Let's Go Blues

DaDitka wrote:

cardsfan04 wrote:

thedoc wrote:

cardsfan04 wrote: With the cap room we freed up w/ Brewer, we should have no reason not to make a strong play at Brad Richards.

You do of course realize that cap room is not a problem for us. We are actually having to be careful not to go below the salary floor.

Yeah, I get that. We had 12 mil or something free before the trades. But, we have a number of free agents that will be expecting raises this offseason. If we give him 8 and give others some raises, we don't have a lot of room to work. Freeing up 3 mil makes it easier to do both.

You do realize this organization has no money and will not raise the payroll.

Moving Brewers contract frees up the $ to re up Oshie, Bergie, Winchester etc.

That's why acquiring Stewart is SOOOOO big, we weren't going to sign anyone in FA.

I've been wrong before, and I certainly don't think getting Richards is likely, just possible.

As far as spending money, I've attributed that to the ownership team not being finalized. I think it's plausible that the reason they haven't spent money is because they wanted to get ownership completely set first. And, if that's the case, starting to spend a little money is possible. Might not happen, but I think that's a key reason why they haven't spent much since the lockout.

ESPN's rumor central has something about Boyes going to Toronto for a prospect and a pick. Nothing concrete, but seems reasonable if it happens.

cardsfan04 wrote:

DaDitka wrote:

cardsfan04 wrote:

thedoc wrote:

cardsfan04 wrote: With the cap room we freed up w/ Brewer, we should have no reason not to make a strong play at Brad Richards.

You do of course realize that cap room is not a problem for us. We are actually having to be careful not to go below the salary floor.

Yeah, I get that. We had 12 mil or something free before the trades. But, we have a number of free agents that will be expecting raises this offseason. If we give him 8 and give others some raises, we don't have a lot of room to work. Freeing up 3 mil makes it easier to do both.

You do realize this organization has no money and will not raise the payroll.

Moving Brewers contract frees up the $ to re up Oshie, Bergie, Winchester etc.

That's why acquiring Stewart is SOOOOO big, we weren't going to sign anyone in FA.

I've been wrong before, and I certainly don't think getting Richards is likely, just possible.

As far as spending money, I've attributed that to the ownership team not being finalized. I think it's plausible that the reason they haven't spent money is because they wanted to get ownership completely set first. And, if that's the case, starting to spend a little money is possible. Might not happen, but I think that's a key reason why they haven't spent much since the lockout.

You are right...however........
I don't think the problem is that Dave is looking for an 'investor' . Someone to pay a bunch on money for a team, and let him play with it.

They will be solely interested with turning a profit, and then will probably look to move on in about three years again.

As lone as Dave is involved I fear the spending will be on the lower end (or mid pack) and we ill probably go through these ownership transitions on a regular basis.

I just wish a local fan of the game would acquire the team and actually have winning the cup as their #1 priority.

Wow... just wow! This was totally unexpected, but I think it was a good deal, possibly a great deal. With so many young players involved, it could go either way.

Goon is gonna love Stewart though. He broke his hand this year on a dude's face. Very willing to drop the gloves, and he can score. He and Backes on a line together will be sweet.

Good trade for Blues. Sad to see the EJ and McClement go, but EJ wasn't the D-man we thought he was going to be here.

Sounds like we are officially rebuilding again.

Stewart has proven many times that he can dominate for stretches of a game. EJ has only done that like once or twice.

Stewart makes us tougher up front- this is something we need desperately. EJ might be a beast in the future, but he's been a pansy so far.

gaijin wrote:Sounds like we are officially rebuilding again.

I don't think so. This was an assets for assets deal.

Brewer was a dump- yes. But this trade has a WAY different flavor. We got 2 guys expected to step in and contribute right away. This isn't Doug Weight for Boulerice and Zigomanis.

As for McClement: If we were rocking the 1st overall PK in the NHL like we were last year, I would be a bit concerned about it. But we're not. It's plummeted this year to 19th. Granted trading him isn't going to help that, but it's not like we have an elite unit this year where I would be afraid to pluck something from it.

And I really, really like that first round pick being conditional if it's a top 10 overall. The hope (as always) being that this team will be better next year, you push it to 2012 without even blinking if you get a top 10 pick.

One thing to remember is that picks, first rounders or not, are crapshoots.

known entities trump draft picks 999 times out of 1000.

Just because the team trades a former 1st overall pick does not make it a rebuild. Unless Stewart was a completely worthless bum and Shattenkirk couldn't score worth a damn, neither of which is true. At the end of the day, the Blues end up better because of this trade.

gaijin wrote:Sounds like we are officially rebuilding again.

I would argue just the opposite.

Rebuilding teams don't trade a first round pick.

We had to throw in the first rounder because we got more talent in the deal.

