Training camp groups.

Dread_Pirate_Westley wrote: Thu Sep 21, 2023 10:09 am Feels good to be back! Expectations are low but willing to be surprised.

Well said. My heart says "maybe half the roster will bounce back!"

My head says "there might not be a single player signed long term that is worth their cap hit."

Big camp for Zack Dean. First camp with the Blues. Has a chance to establish himself as the first forward prospect call up given that he's got a better defensive profile than Bolduc.

Dave's a mess wrote: Thu Sep 21, 2023 3:14 pm Big camp for Zack Dean. First camp with the Blues. Has a chance to establish himself as the first forward prospect call up given that he's got a better defensive profile than Bolduc.

Judging by the lines yesterday it's a bigger camp for Bolduc.

Buchnevich-Thomas-Kyrou
Saad-Schenn-Kapanen
Bolduc-Hayes-Blais
Toropchenko-Sundqvist-Neighbours
Vrana-Dean-Ritchie
MacEachern-Alexandrov-Walker

Leddy-Parayko
Perunovich-Faulk
Tucker-Bortuzzo
Scandella-Rosen

Binnington
Hofer

Dave's a mess wrote: Thu Sep 21, 2023 2:30 pm

Dread_Pirate_Westley wrote: Thu Sep 21, 2023 10:09 am Feels good to be back! Expectations are low but willing to be surprised.

Well said. My heart says "maybe half the roster will bounce back!"

My head says "there might not be a single player signed long term that is worth their cap hit."

This team could be one of the worst in the conference and it wouldn't surprise me. They could also make the playoffs and it wouldn't surprise me. Feels like there's a wide ranging potential outcomes, more so than in most years. I guess it depends how pissed off they are after last season. Are they willing to be the team that outworks everyone on a nightly basis or not..

pucks in deep, pucks on net.

Dread_Pirate_Westley wrote: Fri Sep 22, 2023 11:07 am

Dave's a mess wrote: Thu Sep 21, 2023 2:30 pm

Dread_Pirate_Westley wrote: Thu Sep 21, 2023 10:09 am Feels good to be back! Expectations are low but willing to be surprised.

Well said. My heart says "maybe half the roster will bounce back!"

My head says "there might not be a single player signed long term that is worth their cap hit."

This team could be one of the worst in the conference and it wouldn't surprise me. They could also make the playoffs and it wouldn't surprise me. Feels like there's a wide ranging potential outcomes, more so than in most years. I guess it depends how pissed off they are after last season. Are they willing to be the team that outworks everyone on a nightly basis or not..

pucks in deep, pucks on net.

I agree in principle. Wide range of potential outcomes, but I feel the median outcome is probably around 80 points. Did you realize Tyler Tucker is the only likely top 6 defenseman under 30 years old? I want to believe certain guys will get healthy or get a few more bounces or whatever went wrong last year will swing the other way, but I'm worried that the reality is we have an ok first line, 2 3rd lines, a decent 4th line, and a bunch of old guys on the back end shaking their fists at these damn kids as they skate by them. Also our goalie has gotten worse statistically every season.

Dave's a mess wrote: Fri Sep 22, 2023 3:27 pm

Dread_Pirate_Westley wrote: Fri Sep 22, 2023 11:07 am

Dave's a mess wrote: Thu Sep 21, 2023 2:30 pm

Well said. My heart says "maybe half the roster will bounce back!"

My head says "there might not be a single player signed long term that is worth their cap hit."

This team could be one of the worst in the conference and it wouldn't surprise me. They could also make the playoffs and it wouldn't surprise me. Feels like there's a wide ranging potential outcomes, more so than in most years. I guess it depends how pissed off they are after last season. Are they willing to be the team that outworks everyone on a nightly basis or not..

pucks in deep, pucks on net.

I agree in principle. Wide range of potential outcomes, but I feel the median outcome is probably around 80 points. Did you realize Tyler Tucker is the only likely top 6 defenseman under 30 years old? I want to believe certain guys will get healthy or get a few more bounces or whatever went wrong last year will swing the other way, but I'm worried that the reality is we have an ok first line, 2 3rd lines, a decent 4th line, and a bunch of old guys on the back end shaking their fists at these damn kids as they skate by them. Also our goalie has gotten worse statistically every season.

