Dave's a mess wrote: Fri Nov 22, 2019 9:35 am

If you ever find yourself trading James Neal for Lucic, stop yourself and think about how stupid you are. On no planet in this universe does that make sense.

MattyIce wrote: Fri Nov 22, 2019 9:44 am

Dave's a mess wrote: Fri Nov 22, 2019 9:35 am

If you ever find yourself trading James Neal for Lucic, stop yourself and think about how stupid you are. On no planet in this universe does that make sense.

Dumb trade, but Neal hasn't been very good after that crazy start. Still, that crazy start counts! Calgary's problems run a lot deeper than Lucic though. They've had a leaky defense and crappy goaltending. I think the scoring will come around, but they're digging themselves a mighty deep hole.

Dave's a mess wrote: Fri Nov 22, 2019 9:35 am

Didn't that happen to us last season?

BluesSK wrote: Fri Nov 22, 2019 10:09 am

Dave's a mess wrote: Fri Nov 22, 2019 9:35 am

Didn't that happen to us last season?

If Michael Stone fights Andrew Mangiapane at their next practice they might be onto something. They'll just need to fire their coach and bring up some AHL goalie with no future in the organization and they'll be set.

I don’t see Treliving waiting around much longer. He’s gonna do something bold

Dave's a mess wrote: Fri Nov 22, 2019 10:15 am

BluesSK wrote: Fri Nov 22, 2019 10:09 am

Dave's a mess wrote: Fri Nov 22, 2019 9:35 am

Didn't that happen to us last season?

If Michael Stone fights Andrew Mangiapane at their next practice they might be onto something. They'll just need to fire their coach and bring up some AHL goalie with no future in the organization and they'll be set.

Finding a very flamboyant tune from the early 80s as a victory song goes a long was as well.

Yeah NHL, keep thinking it's all about speed and skill. Stay small, soft and stupid. Berube and the boys will kick your ass. SC window is open for another 3 or 4 years, at least, maybe more. This team is going to win another Cup IMO.

Skill and speed are still very important. However, if you look at a hockey player like ROR, who may not be the fastest player skating wise, but he plays fast because his decision making is so quick. Plus let's not forget, we do have some VERY fast dmen in Dunn, Parayko, and Petro, and even Jaybo and Faulk have some very good skating speed, plus all five have good quick passing and hockey awareness. But IMO I think the hockey IQ or whatever the phrase is now plays just an important part as size, skill, and speed in a team's success.

BillP. wrote: Fri Nov 22, 2019 10:37 am Yeah NHL, keep thinking it's all about speed and skill. Stay small, soft and stupid. Berube and the boys will kick your ass. SC window is open for another 3 or 4 years, at least, maybe more. This team is going to win another Cup IMO.

It's absolutely wide open this year. There are going to be some cap challenges the next couple of years though. Are they solvable? Absolutely, but it's going to be tricky. We all know about the Petro question, but the following year Binnington is looking like he'll be due for a monster raise. If Thomas grows like he's capable of and we all hope he does, he'll be due a big raise that summer too. Schwartz is set to be a UFA that summer as well. Of course the cap should go up some, and we'll have Steen and Bozak off the books, plus whatever contract Seattle takes in the expansion draft, but there's going to be some necessary roster churn. We're going to lose some players we don't want to, so it will be crucial to keep developing useful prospects and finding the right value contracts from outside the organization.

BillP. wrote: Fri Nov 22, 2019 10:37 am Yeah NHL, keep thinking it's all about speed and skill. Stay small, soft and stupid. Berube and the boys will kick your ass. SC window is open for another 3 or 4 years, at least, maybe more. This team is going to win another Cup IMO.

Actually, history suggests their chances are good as well. Among the Cup winners since 2000, teams that won multiple Cups within a 10-year span:
- Devils
- Avs (dating back to ’96)
- Wings
- Pens
- Hawks
- Kings

One-and-done Teams:
- Bolts
- Ducks (made another trip to the finals)
- Canes (made another trip to the finals)

Jury’s still out:
- Bruins (back to the finals twice since ’11)
- Caps
- Blues

I’m not sure, but I believe that in the history of the NHL (at least modern history) only twice has a team won a Cup (NYR in ’94 and TBL in ’04) without having made an additional appearance in the finals 5 years before or after winning it. (Still waiting on STL and WSH)

Signed,

Cliff Clavin

Robert Thomas should never play on the wing again.

Dread_Pirate_Westley wrote: Fri Nov 22, 2019 11:11 am Robert Thomas should never play on the wing again.

I'd like to point out that as soon as Tarasenko went down I said it was time to move Thomas to center so we can see what he can do there.

