Confirmed with Link: (PHI/STL) Kevin Hayes (50%) to STL for a 2024 6th round pick

[BleedBlue14]

At least we're getting movable pieces. Kap, Vrana, and eventually Hayes (with another 50% retained) should fetch decent returns in trades if we keep sucking.

That's kind of my viewpoint of it. There should be some decent interest in Kap at 1.8m, Vrana at 1.3 and Hayes at 1.8 (approximate evaluations of cap with 50% retention) if things don't work out with our defense and goaltending to where we need to accrue some assets.

Not to mention I think the Blues were targeting a high character guy, or at least moreso a big locker room presence. I feel like we've been shipping alot of those guys out. I'm fairly ok with Hayes, I don't think there will be a better option in free agency and the cost of acquisition is dirt cheap. If he's a 3rd line scorer, we could certainly do worse than a full offense center at 3.6 chipping 45-55 points. He doesn't move the needle towards contention, but I think he makes us better than finding a different stop-gap that's currently available.

I'm interested to see what the line combinations will look like. I don't think we'll make any other forward acquisitions that will move towards the top 9. We don't really have any matchup players currently, but our whole top 9 has some certain elements that can negate needing that. I'd be interested in seeing something like

Buch - Thomas - Kapanen
Vrana - Schenn - Kyrou
Saad - Hayes - Blais

I think the 1st line is pretty well balanced and can possibly play against top opposition while scoring with them and being more responsible.

2nd line is pretty heavy offensive tilted, although I could certainly see the argument for swapping Thomas and Schenn, I just think they want Thomas to ascend to a player that can be relied upon in all 3 zones, I don't think you'll get that playing him with Kyrou for a full game.

That 3rd line could seriously do some damage in a cycle game eating up some clock while chipping in a bit. Blais has earned a shot in the top 9. Could also see Schenn switched with Hayes there. Saad - Schenn - Blais was pretty good in short sample size last season as well. I'm just not sure Hayes could keep up with Vrana and Kyrou.

Regardless if we really want to be competitive we're going to have to do something with the defense. We just don't have the pieces on LD to afford sheltering Krug. Faulk himself needs to be swayed a bit more towards offensive zone starts as well. Leddy did really well given the circumstances last season although watching him is fairly unspectacular I can't argue with the production from him on the scoresheet. Parayko really does need his load lightened. It's not realistic to ask him/Leddy to be able to sustain doing what they were asked to do last season year over year. In a perfect world, moving out Krug and Scandella for pretty much no value and finding a LD that can fit better would be beneficial, I just think it will be hard to do seeing as how precious cap space seems to be right now even with a weak UFA class.

 

[Louie the Blue]

While I don’t care for Hayes, the options for a C are atrocious in FA.

Bergeron is either retiring or staying Boston, same with Krejci.

That leaves ROR, Barbashev, and Compher, none of which I’d feel comfortable with paying what they want.

Then you have guys like Eller, Stastny, Sundqvist.

There’s not much out there.

 

[TurgPavs]

Blues will still need a 4th line C, and I hope that is Sunny.

 

[BlueDream]

Blues will still need a 4th line C, and I hope that is Sunny.

Alexandrov will get ample playing time in that slot.

But yes I am sure we will still bring in a veteran to help out in the bottom 6. Sunny or Acciari are good with me.

 

[ezcreepin]

Disagree on Schenn, Buch and Vrana. That is what they are known for.

Haven't heard that about Vrana, and I feel like the language barrier for Buch may be different than what Hayes would bring. That's just speculation though and he could be a great locker room presence like Maroon. Schenn I have a really hard time believing he's the funny guy but I could be absolutely wrong on that.

 

[67Blues]

This is like Survivor....DA style.

OT: Seeing your avatar reminded me of this:

 

[TheDizee]

lmfao

 

[BlueDream]

Haven't heard that about Vrana, and I feel like the language barrier for Buch may be different than what Hayes would bring. That's just speculation though and he could be a great locker room presence like Maroon. Schenn I have a really hard time believing he's the funny guy but I could be absolutely wrong on that.

Schenn may not be a locker room clown like Hayes is, but he seems very social and very well liked. I’ve heard he’s kind of taken on that Steen role where he makes new guys feel comfortable, such as letting Neighbours live with him. Overall he seems to have a bubbly personality, as does Vrana who apparently had too much fun in Washington and Detroit and ran into issues that way. Buchnevich is more of a dry humor but he seems hilarious in interviews with how blunt he is, so he also seems to be well-liked as a character.

But yeah, watching Hayes’ mic’d up videos are something else. He has a nickname for everyone, is constantly talking and joking on the bench, ice and in the room, and seems to legitimately love all of his teammates. Hopefully he is energized by this change of scenery and is a good addition for us.

 

[Reality Czech]

That's kind of my viewpoint of it. There should be some decent interest in Kap at 1.8m, Vrana at 1.3 and Hayes at 1.8 (approximate evaluations of cap with 50% retention) if things don't work out with our defense and goaltending to where we need to accrue some assets.

