Biggest surprise so far

[Captain Creampuff]

Like the other thread that 2MM but a little more positive. After all this team has a lot of bright spots to look at so far this year. We don't get to brag about our team a lot so let's do it here. So what has been this biggest surprise for you this year?

For me it has been Vladimir Sobotka. I wasn't thrilled or mad that he was coming back this season. I kinda figured he would be a 3rd/4th line player like he was for us in the past and wouldn't bring much offensively. He's really helped solidify the 2nd line as a shutdown line that can still contribute offensively. He's currently on pace for a career high of 54 points with 10 in 15 so far this year.

HMs to Yeo, Petro, Schwartz, Schenn, Dunn, and Edmundson

Click to read more...

 

[Frenzy31]

I would say Schenn is the biggest surprise. Listening to Phili fans all he was good at is the PP. he has been decent at center, again considering they said he couldn’t play center....

Schwartz would be the other one. He has been great.

 

[PiggySmalls]

There are 3 things I am most surprised about and all three are intertwined.
-Edmundson’s offensive game
-D Corps being so active in the O-Zone
-Yeo’s D-Corps scheme, the D is so much better at gap closure. It is if it makes you think after all these years it wasn’t the players that was getting it wrong.

 

[ManyIdeas]

Joel "Offensive Dynamo" Edmundson
Brayden "Powerplay-specialist winger" Schenn
Jaden the Unsustainable Schwartz

 

[carter333167]

Not really surprised by Ed....he has the fast trigger on his shot that Parayko needs to develop. He has naturally aggressive offensive instincts.

I'm probably more surprised by Dunn's rapid development.

 

[TheBluePenguin]

Dunn for me, the kids just keeps getting better. I had hoped that Schenn and Edmundson would pau like this,

 

[Old Blueser]

The new aggressive style of the D and its success so far. Hats off to the coaches, hope we can sustain it.

 

[2 Minute Minor]

I don’t think anyone has mentioned Allen’s steady play. Maybe we all expected it, but reading last year’s threads I wouldn’t think so.

I’m going to assume this is a list for pleasant surprises. I’m most pleased with not just the winning record in spite of injuries, but the way they’re winning. They’re not grinding out games against better opponents. The Blues look like the better team almost every night. They control the pace of play, move the puck quickly, and apply aggressive checking in places we aren’t used to seeing. The defense is integrated into the 5 man unit much more seamlessly. It’s not about conditioning forwards to play defense, or not that simply. The forwards and defensemen cover and rotate in a way that is predictable to their teammates. So the passing continues quickly and the play stays alive. But it’s not so restrictive that creativity is stifled.

I’m pleasantly surprised with the combination of Yeo’s coaching, the effectiveness of his staff, and the suitability of the roster Armstrong put together (despite several injuries to key players). It’s true the Blues don’t have the superstars at every position, but they have the right players for this system. The Schenn trade was expensive, but it was a really great move. Poor Jori. Glad he’s someone else’s problem.

I’d like to examine more about what exactly was the ‘step backward’ and ‘step forward’ Armstrong talked about last season to this. In a future post some time.

 

[Stealth JD]

The record. Four losses through 15. Couldnt have hoped for such success.

 

[542365]

Vince Dunn and Brayden Schenn. Schwartz’s point totals have been a pleasant surprise too, but this is how he’s always played. The puck is just finding the net more often right now. I’m no longer surprised by anything Petro does. He’s just such a stud that I’ve just come to expect him to do something incredible every game. He’s like the Blues’ version of Yadi. He’s always doing something amazing so it’s hard to be surprised anymore.

I really liked Dunn before this season and thought he’d eventually blossom into an effective puck moving top 4 Dman. My surprise is how quickly he’s done it and how comfortable he looks with the puck on his stick. He’s not afraid to carry it or stick handle in traffic. His skating is fantastic and his pairing with Bort has been very solid in their own end. Coaching staff already trusts his offensive game too even though he hasn’t been super productive yet. He’s asked the carry the puck up the ice on the second PP even though Parayko is on the same unit. I don’t know how you can take him out of the lineup when Bo returns.

Schenn is just such a well rounded player. There’s pretty much no situation where I don’t want him on the ice. He’s been exactly what we needed.

 

[TheDizee]

schwartz playing at a elite level

 

[EastonBlues22]

Schenn's play at center and the effectiveness of the left side of the defense in Bouwmeester's absence are probably at the top for me. You could name any number of guys who are (probably) over-performing with the numbers they are currently putting up (Schwartz, Sobotka, anyone on the defense scoring goals, etc.), but unlike those, I think that the two that I mentioned above have a pretty reasonable chance of continuing for the duration of the season.

