BillP. wrote: Wed May 26, 2021 7:05 am

Turk Sanderson wrote: Wed May 26, 2021 6:42 am What kind of bread would it take to land Dougie Hamilton?

A lot. Faulk money for sure, maybe a little more. I’d rather get a thumper like Ristolainen (Buffalo) or David Savard. We need a defensive D man who can thump.

Dread_Pirate_Westley wrote: Tue May 25, 2021 6:46 pm Don’t give up on Krug yet. They guy didn’t just suddenly forget how to play. New team, no off-season, not a lot of practice time. Let’s give him a full offseason and see what he looks like next year i.e Faulk

Dread_Pirate_Westley wrote: Tue May 25, 2021 6:46 pm Don’t give up on Krug yet. They guy didn’t just suddenly forget how to play. New team, no off-season, not a lot of practice time. Let’s give him a full offseason and see what he looks like next year i.e Faulk

ratonmono wrote: Wed May 26, 2021 10:03 am

Dread_Pirate_Westley wrote: Tue May 25, 2021 6:46 pm Don’t give up on Krug yet. They guy didn’t just suddenly forget how to play. New team, no off-season, not a lot of practice time. Let’s give him a full offseason and see what he looks like next year i.e Faulk

I think he had a good year for him. I just don't like his game in his own end. It's different than the Faulk situation. We knew Faulk could be better. I don't think Krug had a bad season, nor is he going to be any better defensively.

Dread_Pirate_Westley wrote: Wed May 26, 2021 11:28 am

ratonmono wrote: Wed May 26, 2021 10:03 am

Dread_Pirate_Westley wrote: Tue May 25, 2021 6:46 pm Don’t give up on Krug yet. They guy didn’t just suddenly forget how to play. New team, no off-season, not a lot of practice time. Let’s give him a full offseason and see what he looks like next year i.e Faulk

I think he had a good year for him. I just don't like his game in his own end. It's different than the Faulk situation. We knew Faulk could be better. I don't think Krug had a bad season, nor is he going to be any better defensively.

He went from 49 points to 32 points and 9 goals to 2 so that's where I want to see him improve the most.

He also went from 73% offensive zone starts to 61%. The Blues probably misused him some this year and deserve some of the blame.

Dave's a mess wrote: Wed May 26, 2021 8:11 am

Robb_K wrote: Wed May 26, 2021 2:52 am

ratonmono wrote: Tue May 25, 2021 1:11 pm

The blues do have some wiggle room with Hoffman, Bozak, Schwartz all coming off the books. I'm not sure any of those three will be back.

I want Hoffman back. He still can skate decently, is a good sniper, one of the few goal-scorers The Blues can count on to always be a threat to score, and he MADE The Blues power play go, once they started feeding him the puck. They moved from about The NHL's lowest at 8% to 23% after they started doing that. And, he actually embraced Berube's defensive system, and played decent defensively for most of this season, after a few weeks of picking up the system. With the level and speed of Tarasenko's return to previous form in question, and Schwartz either gone, or likely to continue his decline, and Schenn also starting the age decline, and only Kyrou, but not Thomas, or Kostin breaking out in the goal-scoring area, The Blues can't afford to give up Hoffman's consistent goal-scoring. Even with him, they're going to have to bring in a t least a couple more consistent goal-scorers with young legs, who can also play passable defence, If Hoffman leaves, they'll need to bring in a third. That will be a pretty tough task, especially if they ALL come in the form of high-priced UFAs (not very possible under the cap). IF they trade for a prospect they HOPE will score 20+ goals right away, that's a gamble, compared to keeping Hoffman (as we've seen with Kyrou, and, especially Thomas, and Kostin, likely as well. And, currently, The Blues don't have any other forward prospects anywhere near that stage. THIS recent Blues' Stanley Cup competitive window has closed suddenly and tightly over the last 2 years. They are now relatively old and slow, and must be rejuvenated by faster-skating, more skilled, bigger and stronger young players in all areas (forwards, defencemen, and even gooaltenders), or they'll have a dismal near future. It will be tough to make that changeover by retooling in one or two offseasons,

Not sure why aging curves would apply to Schenn and Schwartz but not Hoffman, who is a couple years older than both of them.

... There have been many unfounded complaints, however, and the calls are coming from behind the bench. St. Louis Blues head coach Craig Berube complained about the penalty disparity in his team's first-round series against the Colorado Avalanche, and it frankly displayed a limited understanding of why his team was swept soundly by the Stanley Cup favourite.

"The refereeing, every game, we get one or two calls,” Berube said following a 5-1 loss to the Avalanche in Game 3. "It’s usually late in the third period. They’re getting four, five a game. I mean, (the play of the teams) isn’t that lopsided. I’m not sure why we don't get the calls that we deserve.

"It’s so one-sided, it’s not even funny."

