Pre-Game Talk: Jets @ Blues | Thurs, Oct 4th, 7PM CT | TSN | Season Opener

[surixon]

Is it puck drop time yet, getting restless lol.

 

[Trilliann]

I haven't been following him since he got traded. Did he get injured during the Blues pre-season/training camp?

Yes, concussion, during the prospects tournament

This from the HFBlues:

And yeah, bad that Foley got another concussion. I still need to go back and re-watch the CLB game to see if I can find that hit that concussed Foley.

He got a concussion his last game of college hockey too. Hopefully he can overcome this stuff. ​

https://hfboards.mandatory.com/thre...read-2018-2019.2501561/page-14#post-149444215

Blues' Erik Foley: Designated for non-roster IR

 

[Sperss1997]

I've seen glimpses of Connor, Little Laine in practice -- not sure they've played together much when it counted but it seems a nice balance of strengths, and I don't see Ehlers being much less productive than Connor on the top line, since his speed and puck skills seem likely to have as much impact as KC's work along the boards in terms of possession time and chances, and since Ehlers is also IMO an underrated backchecker. Has LLC ever been a thing?

I think Ehlers will do significantly better than Connor on the topline, simply because he is a better player and because he has been effective there in the past. Some commentators on NHL.com voted ESW as the best line in Hockey before 17/18 season and everyone had them in top 5 (not that this make it a truth). That being said, Connor has yet to prove that he can fit in somewhere else so putting him on the first line is definitely the right thing to do, imo. Ehlers can fit in most places - I just hope that LLE is burried for good. I also think that both Laine and Ehlers are guys you want to give 18+ minutes on average. They are good enough to take that workload now (and more...), and they need the ice time to be the best players they can be. Unfortunately for them, there are so much talent on this team who could say the same. If he cannot get more ice time this or next season he could be looking for a trade - and an Ehlers-trade should give a rather significant return. Ehlers could easily be a ppg player with more ice time in near future with more ice time - with the ice time he gets and lack of pp1 time, I dont think he will make more than 65 point coming season.

On another note: I am curious to see what effect his personal "shoot more" goal will have this season. Will he be able to do that or be more of a passer and skate in circles like past seasons

 

[YWGinYYZ]

Connor is currently far better at puck retrieval and pursuit in general than Ehlers. I'm sure that this plays a big part of the reason he's on the first line with Wheels and Scheif.

Doesn't hurt that he's a dangerous scorer as well.

 

[Tommigun]

I think you answered your own question as to why he dano is not a regular.

It wasn't really a question, I was just lamenting the fact.

 

[SUX2BU]

Can't wait for this season to start .....

 

[PhilJets]

Lets go Helly!

Get your 1st of your 50 regular season wins this year

 

[AlphaLackey]

It's gonna suck watching all these other teams starting the hockey season today without being one of them

 

[Adam da bomb]

Wrong. CBJ played him.

The better player is the one on the team only if the coach chooses the better player. They do not always do so.

Look all the skills in the world don't mean anything if you aren't playing. You and me will have to disagree as you think skills in a nutshell make someone better. I see better as who has added more to the team because they fit the available role better. Dano might be great but he kept himself off the team by not slimming down. There was no conspiracy against him just laziness. Evidenced how good he looked this camp. The real point that I was trying to make in the original post is I'm fine with being alone on something. Ppl were being jerks and making dumb comments because I said Connor was better than Ehlers. Like stating evidenced by my username which I think shows humility which is something lacking on this board. Everyone thinks they know more than everyone else. You probably do because of your job. I'm fine with disagreeing and stating a contrary position.
As I am probablywrong but willing to open up to the fact I can't know everything.
Ultimately how can one player be better than another. A player can be better for a role like how Tanev is for CLT even if he wouldn't be a top 6 player. Also how can you not root for players like Tanev or Thorburn who work harder. You'd never see Tanev have a cocky attitude and show up to a camp overweight and out of shape.

 

[Howard Chuck]

When I first joined this board the tone was far different.

 

[Royale With Cheese]

Wheeler is the 4th best wing on the team. Any combination of Laine-Connor-Ehlers with Scheif would outproduce him.

Thanks for the laugh.

 

[Royale With Cheese]

I've long believed that after we win a cup the PGT of the final game will soon turn into a roaring debate on who Wheeler hands the cup to first , which will in turn will move onto Maurice and his terrible lineup choices and how he favours vets, then on to Chevy needlessly giving away players who should have been part of a cup winning team, to there will be no doubt that Chipman will now cheap out since he has won a cup.