Not to mention I think the Blues were targeting a high character guy, or at least moreso a big locker room presence. I feel like we've been shipping alot of those guys out. I'm fairly ok with Hayes, I don't think there will be a better option in free agency and the cost of acquisition is dirt cheap. If he's a 3rd line scorer, we could certainly do worse than a full offense center at 3.6 chipping 45-55 points. He doesn't move the needle towards contention, but I think he makes us better than finding a different stop-gap that's currently available.

I'm interested to see what the line combinations will look like. I don't think we'll make any other forward acquisitions that will move towards the top 9. We don't really have any matchup players currently, but our whole top 9 has some certain elements that can negate needing that. I'd be interested in seeing something like

Buch - Thomas - Kapanen
Vrana - Schenn - Kyrou
Saad - Hayes - Blais

I think the 1st line is pretty well balanced and can possibly play against top opposition while scoring with them and being more responsible.

2nd line is pretty heavy offensive tilted, although I could certainly see the argument for swapping Thomas and Schenn, I just think they want Thomas to ascend to a player that can be relied upon in all 3 zones, I don't think you'll get that playing him with Kyrou for a full game.

That 3rd line could seriously do some damage in a cycle game eating up some clock while chipping in a bit. Blais has earned a shot in the top 9. Could also see Schenn switched with Hayes there. Saad - Schenn - Blais was pretty good in short sample size last season as well. I'm just not sure Hayes could keep up with Vrana and Kyrou.

Regardless if we really want to be competitive we're going to have to do something with the defense. We just don't have the pieces on LD to afford sheltering Krug. Faulk himself needs to be swayed a bit more towards offensive zone starts as well. Leddy did really well given the circumstances last season although watching him is fairly unspectacular I can't argue with the production from him on the scoresheet. Parayko really does need his load lightened. It's not realistic to ask him/Leddy to be able to sustain doing what they were asked to do last season year over year. In a perfect world, moving out Krug and Scandella for pretty much no value and finding a LD that can fit better would be beneficial, I just think it will be hard to do seeing as how precious cap space seems to be right now even with a weak UFA class.

Agree with you on Hayes. I know he's fallen off, but it's still crazy that you can get decent albeit flawed NHLers like Hayes, Johansen, Pacioretty, Burns for basically free in the current cap world.

Regarding the lines, I think you have to put either Kyrou or Vrana with Thomas to maximize his playmaking abilities. I can see wanting to keep Thomas/Kyrou together as a dynamic duo although I feel like Kyrou has clicked with Schenn pretty well too, maybe even better than Thomas. There are definitely lots of options on offense but I would go with this right now. Ask me tomorrow I might say something different.

Vrana Thomas Buch
Saad Schenn Kyrou
Kapanen Hayes Blais (could see Neighbours on LW here as well)

Obviously the 3rd line won't be a strong defensive line with Hayes in the middle, so our top 2 lines will have to do most of the heavy lifting there. Not sure how much Hayes has played on wing, so there may be the potential to put him on a scoring line as well. He seems to be taking a lot of crap from hockey fans but he's been a 50ish point guy for the last 5 years. Could be a pleasant surprise.

Last thought on Hayes, I can't help but wonder if the Tkachuk connection played at least a partial role in him ending up here.

 

[AjaxManifesto]

lmfao

No ROR

Money wasted on a half assed trade.

 

[CaliforniaBlues310]

Agree with you on Hayes. I know he's fallen off, but it's still crazy that you can get decent albeit flawed NHLers like Hayes, Johansen, Pacioretty, Burns for basically free in the current cap world.

Regarding the lines, I think you have to put either Kyrou or Vrana with Thomas to maximize his playmaking abilities. I can see wanting to keep Thomas/Kyrou together as a dynamic duo although I feel like Kyrou has clicked with Schenn pretty well too, maybe even better than Thomas. There are definitely lots of options on offense but I would go with this right now. Ask me tomorrow I might say something different.

Vrana Thomas Buch
Saad Schenn Kyrou
Kapanen Hayes Blais (could see Neighbours on LW here as well)

Obviously the 3rd line won't be a strong defensive line with Hayes in the middle, so our top 2 lines will have to do most of the heavy lifting there. Not sure how much Hayes has played on wing, so there may be the potential to put him on a scoring line as well. He seems to be taking a lot of crap from hockey fans but he's been a 50ish point guy for the last 5 years. Could be a pleasant surprise.

Last thought on Hayes, I can't help but wonder if the Tkachuk connection played at least a partial role in him ending up here.

I agree on having Vrana or Kyrou with Thomas, and have some similarities with how I view what the lines could be with the top 9.

I have two different line ideas that I like so far, one with Thomas-Vrana and one with Thomas-Kyrou, but I’m not putting any serious thought into what they should be until we know what the roster is gonna be in the next week or so.