Allen doesn't quite qualify for me. He's not currently doing anything that I didn't think was possible, or that is "surprising" per se. He played better for longer to close out last year, after all. I think most of the non-knee-jerk concerns around him are based on whether he can play to this level consistently (or as consistently as can be expected from a top goalie). A strong start to the season might allay some doom and gloom fears of some that the second half of last year was a complete flash in the pan, but it's not going to answer the bigger (and more reasonable) version of the consistency question. That won't be answered until his multi-year track record can speak for itself.

 

[Evocable Manager]

The lack of need for Bouwmeester and Dunn's emergence shouldn't be a shock to anyone.

 

[EastonBlues22]

The lack of need for Bouwmeester and Dunn's emergence shouldn't be a shock to anyone.

I disagree. A whole lot of people expected a hit on the left side when Bouwmeester went down. I certainly did.

I'd also argue the list of people who expected Gunnarsson to play as well as he has after how he played last year, how well Dunn has played as a young rookie defenseman, and for Edmundson to arguably take another step forward after stepping up last year is pretty small. Even if you believe that it's true, thinking "Bouwmeester sucks, we won't miss him" isn't the same as expecting all the other stuff to come to pass.

 

[AjaxManifesto]

11-3-1 with 3 starters out.

Big surprise.

 

[bluesman11]

The defense or is that the offense, I don't know, it's complicated.

 

[Dbrownss]

Schwartz...i only say him because I expect him to slow down to a sub PPG player and he keeps telling me to f*** off and watch this.

Schenn...I expected him to regress to being a winger......he also told me to f*** off

Allen...Im not suprised, but i did expect a more up and down season. He's conditioned me to feel like that though.

Coaching, I expected a boring system, and like 2MM said, the Blues actually look like they belong where they are. The only game they looked like crap was Florida, but they played alot of hockey right off the bat to start the season by that time. I use LA and Columbus as a measuring stick. Both those teams can flat out dominate, but the Blues ended up controlling them. It use to be Chicago, but Stl has slapped them around going back into last season, they just kinda suck now.

 

[shpongle falls]

Great thread idea, this season has been full of surprises so far.

For me it's not only how effective Schenn has played at center but also his instant chemistry with Schwartz. Also the elite level of play from Schwartz so far has been surprising in the sense that, I think we all knew he was going to get better now that he's healthy and in his prime but I didn't know he could be THIS good!

The other big surprise is the play of Dunn so far, I didn't expect him to be as good and poised as he has been this early in the season. I mean it seems like every time the puck is on his stick he makes the right play. Kid looks legit af.

 

[Evocable Manager]

I disagree. A whole lot of people expected a hit on the left side when Bouwmeester went down. I certainly did.

I'd also argue the list of people who expected Gunnarsson to play as well as he has after how he played last year, how well Dunn has played as a young rookie defenseman, and for Edmundson to arguably take another step forward after stepping up last year is pretty small. Even if you believe that it's true, thinking "Bouwmeester sucks, we won't miss him" isn't the same as expecting all the other stuff to come to pass.

I didn't say I expected everything to go as it has. But I did expect Dunn to impress and I never believed Bouwmeester was critical to the success of the team. Edmundson and Gunnarsson have definitely been a pleasant surprise. Though Edmundson should be trending up (hopefully), I do think Gunnarsson will fall back down to being Gunnarsson eventually.

The only other surprise for me is Schenn. He clicks really well with the team and I like him. I'm still not sold he's been worth both 1sts but getting rid of Lehtera was a godsend and that in itself probably equals it all out.

 

[mw2noobbuster]

Zach Danford is my biggest surprise.

 

[LetsGoBooze]

Barbashev.... for all the wrong reasons.

(Edit: Oops didnt see the other thread and realize this was supposed to be a positive surprise)

 

[Ranksu]

I'll come back after regular season ends.

 

[Renard]

We went into the season without Kevin Shattenkirk. Then we lost Fabbri to injury, and none of our rookie forward prospects made the team. I thought we would have trouble scoring goals.

So, I'm pleasantly surprised by the team's offense. Particularly Jaden Schwartz. He is a better player than I thought he was.

 

[542365]

I'll come back after regular season ends.

Kinda defeats the purpose of "so far".

 

[Falco Lombardi]

Brayden Schenn has surpassed my expectations. The chemistry he has with Jaden Schwartz is unreal.

Carl Gunnarsson and Vince Dunn have also exceeded expectations.