Ozzies09tc wrote: Sat Dec 16, 2023 7:32 am If we want another cup, stay away from bruce boudreau.

If we are "fine" with "just playoffs" hire bruce boudreau

We're a million miles away from the Cup as it stands right now. I only mentioned him in the context of getting this team coached back into relevance.

BluesSK wrote: Sat Dec 16, 2023 12:21 pm

Ozzies09tc wrote: Sat Dec 16, 2023 7:32 am If we want another cup, stay away from bruce boudreau.

If we are "fine" with "just playoffs" hire bruce boudreau

We're a million miles away from the Cup as it stands right now. I only mentioned him in the context of getting this team coached back into relevance.

That's fair, but in context to this lineup, i still feel the wrong person was let go.

Polish a turd all ya want.

It's in the Blues best interest all around if Bannister is the permanent head coach. 1. It obviously means he's impressed in his tenure and 2. I doubt Stillman has much of a stomach for paying Berube and another new coaches salaries.

Dread_Pirate_Westley wrote: Sun Dec 17, 2023 8:47 am It's in the Blues best interest all around if Bannister is the permanent head coach. 1. It obviously means he's impressed in his tenure and 2. I doubt Stillman has much of a stomach for paying Berube and another new coaches salaries.

Berube is under contract until the end of next season either way. So it seems Bannister has impressed

Hugh McGing is Hugh McGone.

Love the unhinged replies though.

BluesSK wrote: Wed Dec 20, 2023 11:13 pm Hugh McGing is Hugh McGone.

Love the unhinged replies though.

I don't have Twitter... What're some of the good ones?

Ozzies09tc wrote: Thu Dec 21, 2023 8:53 am

BluesSK wrote: Wed Dec 20, 2023 11:13 pm Hugh McGing is Hugh McGone.

Love the unhinged replies though.

I don't have Twitter... What're some of the good ones?

Just the general blame Armstrong replies. Send Kyrou down instead. Stuff like that.

BluesSK wrote: Thu Dec 21, 2023 9:13 am

Ozzies09tc wrote: Thu Dec 21, 2023 8:53 am

BluesSK wrote: Wed Dec 20, 2023 11:13 pm Hugh McGing is Hugh McGone.

Love the unhinged replies though.

I don't have Twitter... What're some of the good ones?

Just the general blame Armstrong replies. Send Kyrou down instead. Stuff like that.

I find the differing fan reactions to Berube and Armstrong fascinating. Berube gets fired and fans immediately call for Armstrong's head. They rightly blame this year's mediocrity on roster construction, and lament that the coach that delivered the first Cup to St. Louis has been let go. If Armstrong gets fired at the end of the year (not going to happen), will the fan reaction be the same? I think so, but it'll probably take a bit more time. Some fans on this forum at least were getting fed up with some of Berube's performance before his firing, but big picture the team had pretty much performed to preseason expectations. In the end if Armstrong ever gets let go I think he'll be well remembered not just as the GM who delivered St. Louis it's first Cup, but also oversaw what has to be the most successful era in team history.

Dave's a mess wrote: Thu Dec 21, 2023 10:20 am

BluesSK wrote: Thu Dec 21, 2023 9:13 am

Ozzies09tc wrote: Thu Dec 21, 2023 8:53 amI don't have Twitter... What're some of the good ones?

Just the general blame Armstrong replies. Send Kyrou down instead. Stuff like that.

I find the differing fan reactions to Berube and Armstrong fascinating. Berube gets fired and fans immediately call for Armstrong's head. They rightly blame this year's mediocrity on roster construction, and lament that the coach that delivered the first Cup to St. Louis has been let go. If Armstrong gets fired at the end of the year (not going to happen), will the fan reaction be the same? I think so, but it'll probably take a bit more time. Some fans on this forum at least were getting fed up with some of Berube's performance before his firing, but big picture the team had pretty much performed to preseason expectations. In the end if Armstrong ever gets let go I think he'll be well remembered not just as the GM who delivered St. Louis it's first Cup, but also oversaw what has to be the most successful era in team history.

Congrats on being Army's new agent, Dave.

