Armstrong on NHL Radio (injury stuff)

[theohall]

There was an interview with Armstrong this afternoon on NHL Radio and these were the comments that stuck out.

1) Schwartz and Berglund won't be back until sometime after the All-Star break.
2) The PTOs are being made because the Blues don't want to rush guys up they don't feel are ready (Barbashev).
3) They aren't rushing Shattenkirk back because they don't want it to be a continually nagging injury. (My note - groin injuries can be notorious for hanging around if not completely healed). With the injuries and talent they have on D, there isn't a reason to rush Shattenkirk back and it will be better long term if he is 100% before returning. (Read as were it the playoffs, Shattenkirk would likely be trying to play through it).
4) Parayko scoring 3 goals on wrist shots from the point is shocking to even Armstrong, but suspects it may become a trend due to the way teams block shots. Defenseman taking slap shots that usually get blocked is why this may change. (My opinion - if Parayko starts firing that cannon, opponents aren't going to want to block it when it takes them out of games. Also, blocked heavy shots can easily lead to odd-man breaks or breakaways the other way due to the large rebound off of the block. Wrist shots don't do that. And Parayko wristers seem to always be on net or heading towards the area where they can be deflected).

[dmiles2186]

Good stuff. Man, I miss NHL Radio.

I could give two shizzes about Berglund, but it really sucks that Schwartz will be out until after the All Star Break. There will be plenty 'it's like making a trade!' columns from the media around that time, methinks.

And I also like that Army addressed not calling up guys right away. We all want to see these guys sooner rather than later, but at the same time, they've had a good history of bringing younger guys along at a decent rate (and not wrecking careers). Patience sucks as a fan at times, but it's also necessary.

[ecbm]

Parayko scoring 3 goals on wrist shots from the point is shocking to even Armstrong, but suspects it may become a trend due to the way teams block shots.

Yep. And it really isn't a new thing. Anyone remember Bill Houlder? The least likely PP pointman ever but those wrist shots got through. Uwe Krupp was the same way. I remember his winning goal in the '96 finals-a floating wrister from the point. It got through and Vanbiesbrouck never saw it.

[APOD]

1) Schwartz and Berglund won't be back until sometime after the All-Star break.

That's more than 12 weeks for Schwartz and another month added to Berglund who was expected to be back beginning of the year. Maybe Berglund will have a awesome February making it easy to trade him.

Hoping Schwartz comes back strong it will be like........

like making a trade!

[glen a richter]

Unfortunately (or fortunately, as the case may be), the cliche probably is true this time. Getting Schwartz back at that time, fresh legs and all, will be a lot like making a trade if the team stays strong without him.

What makes me confident that the team will be fine in the interim is Parayko. I keep harping on it but damn if he doesn't get things through to the net, hell he scores even when he misses the net. Get some guys up front to jump on rebounds or redirect some of his shots, keep giving him 20+ minutes a night and scoring won't be an issue. It's a far cry from that year (05?) where the defense, together, logged what, maybe ten points between them all? Our D is strong enough to be an offensive starter and still be defensively responsible. As long as they stay healthy and Shatty comes back reasonably soon, I'm not worried about the offense being productive with the D as the catalyst behind it all. Schwartz's return will be a bonus.