I'm not always right so I have to point out when I am

Speaking of Thomas...

https://theathletic.com/1395880/2019/11 ... as-center/

Athletic has a fancy stats dive into Thomas so far this year and the stats suggest he will break out as a center. His skill at zone entries and willingness to drop deep into the D zone to receive passes from defensemen to start attacks are two qualities in his game that they highlight, and the numbers show those should be more apparent as a centerman. Brief section of the article for non-subscribers:

"After Thursday’s 5-0 win over the Flames, Thomas said this: “(A) lot of times with zone entry, you want to kind of kick it wide and drive through. That opens up that weak-side guy. But sometimes the (opposing defenseman) is sitting to the outside waiting for that, so you just slow down and try to get one of them to bite so you can slip it by them. That’s the thinking process behind that one.”

Can dump-ins work for creating offense? Certainly. Research shows that dump-ins lead to shot attempts about 30 percent of the time. Carry-in zone entries, however, lead to shot attempts about 60 percent of the time. If you have the time and space to choose, the best option for creating offense is a clean, controlled entry....


"...Ultimately, Thomas’ ability here is accentuated when he plays at center, as he has over the past two games. Says Thomas: “[Playing center] allows me to control the play, exiting the zone and controlling it coming into the zone a little bit more. For me, I’m just trying to make clean exits so that (Sanford) and (Sundqvist) can get some space off the rush. We’re really finding each other and staying connected, and it’s shown the last two games.”

Here’s the takeaway: Zone entries are a great way to create offense, and Robert Thomas creates those entries and is able and willing to come all the way back on defense to get that puck and move it through the neutral zone."

Dread_Pirate_Westley wrote: Thu Nov 21, 2019 12:29 pm

Dave's a mess wrote: Thu Nov 21, 2019 12:24 pm

NHLTIM wrote: Thu Nov 21, 2019 12:19 pm I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that Klim Kostin will set a record tonight that will never be broken. He will be the first Blues player in history to wear three different home jerseys in his first 3 games.

DPW has already bought all 3.

Wearing em all right now. Could I BE wearing anymore jerseys?

insideout wrote: Fri Nov 22, 2019 11:08 am

BillP. wrote: Fri Nov 22, 2019 10:37 am Yeah NHL, keep thinking it's all about speed and skill. Stay small, soft and stupid. Berube and the boys will kick your ass. SC window is open for another 3 or 4 years, at least, maybe more. This team is going to win another Cup IMO.

Actually, history suggests their chances are good as well. Among the Cup winners since 2000, teams that won multiple Cups within a 10-year span:
- Devils
- Avs (dating back to ’96)
- Wings
- Pens
- Hawks
- Kings

One-and-done Teams:
- Bolts
- Ducks (made another trip to the finals)
- Canes (made another trip to the finals)

Jury’s still out:
- Bruins (back to the finals twice since ’11)
- Caps
- Blues

I’m not sure, but I believe that in the history of the NHL (at least modern history) only twice has a team won a Cup (NYR in ’94 and TBL in ’04) without having made an additional appearance in the finals 5 years before or after winning it. (Still waiting on STL and WSH)

Signed,

Cliff Clavin

Good one Cliffy!!! Informative to a tee!!! But unlike Cliff, I found this interesting.

Thomas was always going to get his feet wet playing wing to start his career. I figured two years on the wing and then transitioning to a top 6 center. He was drafted to be our future number one center...and he will be in time.

UMSLBlues12 wrote: Fri Nov 22, 2019 11:23 am

Dread_Pirate_Westley wrote: Fri Nov 22, 2019 11:11 am Robert Thomas should never play on the wing again.

I'd like to point out that as soon as Tarasenko went down I said it was time to move Thomas to the wing so we can see what he can do there.

I'm not always right so I have to point out when I am

I can't figure out if I'm missing the sarcasm or you're contradicting yourself.

Dread_Pirate_Westley wrote: Fri Nov 22, 2019 12:56 pm

UMSLBlues12 wrote: Fri Nov 22, 2019 11:23 am

Dread_Pirate_Westley wrote: Fri Nov 22, 2019 11:11 am Robert Thomas should never play on the wing again.

I'd like to point out that as soon as Tarasenko went down I said it was time to move Thomas to the wing so we can see what he can do there.

I'm not always right so I have to point out when I am

I can't figure out if I'm missing the sarcasm or you're contradicting yourself.

That should say "move Thomas to center", woops

UMSLBlues12 wrote: Fri Nov 22, 2019 12:57 pm

Dread_Pirate_Westley wrote: Fri Nov 22, 2019 12:56 pm

UMSLBlues12 wrote: Fri Nov 22, 2019 11:23 am

I'd like to point out that as soon as Tarasenko went down I said it was time to move Thomas to the wing so we can see what he can do there.

I'm not always right so I have to point out when I am

I can't figure out if I'm missing the sarcasm or you're contradicting yourself.