And why the hell wasn't Lee Stempniak on the team?

 

[Neuf]

qaulity team

I really think Blues are going to have a good season

 

[TorJet]

When I first joined this board the tone was far different.

It’s depressing - we’re a top 5 Cup favourite and the tone here is mind bogglingly negative.

And the season hasn’t even started.

Arguing over which 30 goal young gun should play third banana on your top line is a GOOD problem to have....

 

[Zhamnov5GoalGame]

It’s depressing - we’re a top 5 Cup favourite and the tone here is mind bogglingly negative.

And the season hasn’t even started.

Arguing over which 30 goal young gun should play third banana on your top line is a GOOD problem to have....

We seem obsessed with debating Ehlers vs Connor. Let’s just be glad we have first line talent on our “4th” line. Injuries will come and all of these guys will play with a lot of different line mates before it’s all said and done. No more 2nd line Thorbs!!!

 

[Zhamnov5GoalGame]

What Center not on the trade deadline board will Chevy scoop up this Feb?

 

[sipowicz]

Tucker ( I plateaued after my first game) Poolman to the Moose!

 

[sipowicz]

We seem obsessed with debating Ehlers vs Connor. Let’s just be glad we have first line talent on our “4th” line. Injuries will come and all of these guys will play with a lot of different line mates before it’s all said and done. No more 2nd line Thorbs!!!

Would have said Ehlers all day long last regular season but near the end of the RS and the playoffs sealed it for me, I'm a Connor man now!

 

[Maukkis]

What Center not on the trade deadline board will Chevy scoop up this Feb?

Nobody, I hope. Can't go after expensive rentals every year.

And before anybody comes back with a 'but but but now is the time to win', the playoffs are a goddamn lottery. Having a stacked roster one year has very little impact in the grand scheme of things.

 

[DashingDane]

Isn't debating which players should start where what a hockey board is all about I think if people are reading (at least my) comments as negative they probably aren't really reading what has been written. I don't think anyone is saying the team isn't successful or that having 3 top 6 left wingers isn't a luxury problem. But I don't see the problem in discussing player deployment and/or speculating in how that will affect future team dynamics. I will happily change my mind if someone has a good reason as to why we shouldn't discuss it and join the kumbaya circle...

 

[Adam da bomb]

Nobody, I hope. Can't go after expensive rentals every year.

And before anybody comes back with a 'but but but now is the time to win', the playoffs are a goddamn lottery. Having a stacked roster one year has very little impact in the grand scheme of things.

Especially since the draft is such a rich one this year.

 

[Maukkis]

Especially since the draft is such a rich one this year.

In an article by Michael Lopez, it was mentioned that in order to match the NBA with regards to measuring team skill by the means of one playoff series, a NHL playoff round should be 'best of 51.' That is how random things are in hockey.

Another fun fact: this past spring, it was brought up that after a team has gone down 3-1 in the SCF, that team has lost the series in 87.1% of the cases.

That might seem meaningful, until you realise that the probability of not winning three regular coin flips in a row is 87.5%.

It is better to prolong the window as much as you possibly can.

 

[MardyBum]

What Center not on the trade deadline board will Chevy scoop up this Feb?

Hopefully none, which means Roslovic is killing it and all are healthy.

 

[garret9]

Look all the skills in the world don't mean anything if you aren't playing. You and me will have to disagree as you think skills in a nutshell make someone better. I see better as who has added more to the team because they fit the available role better. Dano might be great but he kept himself off the team by not slimming down. There was no conspiracy against him just laziness. Evidenced how good he looked this camp. The real point that I was trying to make in the original post is I'm fine with being alone on something. Ppl were being jerks and making dumb comments because I said Connor was better than Ehlers. Like stating evidenced by my username which I think shows humility which is something lacking on this board. Everyone thinks they know more than everyone else. You probably do because of your job. I'm fine with disagreeing and stating a contrary position.
As I am probablywrong but willing to open up to the fact I can't know everything.
Ultimately how can one player be better than another. A player can be better for a role like how Tanev is for CLT even if he wouldn't be a top 6 player. Also how can you not root for players like Tanev or Thorburn who work harder. You'd never see Tanev have a cocky attitude and show up to a camp overweight and out of shape.

We can disagree on the player but we shouldn’t disagree on facts... which I was correcting you on.

1/3 coaches and 3/3 gms liked Dano

 

[Robinson2187]

Yeah I don't sense a bunch of negativity on here. Certainly not as much as years past.