JMC-STL wrote: Thu Dec 21, 2023 12:07 pm

Dave's a mess wrote: Thu Dec 21, 2023 10:20 am

BluesSK wrote: Thu Dec 21, 2023 9:13 am
Just the general blame Armstrong replies. Send Kyrou down instead. Stuff like that.

I find the differing fan reactions to Berube and Armstrong fascinating. Berube gets fired and fans immediately call for Armstrong's head. They rightly blame this year's mediocrity on roster construction, and lament that the coach that delivered the first Cup to St. Louis has been let go. If Armstrong gets fired at the end of the year (not going to happen), will the fan reaction be the same? I think so, but it'll probably take a bit more time. Some fans on this forum at least were getting fed up with some of Berube's performance before his firing, but big picture the team had pretty much performed to preseason expectations. In the end if Armstrong ever gets let go I think he'll be well remembered not just as the GM who delivered St. Louis it's first Cup, but also oversaw what has to be the most successful era in team history.

Congrats on being Army's new agent, Dave.

Thank you. Smart of me to get hired as agent for a guy who might not be signing another new contract

Also he still should've signed Petro.

He's a GREAT GM. Easily one of the best. Ever. He's also the longest tenured GM in the league. He assembled a cup winning team and dismantled it in 3 years. IDK anyone better for the job, but that's not my job to know. All i can say is he may be feeling untouchable and is going through the motions to fill a roster. All I know is, this team sucks.

Ozzies09tc wrote: Thu Dec 21, 2023 4:29 pm He's a GREAT GM. Easily one of the best. Ever. He's also the longest tenured GM in the league. He assembled a cup winning team and dismantled it in 3 years. IDK anyone better for the job, but that's not my job to know. All i can say is he may be feeling untouchable and is going through the motions to fill a roster. All I know is, this team sucks.

I don't think he was phoning it in building this team, he just got the blue line wrong. I think big changes will come before next October. How soon is anyone's guess.

Mackenzie MacUseless sent back down.

Fun Fact: We drafted him before Parayko.

Faulk to IR....Vrana promoted...Alexandrov demoted
Carry on...

Looking at the standings, I am really struggling to find a path the to playoffs for the Blues.

They are 10 points being 3rd place in the central so catching one of them seems done and dusted. So we are left vying for a wildcard spot. After really dreadful starts, it sure appears both Seattle and Edmonton have corrected their course. Both have won 6 straight to pass the Blues. Seattle has points in 10 straight. Calgary has won three in a row to get tied with the Blues. Then you have the Yotes and Nashville who are both currently ahead of the Blues. The Blues would have to beat out 4 of those 5 teams listed..

I'm really finding it difficult to believe they will be able to do that.

Happy New Year

Dread_Pirate_Westley wrote: Sat Jan 06, 2024 8:52 am Looking at the standings, I am really struggling to find a path the to playoffs for the Blues.

They are 10 points being 3rd place in the central so catching one of them seems done and dusted. So we are left vying for a wildcard spot. After really dreadful starts, it sure appears both Seattle and Edmonton have corrected their course. Both have won 6 straight to pass the Blues. Seattle has points in 10 straight. Calgary has won three in a row to get tied with the Blues. Then you have the Yotes and Nashville who are both currently ahead of the Blues. The Blues would have to beat out 4 of those 5 teams listed..

I'm really finding it difficult to believe they will be able to do that.

Happy New Year

Edmonton was always better than their record, and they'll make whatever adjustments they need to as long as they still have McDavid and Draisaitl. I'd bet on them to make it.

As for the second wild card spot, I think it's still VERY much up in the air:

Nashville has played two more games than we have, and is 4 points ahead of us.
Seattle has played two more games than us, and is 2 points ahead.
Arizona has played the same number of games as us, and is one point ahead.
Calgary has played two more games than us and has the same number of points.
Minnesota has played the same number of games as us, and is 3 points behind us.

If we win the two games in hand we have on Nashville, we'd also have the first tie-breaker (regulation wins), so we'd edge them out.

Just be glad that PP% is NOT one of the tie-breaker categories!

It won't be easy, by any stretch, but certainly doable. We're still in the thick of it, and, as the cliche goes, "Every point counts."