I am not shocked that while our defense has gotten older and worse the goalies stats have gotten worse as well. Seems to be a bit of correlation.

How many Coyotes teams are playing right now?

Dread_Pirate_Westley wrote: Fri Sep 22, 2023 8:26 pm

Dave's a mess wrote: Fri Sep 22, 2023 3:27 pm

Dread_Pirate_Westley wrote: Fri Sep 22, 2023 11:07 am

This team could be one of the worst in the conference and it wouldn't surprise me. They could also make the playoffs and it wouldn't surprise me. Feels like there's a wide ranging potential outcomes, more so than in most years. I guess it depends how pissed off they are after last season. Are they willing to be the team that outworks everyone on a nightly basis or not..

pucks in deep, pucks on net.

I agree in principle. Wide range of potential outcomes, but I feel the median outcome is probably around 80 points. Did you realize Tyler Tucker is the only likely top 6 defenseman under 30 years old? I want to believe certain guys will get healthy or get a few more bounces or whatever went wrong last year will swing the other way, but I'm worried that the reality is we have an ok first line, 2 3rd lines, a decent 4th line, and a bunch of old guys on the back end shaking their fists at these damn kids as they skate by them. Also our goalie has gotten worse statistically every season.

I am not shocked that while our defense has gotten older and worse the goalies stats have gotten worse as well. Seems to be a bit of correlation.

They're all looking out for each other, each side sharing the suck blame.

Damn, T.C.
First preseason game and no GDT??? You may need to make a trade .

That’s my captain

Dread_Pirate_Westley wrote: Sat Sep 23, 2023 9:03 pm That’s my captain

He is a beast... I may draft him first

CaptSMRT wrote: Sun Sep 24, 2023 9:02 pm

Dread_Pirate_Westley wrote: Sat Sep 23, 2023 9:03 pm That’s my captain

He is a beast... I may draft him first

Better hope you're drafting in front of me. I figure if I draft size, leadership, and Russian my team will be unstoppable. I'll run out of players to draft but even shorthanded we can prosper.

Buchinger, Burns and Mayich sent back down to juniors.

I'm a bit surprised that Buchinger had such a short camp.

BluesSK wrote: Wed Sep 27, 2023 4:39 pmBuchinger, Burns and Mayich sent back down to juniors.

I'm a bit surprised that Buchinger had such a short camp.

Good chance that Guelph wanted him back sooner than later. He is one of two key final year players on the Storm's '23-'24 roster (the other being their #1 centre & BOS draftee Matthew Poitras), and Buchinger was a big offensive contributor last season (15G+52A=67pts).

https://theathletic.com/4899566/2023/09 ... iers-2023/

Tier 5: Question marks

St. Louis Blues
Nick Leddy–Colton Parayko
Torey Krug–Justin Faulk
Scott Perunovich–Robert Bortuzzo

Other defense options: Calle Rosen, Tyler Tucker

St. Louis’ blue line was a disaster last season. Parayko isn’t equipped to be a No. 1 defender and the matter’s only made worse by the fact that he doesn’t have a legitimate top pair partner to help him out.

Krug has been a big letdown and Leddy’s overpaid too. Faulk was excellent only a year ago in 2021-22, so he has a legitimate chance of bouncing back this season.

The Blues desperately need their aging top-four defenders to rebound. If Perunovich can stay healthy, he could break out, too.

To follow up on DPW's post...there were 6 tiers. If it's any comfort, the teams in the sixth tier are appreciably worse than the Blues.

Alex Ferrario said that 2 years ago, this defense, with Scandella, was better than last year's defense, without scandella, and with a healthy scandella fully expects this D to be better than last year.

Now, how long will scandella be healthy is a great quesrion....

Ozzies09tc wrote: Thu Sep 28, 2023 4:02 pm Alex Ferrario said that 2 years ago, this defense, with Scandella, was better than last year's defense, without scandella, and with a healthy scandella fully expects this D to be better than last year.

Now, how long will scandella be healthy is a great quesrion....

Nah. He's high on hopium. Faulk needs to have a monster season and it's basically hold down the fort with the rest of the guys.

