Blues News Forum

BluesSK wrote: Sat Jun 29, 2024 1:57 pm

BillP wrote: Sat Jun 29, 2024 11:52 am

Dread_Pirate_Westley wrote: Sat Jun 29, 2024 11:38 am Okay well if that's the going price we aren't trading Hofer then, and rightfully so. What a trade

Caps are going to be so bad by the time Ovie hangs them up.

Yeah. They are throwing the kitchen sink at getting him the goal scoring record and are fucking up their franchise for a decade. Is that worth it?

As the resident capitals fan, yes.

Stanley cups are damn near impossible to win, but so are breaking gretzky's records.

Dave's a mess wrote: Sat Jun 29, 2024 11:22 am Fischer is a player NHL scouts and folks around the OHL have a lot of time for. He played huge minutes (28-30+ most nights) for a rebuilding Sarnia team this year and while he was occasionally exposed by a poor group, he’s 6-foot-3, he defends, he’s tough, he’s really quite mobile (and an excellent natural athlete in several ways), and by all accounts he’s a great character kid/player you want on your team. He’s also one of the youngest players in the draft and was just a week away from eligibility for 2025. Add in good athleticism and a frame that will continue to add muscle and there’s a lot to like. I’ve questioned his reads/timing/decision-making at times and while he can chase it and be erratic at times, there are a lot of tools there and his and his team’s maturity played a role. With reps and continued development, he could be a solid depth NHL D.

So, a D-man that is sometimes good, sometimes enraging? Sounds like the prototypical Blues player these days. Right on the money, he’ll fit right in.

Hopefully this draft produces an NHL regular or two out of it. I don't see a lot of true upside in them though. No top 6 forwards, no top pairing d-man. It seems like a few of them had down draft years and their development stalled out which is worrisome. Sometimes happens with these tall players because as they grow, sometimes their coordination, puck skill suffers as a result.

Of course, Jiricek could bounce back and regain the spark that had him as a top 10 prospect coming into the year and it'll look like a steal for the Blues. But my feelings about this draft are very different than after the last couple years drafts. Certainly not going to write off the kid as soon as he's drafted though. I'd love to be proven wrong and laugh at this thread a couple years from now.

Wheeler ranks the Blues as Overtime losers in his winners and losers rankings for whatever those are worth.


https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/558846 ... rs-losers/

The Blues clearly set out to build their pool on defense, which I think was the right approach. I thought taking Colin Ralph at No. 48 was a smidge early for a kid who is going to have to progress in some important areas to give good value there, but he’s a huge player with some redeeming qualities.

The Adam Jiricek and Lukas Fischer picks felt like the proper range. Jiricek comes with some risk after his lost season but he’s got an NHL makeup and some room for growth despite having already played at the pro level. I heard a lot about Fischer in the second half. He performed well in testing and interviews at the combine, he’s by all accounts an awesome kid, and he played huge minutes on a young Sarnia team in the OHL this season. There’s a belief among many around the OHL that he’s going to be a top-six defenseman in the NHL. He’s got the size, athleticism and physicality. With a little tidying up of the decision-making, he could be a solid pick with a late second-rounder.
They added some size at forward with their two third-rounders, though I’ve got a lot more time for the second kid they picked (Adam Jecho) than the first one (Ondrej Kos). Jecho needs to work on his mobility but he’s got some tools, and I’ve seen him make skill plays. I’ve always felt Kos was quite vanilla.

I didn’t rank Tomas Mrsic, but there are people around the WHL who believe in him, and that’s enough for me to like him at No. 113. He’s also got more skill than his production to this point indicates. He can make plays.

I wouldn’t expect fifth-rounder William McIsaac or seventh-rounders Antoine Dorion or Matvei Korotky to get NHL deals. The Blues could have been overtime winners, maybe.

Dread_Pirate_Westley wrote: Sun Jun 30, 2024 8:30 am Hopefully this draft produces an NHL regular or two out of it. I don't see a lot of true upside in them though. No top 6 forwards, no top pairing d-man. It seems like a few of them had down draft years and their development stalled out which is worrisome. Sometimes happens with these tall players because as they grow, sometimes their coordination, puck skill suffers as a result.

Of course, Jiricek could bounce back and regain the spark that had him as a top 10 prospect coming into the year and it'll look like a steal for the Blues. But my feelings about this draft are very different than after the last couple years drafts. Certainly not going to write off the kid as soon as he's drafted though. I'd love to be proven wrong and laugh at this thread a couple years from now.

Maybe Fischer is another Parayko? This draft no doubt should be labeled the “Prove it” draft. Cause that’s what it feels like. No feeling of excitement here like last year. Complete opposite.

BillP wrote: Sun Jun 30, 2024 8:51 am

Dread_Pirate_Westley wrote: Sun Jun 30, 2024 8:30 am Hopefully this draft produces an NHL regular or two out of it. I don't see a lot of true upside in them though. No top 6 forwards, no top pairing d-man. It seems like a few of them had down draft years and their development stalled out which is worrisome. Sometimes happens with these tall players because as they grow, sometimes their coordination, puck skill suffers as a result.

Of course, Jiricek could bounce back and regain the spark that had him as a top 10 prospect coming into the year and it'll look like a steal for the Blues. But my feelings about this draft are very different than after the last couple years drafts. Certainly not going to write off the kid as soon as he's drafted though. I'd love to be proven wrong and laugh at this thread a couple years from now.

Maybe Fischer is another Parayko? This draft no doubt should be labeled the “Prove it” draft. Cause that’s what it feels like.

I definitely have higher hopes for him than Ralph. Not that it means much, but there just seems to be more there. Plus being the kid of a former player, you know he was well coached and knows the work it takes to make it to the league. His Dad's career tragically got cut short, maybe he can go on to have the career his Dad should have had, except for the good guys.

The show me state draft.

Last season the Blues got the meat and this draft season they got the potatoes.

That's not necessarily a bad thing. I really think their intention was to get guys who will be solid depth guys and perhaps better at an NHL level. They won't all make it but some of them will.

Most of these kids are BIG and one thing that was noticable in the first three picks is that they are young, just draft eligible.

These a long term projects who the Blues want to develop right. And the Blues do have a good track record of developing later round defensemen.

I think a lot of the difference in the Blues drafting this year as opposed to last year are two-fold:

-we had 3 first round picks last year, and only 1 this year

and

-the draft itself wasn't as deep and didn't have as much high-end talent in general.

I'd hate to make a living drafting 16th or worse looking for diamonds in the rough. But I guess that's why scouts got paid.

Reviving this thread after watching this video the Blues released. Gets pretty interesting once they get to the draft table.

To me it looks like they were very worried about getting stuck without a player they liked at all at 16. You see some of the conversations they were having about moving up to 12. Seems as though they were deciding between Jiricek and another player (assume Buium) if they did so. Luckily it seems as though some of the other teams went off the Blues board in the picks in between.