What was one-sided and funny (at least to me, a hockey writer and fan with perverse interest in favourites rolling over their competition!) was the Avalanche's complete domination of puck possession, quality shot creation, shot suppression, or if you don't care about any of that, shot differential and the eye test clearly favouring Colorado's high-octane speed game over St. Louis's modified trap.

During the four-game sweep, the Blues posted a 41.52 Corsi-for percentage, generated 115 unblocked shot attempts against the Avalanche's 162, and created 24 high-danger chances against the Avalanche's 36, according to Natural Stat Trick. Colorado's top line of Nathan MacKinnon, Gabriel Landeskog and Mikko Rantanen basically was allowed to create whatever it desired without much resistance, to say nothing of Cale Makar's brilliance throughout the series, with his world-class edge work on full display during Game 1's opening goal.

The Blues simply never had a chance, and you can't complain about the penalty disparity if you never have the puck. ...

JMC-STL wrote: Wed May 26, 2021 7:06 pm No respect from this Yahoo!Sports Canada blogger ... Why some NHL coaches don't have a leg to stand on complaining about penalties

... There have been many unfounded complaints, however, and the calls are coming from behind the bench. St. Louis Blues head coach Craig Berube complained about the penalty disparity in his team's first-round series against the Colorado Avalanche, and it frankly displayed a limited understanding of why his team was swept soundly by the Stanley Cup favourite.

"The refereeing, every game, we get one or two calls,” Berube said following a 5-1 loss to the Avalanche in Game 3. "It’s usually late in the third period. They’re getting four, five a game. I mean, (the play of the teams) isn’t that lopsided. I’m not sure why we don't get the calls that we deserve.

"It’s so one-sided, it’s not even funny."

What was one-sided and funny (at least to me, a hockey writer and fan with perverse interest in favourites rolling over their competition!) was the Avalanche's complete domination of puck possession, quality shot creation, shot suppression, or if you don't care about any of that, shot differential and the eye test clearly favouring Colorado's high-octane speed game over St. Louis's modified trap.

During the four-game sweep, the Blues posted a 41.52 Corsi-for percentage, generated 115 unblocked shot attempts against the Avalanche's 162, and created 24 high-danger chances against the Avalanche's 36, according to Natural Stat Trick. Colorado's top line of Nathan MacKinnon, Gabriel Landeskog and Mikko Rantanen basically was allowed to create whatever it desired without much resistance, to say nothing of Cale Makar's brilliance throughout the series, with his world-class edge work on full display during Game 1's opening goal.

The Blues simply never had a chance, and you can't complain about the penalty disparity if you never have the puck. ...

Dave's a mess wrote: Wed May 26, 2021 11:51 am

Dread_Pirate_Westley wrote: Wed May 26, 2021 11:28 am

ratonmono wrote: Wed May 26, 2021 10:03 am

I think he had a good year for him. I just don't like his game in his own end. It's different than the Faulk situation. We knew Faulk could be better. I don't think Krug had a bad season, nor is he going to be any better defensively.

He went from 49 points to 32 points and 9 goals to 2 so that's where I want to see him improve the most.

He also went from 73% offensive zone starts to 61%. The Blues probably misused him some this year and deserve some of the blame.

I wonder if some of that usage was out of necessity. At certain points in the year there weren't many other proven NHL-level defensemen in the lineup. It would've been nice to see him score more for sure, but I imagine his shooting percentage will jump back closer to his Boston numbers next season.

BillP. wrote: Thu May 27, 2021 9:44 am For a rough year, Krug's numbers were pretty good. If you pay attention, he really springs some forwards loose with some nice passing. And the guy is feisty, passionate and is used to winning. He's fine.

Turk Sanderson wrote: Thu May 27, 2021 10:16 am

BillP. wrote: Thu May 27, 2021 9:44 am For a rough year, Krug's numbers were pretty good. If you pay attention, he really springs some forwards loose with some nice passing. And the guy is feisty, passionate and is used to winning. He's fine.

Krug is 30 and has 6 years left @ 6.5 mil/yr ... Dunn is 24 and RFA
I'd much rather spend Krug's 6.5mil elsewhere, and give Dunn a salary bump and watch him grow into that role.

Turk Sanderson wrote: Thu May 27, 2021 10:16 am

BillP. wrote: Thu May 27, 2021 9:44 am For a rough year, Krug's numbers were pretty good. If you pay attention, he really springs some forwards loose with some nice passing. And the guy is feisty, passionate and is used to winning. He's fine.

Krug is 30 and has 6 years left @ 6.5 mil/yr ... Dunn is 24 and RFA
I'd much rather spend Krug's 6.5mil elsewhere, and give Dunn a salary bump and watch him grow into that role.

Dave's a mess wrote: Thu May 27, 2021 11:23 am

Turk Sanderson wrote: Thu May 27, 2021 10:16 am

BillP. wrote: Thu May 27, 2021 9:44 am For a rough year, Krug's numbers were pretty good. If you pay attention, he really springs some forwards loose with some nice passing. And the guy is feisty, passionate and is used to winning. He's fine.

