wild. Not sure how I feel about this, but it doesn't really instill me with a whole lot of confidence. Sounds like Hitch wants to be Yeo and Yeo wants to be Yeo with us. :?
What annoys me to no end about Hitchcock and his offseason comments about the team are his apparent epiphanies that are just (Franking) common sense shit. It's like, really? It "just hit you" that we are young only in age and not in experience? What the hell? You weren't aware of that already?
It's like last year when it took him weeks to come up with the gem, "we need to be faster and more reckless".
Jesus. You think? That was something you should have come up with between the 1st and 2nd period of game 1 vs. the Wild a couple years ago.
I hope it's just fluff bullshit for the media and that crap isn't really true...because if it's true, it's pathetic.
LETS GO BLUES RADIO
LIVE weekly broadcasts on YouTube & http://www.LetsGoBlues.com/radio!
Twitter: https://twitter.com/curtprice
Lets Go Blues Radio Twitter: https://twitter.com/lgbradio
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cprice12/
Lets Go Blues Radio Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lgbradio/

User avatar
gaijin
Hall Of Fame
Hall Of Fame
Posts: 4820
Joined: Mon Feb 24, 2003 7:46 pm
Location: Peterson AFB, CO

Re: offseason so far

Post by gaijin »

cprice12 wrote: I hope it's just fluff bullshit for the media and that crap isn't really true...because if it's true, it's pathetic.
What is true is that we've lost Backes, Elliott and Brouwer and brought in Perron.

And maybe Sobotka.

:cup:
Image

User avatar
theohall
Hockey God
Hockey God
Posts: 9239
Joined: Thu Feb 20, 2003 9:49 pm
Location: Jacksonville, FL

Re: offseason so far

Post by theohall »

All Sobotka has to do is report, because the contract is a foregone conclusion when/if he reports. He's obligated to play under the one year arbitration deal awarded back in 2014.

As of August 4th, Armstrong was "finalizing paperwork" to bring Sobotka back.
Official LGB sponsor of Robert Thomas 2022-2023 Season

glen a richter
Hockey God
Hockey God
Posts: 11471
Joined: Thu Feb 20, 2003 8:02 am
Location: Long Island, NY

Re: offseason so far

Post by glen a richter »

They're bringing in TJ Galiardi on a PTO. I checked in on his stats because I was sure that he'd had a fairly decent career thus far. Nope, a steaming load of shit.
Sponsor of Joel "Future" HOFer 2023-2024

User avatar
Krigloch the Furious
All-Star
All-Star
Posts: 1753
Joined: Sat Aug 06, 2005 12:58 pm
Location: Springfield, IL

Re: offseason so far

Post by Krigloch the Furious »

Super low expectations this year *sigh*

Sent from my R2 unit

ecbm
All-Star
All-Star
Posts: 1327
Joined: Thu Jul 11, 2013 9:42 am

Re: offseason so far

Post by ecbm »

theohall wrote:All Sobotka has to do is report, because the contract is a foregone conclusion when/if he reports. He's obligated to play under the one year arbitration deal awarded back in 2014.

As of August 4th, Armstrong was "finalizing paperwork" to bring Sobotka back.
I get that but it just seems like there's a weird disconnect where the brass brings him up in every discussion of their plans this season while he's dragging his heels. I'm less than convinced that Sobotka wants to play for this club at all, which probably doesn't bode well.

User avatar
theohall
Hockey God
Hockey God
Posts: 9239
Joined: Thu Feb 20, 2003 9:49 pm
Location: Jacksonville, FL

Re: offseason so far

Post by theohall »

NHL Radio preview summary (don't have time post the audio). This is me summarizing what they said, not my own opinion.
Armstrong Interview wrote:Not finishing Chicago and Dallas at home when the could have likely impacted effort level vs San Jose.

New player this season would have been Fabbri. Expectations are for Rattie and Jaskin to step up.

Perron is replacing Brouwer's scoring.

Not re-signing Backes and Brouwer was about salary cap and term.

Hitchcock prefers keeping pairs that work well together, not necessarily establishing lines. (This was the only new thing I hadn't heard before.)

PP and PK success were due to Muller and Shaw, respectively, both who are on cusp of being head coaches. Then the players for executing the system.
Stats packs
Stats Packs segment wrote:GF 15th
GA 4th
Diff +22
PP 6th
PK 3rd
Power Index 106.6

Shattenkirk 26 PP points
Backes 8 PPG, Brouwer 7 PPG (who replaces this which comes up later?)