We may very well be saying that what we were doing wasn't working ..... because it wasn't, but I don't see these moves as a step back at all.

Then again.....how does a non-playoff team take a step back? We were not a good team before yesterday, we were teetering back and fourth from second to last and third to last...

Besides....you can't 'rebuild' when you never really 'built' in the first place.

Perhaps EJ's teammates soured on him after the Cuba Gooding Jr. photo circulated.

I love the deal. Captainkirk is smaller than EJ, but EJ plays smaller than he is. They may be a wash. Time will tell. Stewart is a beast. McClement is a great fourth line C or a so so third liner. If the D are a wash, you trade an over priced fourth liner and a 1 for a stud first liner and a 2. Any day of the week.

DaDitka wrote:

gaijin wrote:Sounds like we are officially rebuilding again.

I would argue just the opposite.

Rebuilding teams don't trade a first round pick.

We had to throw in the first rounder because we got more talent in the deal.

We may very well be saying that what we were doing wasn't working ..... because it wasn't, but I don't see these moves as a step back at all.

Then again.....how does a non-playoff team take a step back? We were not a good team before yesterday, we were teetering back and fourth from second to last and third to last...

Besides....you can't 'rebuild' when you never really 'built' in the first place.

Rebuilding involves trading what good players you have for draft picks and prospects, not trading for guys who have proven very capable of playing at the NHL level. Stewart > McClement and Shattenkirk = EJ at this point, this may be the trade that gets the Blues on a nice win streak and back into contention.

BTW, isn't this draft supposed to be very weak after the top 4 guys. If they somehow fall to one of them, they keep the pick. If not, it sounds like there may not be a whole lotta dif between a mid #1 and a mid #2. And, of course, we will hear whoever they take with the second is who we had top on our board if we wooda had the #1 anyway.

glen a richter wrote: back into contention.

Let's not get ahead of ourselves there.

You're still 7 points back, with four teams between you an 8 (5 if your count the #8 team), you still hove no crease clearing defenseman, and Halak will probably be back between the pipes soon.

So making the playoffs is 'possible' this year, but in the same way winning the cup this year is 'possible'. Or Jackman winning the Norris is 'possible'. Or Cam haveing any value is 'possible', or Pang never saying "Holy Jumpin" again is 'possible'.

I think you get the point

Leedog wrote:BTW, isn't this draft supposed to be very weak after the top 4 guys...

Yea I'd heard that as well. Very possible the Blues just don't have anyone they are that high on outside of the first couple available. If that's the case then you're just drafting for its own sake. I'm still disappointed that the Blues had to part with EJ to get this thing done but I'm liking this deal the more and more I read about it.

I would love to see stewart and oshie with perron. I think that line would be sick.

I can also see stewart on a second line with backes - both of them kicking ass and potting goals.

I think this guy fits what everyone on the board has been asking for - Another guy that can score goals and play like he has a sack between his legs, both of these things at the same time in the same player.

The defense will most likely be a wash. EJ has played somewhere between a 3/4 and #2 - the guy we got grades exactly the same as a prospect. Their point totals are similar, the guy we got needs to play better in his own zone - and so did EJ. It looks like a wash at this point.

This is one of the better trades I have seen the Blues make in many, many years.

DaDitka wrote:

glen a richter wrote: back into contention.

Let's not get ahead of ourselves there.

You're still 7 points back, with four teams between you an 8 (5 if your count the #8 team), you still hove no crease clearing defenseman, and Halak will probably be back between the pipes soon.

So making the playoffs is 'possible' this year, but in the same way winning the cup this year is 'possible'. Or Jackman winning the Norris is 'possible'. Or Cam haveing any value is 'possible', or Pang never saying "Holy Jumpin" again is 'possible'.

I think you get the point

Games in hand mean nothing?

Stewart and Shattenkirk for EJ and jMac... why, that's just like making a trade!!

glen a richter wrote:

DaDitka wrote:

glen a richter wrote: back into contention.

Let's not get ahead of ourselves there.

You're still 7 points back, with four teams between you an 8 (5 if your count the #8 team), you still hove no crease clearing defenseman, and Halak will probably be back between the pipes soon.

So making the playoffs is 'possible' this year, but in the same way winning the cup this year is 'possible'. Or Jackman winning the Norris is 'possible'. Or Cam haveing any value is 'possible', or Pang never saying "Holy Jumpin" again is 'possible'.

I think you get the point

Games in hand mean nothing?

If you won both games in hand, you'd probably still need 30 (or more) points in your last 26 games and your have so many games against the teams you are chasing that 3 point games will kill you.

I would put our odds at about 5% now. If we were to win two games in had, I'd put us closer to 15 - 20 % chance which is right about where 'Sports Club Stats' has us right now (14.9%).

IMO the home and home against the Wild last weekend was a killer.