big d note wrote: Fri Mar 03, 2023 10:36 am

Dread_Pirate_Westley wrote: Fri Mar 03, 2023 9:45 am

BillP. wrote: Fri Mar 03, 2023 8:29 am Armstrong is amazing. You pick up a player like that for peanuts? The guy is a damn good player, a guy that scores goals, highlight reel goals. love the deal. Damn. Army is going to plug this team up with trades and FA and keep all his picks. Blues will be a WC contender again next year with a deep prospect pool. Way to go Doug!!

Adding Kasparen and Vrana for nothing more than their cap space and a bag of pucks is a great move by Army, imo. Low risk, high reward moves. If they don't work out, then they are gone after next year anyway.

Yeah, if nothing else they should help the team stay afloat and sell tickets for the next few years while we wait for these prospects and 1st round picks to develop. Hopefully they can smooth out the dip.

RAFritchey wrote: Fri Mar 03, 2023 2:22 pm... I think we're set up pretty well heading into the Summer.

RAFritchey wrote: Fri Mar 03, 2023 2:22 pm So, the 2023 trade deadline has come and gone (barring any stragglers that came in just under the wire and haven't been announced yet), what are people's opinions of Armstrong's moves this year? I actually like them, trading away almost all of our pending UFAs (Can't blame him for not moving Greiss), adding a couple of 1st round picks in a super-deep draft, and picking up some low risk, medium-high reward players (Dean, Blais, Kapanen, Vrana) for the near and medium future. It would have been nice to do something to address the cap-heavy defense, but IMHO, those are more likely to be moves over the Summer, since none of them would be merely rentals, and we weren't looking to clear the cap space immediately for a big splash (Meier, Chychrun). Along with a likely top-10 pick and at least a chance at a lottery pick, I think we're set up pretty well heading into the Summer.

RAFritchey wrote: Fri Mar 03, 2023 2:22 pm So, the 2023 trade deadline has come and gone (barring any stragglers that came in just under the wire and haven't been announced yet), what are people's opinions of Armstrong's moves this year? I actually like them, trading away almost all of our pending UFAs (Can't blame him for not moving Greiss), adding a couple of 1st round picks in a super-deep draft, and picking up some low risk, medium-high reward players (Dean, Blais, Kapanen, Vrana) for the near and medium future. It would have been nice to do something to address the cap-heavy defense, but IMHO, those are more likely to be moves over the Summer, since none of them would be merely rentals, and we weren't looking to clear the cap space immediately for a big splash (Meier, Chychrun). Along with a likely top-10 pick and at least a chance at a lottery pick, I think we're set up pretty well heading into the Summer.

RAFritchey wrote: Fri Mar 03, 2023 2:22 pm So, the 2023 trade deadline has come and gone (barring any stragglers that came in just under the wire and haven't been announced yet), what are people's opinions of Armstrong's moves this year? I actually like them, trading away almost all of our pending UFAs (Can't blame him for not moving Greiss), adding a couple of 1st round picks in a super-deep draft, and picking up some low risk, medium-high reward players (Dean, Blais, Kapanen, Vrana) for the near and medium future. It would have been nice to do something to address the cap-heavy defense, but IMHO, those are more likely to be moves over the Summer, since none of them would be merely rentals, and we weren't looking to clear the cap space immediately for a big splash (Meier, Chychrun). Along with a likely top-10 pick and at least a chance at a lottery pick, I think we're set up pretty well heading into the Summer.

Dread_Pirate_Westley wrote: Sat Mar 04, 2023 8:31 am Bill Armstrong said he turned down an offer for two later first round picks for Chychurn and liked the Ottawa higher pick more. I’m guessing that was the Blues

Ozzies09tc wrote: Fri Mar 03, 2023 8:10 pm Jakub Vrana is gonna be a GREAT acquisition for us!!!

BillP wrote: Sat Mar 04, 2023 8:45 am

Ozzies09tc wrote: Fri Mar 03, 2023 8:10 pm Jakub Vrana is gonna be a GREAT acquisition for us!!!

Essentially Tarasenko’s replacement. Just need him to stay healthy. He had shoulder surgery too by the way

BillP wrote: Fri Mar 03, 2023 4:45 pm

RAFritchey wrote: Fri Mar 03, 2023 2:22 pm So, the 2023 trade deadline has come and gone (barring any stragglers that came in just under the wire and haven't been announced yet), what are people's opinions of Armstrong's moves this year? I actually like them, trading away almost all of our pending UFAs (Can't blame him for not moving Greiss), adding a couple of 1st round picks in a super-deep draft, and picking up some low risk, medium-high reward players (Dean, Blais, Kapanen, Vrana) for the near and medium future. It would have been nice to do something to address the cap-heavy defense, but IMHO, those are more likely to be moves over the Summer, since none of them would be merely rentals, and we weren't looking to clear the cap space immediately for a big splash (Meier, Chychrun). Along with a likely top-10 pick and at least a chance at a lottery pick, I think we're set up pretty well heading into the Summer.