Krug is 30 and has 6 years left @ 6.5 mil/yr ... Dunn is 24 and RFA
I'd much rather spend Krug's 6.5mil elsewhere, and give Dunn a salary bump and watch him grow into that role.

Counterpoint: Krug in a down year like this season is probably Dunn's ceiling. Krug at his peak is far superior to Dunn's ceiling. Isn't that certainty worth some cap space?

(Note: I had a bit written up here about how Dunn sucked this season before his injury. I figured I should actually check the numbers before hitting submit and...turns out he did not suck! I still have no idea how to fix the blueline this summer, haha)

BillP. wrote: Fri May 28, 2021 12:21 am Be nice if the Blues could get a Cole Caufield with their 17th pick.

BillP. wrote: Fri May 28, 2021 12:21 am Be nice if the Blues could get a Cole Caufield with their 17th pick.

Dread_Pirate_Westley wrote: Fri May 28, 2021 9:13 am

BillP. wrote: Fri May 28, 2021 12:21 am Be nice if the Blues could get a Cole Caufield with their 17th pick.

I wouldn't mind it but honestly, the prospect pipeline is getting pretty dry, I wouldn't mind just keeping the pick.

Dave's a mess wrote: Fri May 28, 2021 9:33 am

BillP. wrote: Fri May 28, 2021 12:21 am Be nice if the Blues could get a Cole Caufield with their 17th pick.

That's the silver lining of this season. 17th is the highest they've selected since 2010 in the Schwartz/Tarasenko draft. Of course it just so happens that this bunch of prospects is the least scouted group in modern times due to all of the cancelled junior hockey over the last 2 years. But that creates as much opportunity as it does uncertainty.

Dave's a mess wrote: Fri May 28, 2021 9:33 am

BillP. wrote: Fri May 28, 2021 12:21 amBe nice if the Blues could get a Cole Caufield with their 17th pick.

That's the silver lining of this season. 17th is the highest they've selected since 2010 in the Schwartz/Tarasenko draft. Of course it just so happens that this bunch of prospects is the least scouted group in modern times due to all of the cancelled junior hockey over the last 2 years. But that creates as much opportunity as it does uncertainty.

BillP. wrote: Fri May 28, 2021 10:08 am

Dave's a mess wrote: Fri May 28, 2021 9:33 am

BillP. wrote: Fri May 28, 2021 12:21 am Be nice if the Blues could get a Cole Caufield with their 17th pick.

That's the silver lining of this season. 17th is the highest they've selected since 2010 in the Schwartz/Tarasenko draft. Of course it just so happens that this bunch of prospects is the least scouted group in modern times due to all of the cancelled junior hockey over the last 2 years. But that creates as much opportunity as it does uncertainty.

That's a good point. Draft board might be full of surprises once the results start playing out. Boy, if we could just hit a home run. We need it!!

Dave's a mess wrote: Fri May 28, 2021 10:47 am

BillP. wrote: Fri May 28, 2021 10:08 am

Dave's a mess wrote: Fri May 28, 2021 9:33 am

That's the silver lining of this season. 17th is the highest they've selected since 2010 in the Schwartz/Tarasenko draft. Of course it just so happens that this bunch of prospects is the least scouted group in modern times due to all of the cancelled junior hockey over the last 2 years. But that creates as much opportunity as it does uncertainty.

That's a good point. Draft board might be full of surprises once the results start playing out. Boy, if we could just hit a home run. We need it!!

Not counting last year since it's far too soon to tell, the last 5 picks at 17 were:

2019 Peyton Krebs
2018 Ty Smith
2017 Timothy Liljegren
2016 Dante Fabbro
2015 Kyle Connor

3/5 of those are already at least in the lineup every night or are tracking to be there at the appropriate pace (Krebs, Smith, Fabbro), Kyle Connor is a star, and Liljegren hasn't been able to crack the Leafs full time. We should be able to get a player at 17 that contributes at the NHL level within the next couple of seasons.

Given the uncertain nature of this year's prospects, I wonder if that means we see more or less trades on the draft floor. Do teams draft boards look much more similar because they've been watching the same guys over and over, or much more different because there's less info from which they can draw conclusions?

Dread_Pirate_Westley wrote: Mon May 10, 2021 2:07 pm Anyone else thinking the Blues will leave Tarasenko unprotected in the expansion draft?

Ozzies09tc wrote: Fri May 28, 2021 1:36 pm

Dread_Pirate_Westley wrote: Mon May 10, 2021 2:07 pm Anyone else thinking the Blues will leave Tarasenko unprotected in the expansion draft?

Doesnt he have a NTC?

IIRC Players with NTC/NMC's are automatically protected/count as one of the 11 skaters you can protect?