Pietrangelo one of best under-valued defenseman in league.

The usual on Tarasenko. Can he hit 50 goals?

Do Blues have a weakness? No, they are good at everything. Are they great at anything and good enough at everything to take on the big teams? Yes, beating Dallas and Chicago in playoffs last season shows this.

Best team in NHL in 1 goal games last season (38 games). Is this good or bad? Only 4 regulation losses.

Additions/Subtractions
Out - Backes, Brouwer, Elliott, Ott, Asst coaches Muller and Shaw
In - Perron, Carter Hutton, TJ Gallardi (PTO), Asst Coach Yeo

(Yes, they missed a few on the "In" section)
5 Burning Questions Segment wrote:1) With Backes (21) and Brouwer (18) out, other than Tarasenko, leading goal scorer was Fabbri (18). Where is the scoring depth at forward after Tarasenko? Perron essentially replacing Brouwer. Don't need to be great at scoring because they keep the puck out of their own net. Schwartz missing most of the year is a 20+ goal guy who has potential to hit 30. Steen can still score and is also a 20 goal guy in a full season. The over-paid Stastny needs to score more.

2) Who is next captain? Pietrangelo. Steen mentioned, but it's Pietrangelo. Or Tarasenko. Were Tarasenko North American, he'd be wearing the C already, being the best player on the team. Is Tarasenko interested in being the leader, though?

3) What do we expect from Jake Allen? More starts, good starting goalie numbers. Might be best fantasy goalie on market based on value. Only 89 starts in league. Context sets up Allen as the starter, period, with Hutton as the backup. Goalies always have success playing in St Louis, which should continue. Needs to stay healthy.

4) Do we believe in current Blues coaching arrangement? They don't get it and don't like it. Did it have to be done this way? Who do players listen to knowing Hitchcock will be gone in a year and Yeo is replacing him? Does Yeo cast a shadow given the situation? Awkward situation created by management so who know how this plays out. Surprised they didn't make Muller head coach.

5) Do you consider Blues favorites to win the Central? No, because there are too many teams that could win the Central given how good all the teams are in the division. Dallas Stars are a slight favorite if they can get good goaltending, but St Louis, Chicago are both right there as contenders. Will Blues long playoff run affect them this season as it has affected some other teams? Don't expect it given the team's youth.

Bottom line - Blues are a playoff team. Not really concerned about the defections, because they are a young team getting younger which always seems to find replacements from their system.
So the same questions we've had:
1) Who replaces the scoring of Backes and Brouwer?
2) Will Jake Allen perform well as the starter?
3) What the heck was management thinking with the Hitchcock/Yeo coach-in-waiting thing and how will that impact the team?
4) Who is the next Captain?

I agree on their assessment about scoring. Schwartz healthy could score 30. Steen should get 20. Stastny needs to earn his damn paycheck and score more than 10 friggin' goals. Perron should replace Brouwer's scoring at a minimum. Fabbri should improve on his 18.

No significant mention of the defense other than the Blues keep the puck out of their net which is why Allen should be fine as the hands-down starter.

That comment about Hitchcock and pairs. He doesn't worry about line combinations, but instead tries to find the best sets of pairs who work well that he can attempt to keep together. Then the 3rd line member is support for the pair. Interesting theory.

They did mention Gallardi in the hour before the preview. Said he's a good skater, but the only time he was effective or can be is as a top 6 forward. My comment -considering that only happened once in his career and who the Blues have among their top 9, don't expect him to be making the team.
Official LGB sponsor of Robert Thomas 2022-2023 Season

User avatar
Toasted Oates
1st Line Sniper
1st Line Sniper
Posts: 658
Joined: Sat Apr 18, 2009 3:59 pm

Re: offseason so far

Post by Toasted Oates »

ecbm wrote:
theohall wrote:All Sobotka has to do is report, because the contract is a foregone conclusion when/if he reports. He's obligated to play under the one year arbitration deal awarded back in 2014.