Basically 3 first round picks added when you include Dean. You picked up a nice piece in Kapanen, a former first round pick himself. You got Vrana at zero cost, a high end scorer who essentially replaces Tarasenko. I’m sure Army will fill out the forward group thru free agency. If successful, this team will look pretty good next year, and to have our prospect pool beefed up at the same time is a feather in Army’s cap.
Grade: A

BillP wrote: Fri Mar 03, 2023 4:45 pm

RAFritchey wrote: Fri Mar 03, 2023 2:22 pm So, the 2023 trade deadline has come and gone (barring any stragglers that came in just under the wire and haven't been announced yet), what are people's opinions of Armstrong's moves this year? I actually like them, trading away almost all of our pending UFAs (Can't blame him for not moving Greiss), adding a couple of 1st round picks in a super-deep draft, and picking up some low risk, medium-high reward players (Dean, Blais, Kapanen, Vrana) for the near and medium future. It would have been nice to do something to address the cap-heavy defense, but IMHO, those are more likely to be moves over the Summer, since none of them would be merely rentals, and we weren't looking to clear the cap space immediately for a big splash (Meier, Chychrun). Along with a likely top-10 pick and at least a chance at a lottery pick, I think we're set up pretty well heading into the Summer.

Basically 3 first round picks added when you include Dean. You picked up a nice piece in Kapanen, a former first round pick himself. You got Vrana at zero cost, a high end scorer who essentially replaces Tarasenko. I’m sure Army will fill out the forward group thru free agency. If successful, this team will look pretty good next year, and to have our prospect pool beefed up at the same time is a feather in Army’s cap.
Grade: A

BillP wrote: Sat Mar 04, 2023 8:40 am

Dread_Pirate_Westley wrote: Sat Mar 04, 2023 8:31 am Bill Armstrong said he turned down an offer for two later first round picks for Chychurn and liked the Ottawa higher pick more. I’m guessing that was the Blues

Oh boy, I would be really disappointed in Army if that really was him with that offer. What a bust of a deal that would have been. This isn’t Denis Potvin. Talk about overrated, what the heck would he do for us? Sick of these overrated offensive defensemen. See Krug. These guys just disappear. Give me someone that can actually defend, that’s a skill you never lose.

Dave's a mess wrote: Sat Mar 04, 2023 10:50 am

BillP wrote: Sat Mar 04, 2023 8:40 am

Dread_Pirate_Westley wrote: Sat Mar 04, 2023 8:31 am Bill Armstrong said he turned down an offer for two later first round picks for Chychurn and liked the Ottawa higher pick more. I’m guessing that was the Blues

Oh boy, I would be really disappointed in Army if that really was him with that offer. What a bust of a deal that would have been. This isn’t Denis Potvin. Talk about overrated, what the heck would he do for us? Sick of these overrated offensive defensemen. See Krug. These guys just disappear. Give me someone that can actually defend, that’s a skill you never lose.

But Chychrun is good defensively. It's ok to be good at both. Right now those draft picks both are in the late 20s range. At least 2 years of a strong all around D might be worth 2 picks in that range. I'd have been curious about what other moves a deal like that would've spurred.

Dave's a mess wrote: Sat Mar 04, 2023 10:50 am

BillP wrote: Sat Mar 04, 2023 8:40 am

Dread_Pirate_Westley wrote: Sat Mar 04, 2023 8:31 am Bill Armstrong said he turned down an offer for two later first round picks for Chychurn and liked the Ottawa higher pick more. I’m guessing that was the Blues

Oh boy, I would be really disappointed in Army if that really was him with that offer. What a bust of a deal that would have been. This isn’t Denis Potvin. Talk about overrated, what the heck would he do for us? Sick of these overrated offensive defensemen. See Krug. These guys just disappear. Give me someone that can actually defend, that’s a skill you never lose.

But Chychrun is good defensively. It's ok to be good at both. Right now those draft picks both are in the late 20s range. At least 2 years of a strong all around D might be worth 2 picks in that range. I'd have been curious about what other moves a deal like that would've spurred.

Dread_Pirate_Westley wrote: Intriguing second line

Buchnevich-Thomas-Kyrou
Vrana-Schenn-Kapanen
Saad-Brown-Blais/Leivo
Toropchenko/Walker-Alexandrov-Pitlick

BluesSK wrote: Blues sign Malmstron

BillP. wrote: Tue Mar 07, 2023 7:02 am

BluesSK wrote: Blues sign Malmstron

13 points in 89 college games. Yawn..................his name is too hard to call during a hockey game anyway.

BluesSK wrote: Tue Mar 07, 2023 7:13 am

BillP. wrote: Tue Mar 07, 2023 7:02 am

BluesSK wrote: Blues sign Malmstron

13 points in 89 college games. Yawn..................his name is too hard to call during a hockey game anyway.

I think if we can find a solid, stay at home Dman it will be just what the doctor ordered.