That should say "move Thomas to center", woops

Haha you were so shaken from being right that you tried to make yourself wrong

Dread_Pirate_Westley wrote: Fri Nov 22, 2019 12:59 pm

UMSLBlues12 wrote: Fri Nov 22, 2019 12:57 pm

Dread_Pirate_Westley wrote: Fri Nov 22, 2019 12:56 pm

I can't figure out if I'm missing the sarcasm or you're contradicting yourself.

That should say "move Thomas to center", woops

Haha you were so shaken from being right that you tried to make yourself wrong

lol, when I read it I saw 'center' and not 'wing'

I read you mind, not your post UMSL

Dave's a mess wrote: Fri Nov 22, 2019 10:46 am

BillP. wrote: Fri Nov 22, 2019 10:37 am Yeah NHL, keep thinking it's all about speed and skill. Stay small, soft and stupid. Berube and the boys will kick your ass. SC window is open for another 3 or 4 years, at least, maybe more. This team is going to win another Cup IMO.

It's absolutely wide open this year. There are going to be some cap challenges the next couple of years though. Are they solvable? Absolutely, but it's going to be tricky. We all know about the Petro question, but the following year Binnington is looking like he'll be due for a monster raise. If Thomas grows like he's capable of and we all hope he does, he'll be due a big raise that summer too. Schwartz is set to be a UFA that summer as well. Of course the cap should go up some, and we'll have Steen and Bozak off the books, plus whatever contract Seattle takes in the expansion draft, but there's going to be some necessary roster churn. We're going to lose some players we don't want to, so it will be crucial to keep developing useful prospects and finding the right value contracts from outside the organization.

Allen will be moved, too. Doug hasn't overpaid players so our salary structure is very good compared to other teams, imo.

Doug Glatt wrote: Fri Nov 22, 2019 1:33 pm

Dave's a mess wrote: Fri Nov 22, 2019 10:46 am

BillP. wrote: Fri Nov 22, 2019 10:37 am Yeah NHL, keep thinking it's all about speed and skill. Stay small, soft and stupid. Berube and the boys will kick your ass. SC window is open for another 3 or 4 years, at least, maybe more. This team is going to win another Cup IMO.

It's absolutely wide open this year. There are going to be some cap challenges the next couple of years though. Are they solvable? Absolutely, but it's going to be tricky. We all know about the Petro question, but the following year Binnington is looking like he'll be due for a monster raise. If Thomas grows like he's capable of and we all hope he does, he'll be due a big raise that summer too. Schwartz is set to be a UFA that summer as well. Of course the cap should go up some, and we'll have Steen and Bozak off the books, plus whatever contract Seattle takes in the expansion draft, but there's going to be some necessary roster churn. We're going to lose some players we don't want to, so it will be crucial to keep developing useful prospects and finding the right value contracts from outside the organization.

Allen will be moved, too. Doug hasn't overpaid players so our salary structure is very good compared to other teams, imo.

Army's done a great job of managing salary structure, but he's absolutely overpaid guys. Allen and Steen stand out in that regard, but still no absolute crippling deals. Steen is overpaid, but still a useful player. The problem with moving Allen is that like with Lehtera, moving him costs you something. I wonder if they just ride his deal out rather than paying to make him go away.

Dave's a mess wrote: Fri Nov 22, 2019 4:40 pm

Doug Glatt wrote: Fri Nov 22, 2019 1:33 pm

Dave's a mess wrote: Fri Nov 22, 2019 10:46 am

It's absolutely wide open this year. There are going to be some cap challenges the next couple of years though. Are they solvable? Absolutely, but it's going to be tricky. We all know about the Petro question, but the following year Binnington is looking like he'll be due for a monster raise. If Thomas grows like he's capable of and we all hope he does, he'll be due a big raise that summer too. Schwartz is set to be a UFA that summer as well. Of course the cap should go up some, and we'll have Steen and Bozak off the books, plus whatever contract Seattle takes in the expansion draft, but there's going to be some necessary roster churn. We're going to lose some players we don't want to, so it will be crucial to keep developing useful prospects and finding the right value contracts from outside the organization.

Allen will be moved, too. Doug hasn't overpaid players so our salary structure is very good compared to other teams, imo.

Army's done a great job of managing salary structure, but he's absolutely overpaid guys. Allen and Steen stand out in that regard, but still no absolute crippling deals. Steen is overpaid, but still a useful player. The problem with moving Allen is that like with Lehtera, moving him costs you something. I wonder if they just ride his deal out rather than paying to make him go away.

Why not? sure "8 mil is too much for two goalies" and "jake allen sucks" (those are in quotation marks as I've said both of them personally) but binnington and his swagger has this team playing differently. Even when jake plays and lets in a jake goal, the team regroups now. (plus having him play 25 games as opposed to 40+)

I think Allen has been fine as a backup this season. Is he overpaid for the position. Yes, of course but as has been mentioned it's not crippling the team salary cap wise.