As of August 4th, Armstrong was "finalizing paperwork" to bring Sobotka back.
I get that but it just seems like there's a weird disconnect where the brass brings him up in every discussion of their plans this season while he's dragging his heels. I'm less than convinced that Sobotka wants to play for this club at all, which probably doesn't bode well.
https://twitter.com/Siberian91Tiger/status/766242658239057920
2016-2017 LGB sponsor of your boy, goaltender Jake Allen and a center for Vladi Tarasenko (UPDATE: FOUND! Ryan O' Reilly. July 1, 2018).
2017-2018 LGB sponsor of a damn fine rearguard, Capt. Alex Pietrangelo.
2018-2019 LGB sponsor of the 2nd greatest Joel in Blues history, #6 Joel "Eddy" Edmundson.

ecbm
All-Star
All-Star
Posts: 1327
Joined: Thu Jul 11, 2013 9:42 am

Re: offseason so far

Post by ecbm »

PP and PK success were due to Muller and Shaw, respectively, both who are on cusp of being head coaches. Then the players for executing the system.
Well that doesn't bode well, does it?
Don't need to be great at scoring because they keep the puck out of their own net.
OK, while I agree in general on the scoring-more on that in a second-I hate this mindset. It's very regular season. You can approach games like this when a.) you're playing an 82-game season and b.) you're seeing a lot of Columbus, Colorado, Calgary, Edmonton, Buffalo and Carolina. As we all know from watching this team's struggles again and again, you need an offensive system that can manufacture chances and goals once you get to the higher-quality competition of the playoffs and the attendant smaller margin of error. Obviously?
Do we believe in current Blues coaching arrangement?
I'd like to see Armstrong asked what good can possibly come of this arrangement. I mean, they're reinventing the wheel when it comes to coaching hires...so they can make sure to land the just-fired Mike Yeo? The guy about whom the dialog had become: "well, gee, Chuck Fletcher is hella loyal to stick with Yeo presiding over this steaming pile of shit on the ice." I see no reason to have done it, leaving alone that I don't have any confidence that it will lead to success. It's like they want to ensure this team plays Hitchcock's style with minor tweaks for the foreseeable future, which is bullshit.
theohall wrote:I agree on their assessment about scoring.
I do too. Backes and Brouwer had 39 goals and 84 points last regular season; Perron and a full season of Schwartz almost certainly replace if not surpass that. Playoff production is another question but being fair-Backes and Brouwer had their first productive post-seasons last term and are not locks to repeat that. What I see as more of a problem is the lost physicality. As I keep pointing out-the Blues' current set of forwards is, for example, far less physical than the Penguins. As in, hundreds fewer hits per season. I just wonder how such a team is going to play under Hitchcock. I can see that going all wrong and leading, for example, to Hitch giving 3rd/4th line players more minutes than he should.
Toasted Oates wrote:
ecbm wrote:
theohall wrote:All Sobotka has to do is report, because the contract is a foregone conclusion when/if he reports. He's obligated to play under the one year arbitration deal awarded back in 2014.

As of August 4th, Armstrong was "finalizing paperwork" to bring Sobotka back.
I get that but it just seems like there's a weird disconnect where the brass brings him up in every discussion of their plans this season while he's dragging his heels. I'm less than convinced that Sobotka wants to play for this club at all, which probably doesn't bode well.
https://twitter.com/Siberian91Tiger/status/766242658239057920
Honestly not surprised. He seems to have no enthusiasm for playing here; more like he saw it as a backup option. We'll see.

User avatar
theohall
Hockey God
Hockey God
Posts: 9239
Joined: Thu Feb 20, 2003 9:49 pm
Location: Jacksonville, FL

Re: offseason so far

Post by theohall »

So I guess it's time to sign Jiri Hudler and make Fabbri or Schwartz's move to Center official.
Official LGB sponsor of Robert Thomas 2022-2023 Season

User avatar
gaijin
Hall Of Fame
Hall Of Fame
Posts: 4820
Joined: Mon Feb 24, 2003 7:46 pm
Location: Peterson AFB, CO

Re: offseason so far

Post by gaijin »

Well, I guess Sobotka and Schwartz won't have to fight over who gets to wear what number.
Image

User avatar
Toasted Oates
1st Line Sniper
1st Line Sniper
Posts: 658
Joined: Sat Apr 18, 2009 3:59 pm

Re: offseason so far

Post by Toasted Oates »

Now we have this: https://twitter.com/jprutherford/status/766299362825687040 So who the hell knows?
2016-2017 LGB sponsor of your boy, goaltender Jake Allen and a center for Vladi Tarasenko (UPDATE: FOUND! Ryan O' Reilly. July 1, 2018).
2017-2018 LGB sponsor of a damn fine rearguard, Capt. Alex Pietrangelo.
2018-2019 LGB sponsor of the 2nd greatest Joel in Blues history, #6 Joel "Eddy" Edmundson.

Post Reply