BluesSK wrote: Thu Sep 28, 2023 4:13 pm

Ozzies09tc wrote: Thu Sep 28, 2023 4:02 pm Alex Ferrario said that 2 years ago, this defense, with Scandella, was better than last year's defense, without scandella, and with a healthy scandella fully expects this D to be better than last year.

Now, how long will scandella be healthy is a great quesrion....

Nah. He's high on hopium. Faulk needs to have a monster season and it's basically hold down the fort with the rest of the guys.

Yeah was going to say the same thing. “Hopium” is fucking fantastic. Well done. And a new word has entered my vocab.

T.C. wrote: Fri Sep 29, 2023 6:21 am Yeah was going to say the same thing. “Hopium” is fucking fantastic. Well done. And a new word has entered my vocab.

Boiling the Blues 2023-24 season down to a single word.

Nick Ritchie and Andy Welinski released from their PTOs and 12 players sent down.

Surprising move with Ritchie.

ST. LOUIS – St. Louis Blues President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Doug Armstrong announced today the team has assigned 12 players to its AHL affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds.

Players assigned include forwards Mikhail Abramov, Drew Callin, Tanner Dickinson, Andre Heim, and Mitch Hoelscher, defensemen Jeremie Biakabutuka, Joseph Duszak, Marc-Andre Gaudet, Austin Osmanski, and Hunter Skinner, and goaltenders Will Cranley and Vadim Zherenko.

In addition, the Blues released forward Nick Ritchie and defenseman Andy Welinski from their professional tryouts.

The roster moves leave the Blues with 43 players in training camp.

Keeping deadass MacEachern over a physical guy who can pot double digits in goals.

Ritchie, 27, was in camp along with defenseman Andy Welinski on PTO's and Ritchie (6-foot-3, 231 pounds) who fit the bill as a player the Blues could have used to beef up the bottom six. But it would have likely meant that it cuts into playing time at the NHL level for 2021 first-round pick Jake Neighbours and/or cast out veterans Nathan Walker and Mackenzie MacEachern, who are under NHL contracts. Plus, it would mean giving Ritchie a league-minimum deal at $775,000 and the Blues would be paying someone to play in Springfield under an NHL contract if not claimed on waivers to stay under the cap ceiling of $83.5 million.

https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/st-louis- ... m-57-to-43

BluesSK wrote: Fri Sep 29, 2023 3:02 pm Nick Ritchie and Andy Welinski released from their PTOs and 12 players sent down.

Surprising move with Ritchie.

ST. LOUIS – St. Louis Blues President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Doug Armstrong announced today the team has assigned 12 players to its AHL affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds.

Players assigned include forwards Mikhail Abramov, Drew Callin, Tanner Dickinson, Andre Heim, and Mitch Hoelscher, defensemen Jeremie Biakabutuka, Joseph Duszak, Marc-Andre Gaudet, Austin Osmanski, and Hunter Skinner, and goaltenders Will Cranley and Vadim Zherenko.

In addition, the Blues released forward Nick Ritchie and defenseman Andy Welinski from their professional tryouts.

The roster moves leave the Blues with 43 players in training camp.

Keeping deadass MacEachern over a physical guy who can pot double digits in goals.

Ritchie, 27, was in camp along with defenseman Andy Welinski on PTO's and Ritchie (6-foot-3, 231 pounds) who fit the bill as a player the Blues could have used to beef up the bottom six. But it would have likely meant that it cuts into playing time at the NHL level for 2021 first-round pick Jake Neighbours and/or cast out veterans Nathan Walker and Mackenzie MacEachern, who are under NHL contracts. Plus, it would mean giving Ritchie a league-minimum deal at $775,000 and the Blues would be paying someone to play in Springfield under an NHL contract if not claimed on waivers to stay under the cap ceiling of $83.5 million.

https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/st-louis- ... m-57-to-43

Without having seen him, I assume Ritchie just flat out can't skate at even a 4th line level. Maybe it's contract stuff too, but if he's gone this early I'd think it's related to his ability.

It’s related to Army once again signing a dumbass contract, he’s really good at doing that. We all saw how silly of a deal it was when it was signed.

Whatever, on the positive at least it frees up the lineup spot for Neighbours. Let’s hope he does something with it,