Dread_Pirate_Westley wrote: Sat Jan 06, 2024 8:52 am Looking at the standings, I am really struggling to find a path the to playoffs for the Blues.

They are 10 points being 3rd place in the central so catching one of them seems done and dusted. So we are left vying for a wildcard spot. After really dreadful starts, it sure appears both Seattle and Edmonton have corrected their course. Both have won 6 straight to pass the Blues. Seattle has points in 10 straight. Calgary has won three in a row to get tied with the Blues. Then you have the Yotes and Nashville who are both currently ahead of the Blues. The Blues would have to beat out 4 of those 5 teams listed..

I'm really finding it difficult to believe they will be able to do that.

Happy New Year

The way I see it, the Blues are one of 6 teams competing for the final Wild Card spot. Edmonton with at the very minimum get the first wild card spot, so I'm not counting them. The 5 teams besides the Blues are Nashville, Seattle, Arizona, Calgary and Minnesota. That group is just an absolute heaping dose of mediocrity. I could absolutely see the Blues winning that pillow fight over the next 43 games, but I don't really think they're appreciably better or worse than any of those 5. Odds are they miss out. Big changes in the offseason.

Dave's a mess wrote: Sat Jan 06, 2024 3:29 pm

Dread_Pirate_Westley wrote: Sat Jan 06, 2024 8:52 am Looking at the standings, I am really struggling to find a path the to playoffs for the Blues.

They are 10 points being 3rd place in the central so catching one of them seems done and dusted. So we are left vying for a wildcard spot. After really dreadful starts, it sure appears both Seattle and Edmonton have corrected their course. Both have won 6 straight to pass the Blues. Seattle has points in 10 straight. Calgary has won three in a row to get tied with the Blues. Then you have the Yotes and Nashville who are both currently ahead of the Blues. The Blues would have to beat out 4 of those 5 teams listed..

I'm really finding it difficult to believe they will be able to do that.

Happy New Year

The way I see it, the Blues are one of 6 teams competing for the final Wild Card spot. Edmonton with at the very minimum get the first wild card spot, so I'm not counting them. The 5 teams besides the Blues are Nashville, Seattle, Arizona, Calgary and Minnesota. That group is just an absolute heaping dose of mediocrity. I could absolutely see the Blues winning that pillow fight over the next 43 games, but I don't really think they're appreciably better or worse than any of those 5. Odds are they miss out. Big changes in the offseason.

A lot is gonna depend on which version of Vrana comes back from his time-out... If he plays up to his potential, he could be a real difference maker... especially on the power-play...which if it had been halfway decent, this season, we wouldn't even be talking about this.

Part of the deciding factor for me, too, is that we really wouldn't get anything significant if we 'sell off' our pending UFAs. Unless we can swing a BIG deal for one of our 'locked in' defensive contracts, I don't think we'd get any more than an extra 3rd and/or 4th round pick or deep prospect from the likes of Kapanen, Vrana, Blais, Sundqvist, Walker, or Scandella.

RAFritchey wrote: Sat Jan 06, 2024 4:09 pm Part of the deciding factor for me, too, is that we really wouldn't get anything significant if we 'sell off' our pending UFAs. Unless we can swing a BIG deal for one of our 'locked in' defensive contracts, I don't think we'd get any more than an extra 3rd and/or 4th round pick or deep prospect from the likes of Kapanen, Vrana, Blais, Sundqvist, Walker, or Scandella.

Oddly enough, I think of those guys, Scandella will probably be the most movable. Teams get super trigger happy when it comes to average D men at the deadline.

Sure sounds like there’s at least a chance we see Snugs in a Blues jersey this season.

Dread_Pirate_Westley wrote: Mon Jan 08, 2024 9:23 pm Sure sounds like there’s at least a chance we see Snugs in a Blues jersey this season.

I'd love to see their whiteboard of where they have projected players positioned for the next few years.

Greasy wrist shot

but why?? He’s played two games and Army thought he needed to lock him up to a two year guaranteed deal??

Dread_Pirate_Westley wrote: Tue Jan 09, 2024 11:43 am but why?? He’s played two games and Army thought he needed to lock him up to a two year guaranteed deal??

Ope, I just posted this in the other thread, but, it's also a one way deal so he gets his money either way