Vrana-Thomas-Buchnevich
Neighbours/Blais-Schenn-Kyrou
Saad-Hayes-Kapanen
Blais/Neighbours-Alexandrov-Toropchenko

Buchnevich-Thomas-Kyrou
Saad-Hayes-Vrana
Neighbours/Blais-Schenn-Kapanen
Blais/Neighbours-Alexandrov-Toropchenko


I really like the idea of Hayes and Saad together, as they’re both very good puck protection players, and we could definitely use Saad’s two-way ability next to him as well.

Chief also likes to spread the offense out to 3 lines if he can, so I tried to do my best on that as well, instead of trying to stack the top 6. The first lineup seems more realistic if that’s the approach he takes again.

 

[TheDizee]

trading kyrou needs to be our next move

 

[BlueDream]

I originally was against trading for Hayes but after evaluating this move more, I’m fine with it. Finding a 50-point center for 3.6 mil wasn’t likely to happen in free agency so this is good value, especially for only a 6th rounder. I can’t really fault Armstrong here at all. I hope the change of scenery will be good for Hayes, and I hope he goes back to being at least decent defensively - which I heard he was before the Tortorella debacle in Philly. We need him to commit to a two-way game and I have some optimism that he can.

I still have reservations about what kind of team this will be, so the rest of the offseason will be interesting. The Blues surely need to make at least a couple more moves, so we’ll see what else Army is cooking up. The good news is one hole is now filled and we still have ALL of our trade assets on hand to now work on the defense. Finding a way to move Krug and bring in an upgrade is a must.

 

[Majorityof1]

I don't like the deal. I don't hate it because it is a free C, who is probably worth his cap hit with what we have to pay. But it's 3 years. It just adds another vet clogging up contract and playing opportunities for younger players. So value wise its great. Long term strategy-wise, I wish we'd filled the hole with less term, even if that had to be with a lesser player.

 

[Mike Liut]

I hope this doesn’t block Dean next year. Can Dean or Hayes play wing? Neither seen to fit our 4th line style.

edit: next year meaning 2024-2025

 

[PocketNines]

At some point beating the same dead horse again and again just becomes spam.

Maybe, but we are literally in the middle of it and you and a bunch of others gave me hell the whole way getting here, so you will now not put constraints around me appreciating right smack in the middle of when it is going down

 

[PocketNines]

You're the one hanging all of your teenage angst on a rumor.


Once again, you're making a scenario up in your head. Starting to sound like a certain Knight of blue tinge with how obsessed you're getting about Doug.

Blues still in market for a defenseman | FOX Sports

The Blues entered the NHL free agency period searching for a top-four defenseman. They are still looking.

www.foxsports.com

The Blues entered the NHL's free agency period searching for a top-four defenseman. They are still searching.

They were priced out of the Ryan Suter sweepstakes and quickly turned their attention to Plan B: Matt Carle. But although St. Louis was heavily involved in talks with the former Philadelphia Flyer, Carle signed a six-year, $33 million contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Holy shit, you mean this was reported?

Did we talk about it here? Of course we did. Was it discussed on every Blues blog at the time in addition to being reported? (It was in the Post too)

You've now made such a huge deal with all the personal derision out of saying this is my rumor, will you now apologize like you should?

 

[ezcreepin]

Blues still in market for a defenseman | FOX Sports

The Blues entered the NHL free agency period searching for a top-four defenseman. They are still looking.

www.foxsports.com

Holy shit, you mean this was reported?

Did we talk about it here? Of course we did. Was it discussed on every Blues blog at the time in addition to being reported? (It was in the Post too)

You've now made such a huge deal with all the personal derision out of saying this is my rumor, will you now apologize like you should?

Holy f*** I completely forgot about this dumb contract AND the Blues going for him

 

[542365]

I don't like the deal. I don't hate it because it is a free C, who is probably worth his cap hit with what we have to pay. But it's 3 years. It just adds another vet clogging up contract and playing opportunities for younger players. So value wise its great. Long term strategy-wise, I wish we'd filled the hole with less term, even if that had to be with a lesser player.

Who is he blocking? We don’t have a center prospect worth worrying about. If we draft one this year with an NHL future, he won’t be ready this year or next. If he forces his way onto the roster we can move Hayes or Schenn to the wing by that point.

 

[Falco Lombardi]

50 percent retention for 3 years is a helluva indictment on him from Philadelphia jeez lol.

I think it’s fine. He was a 50 point player a year ago. He’s probably worth 3.5 and the other options out there are not great and I don’t think there’s a prospect getting blocked.

Ultimately though, every move the Blues make for me falls under the shadow of “is the defense fixed?”

Because until it is, nothing else is really going to matter too much but in a vacuum, I think this is fine.

 

[Louie the Blue]

Who is he blocking? We don’t have a center prospect worth worrying about. If we draft one this year with an NHL future, he won’t be ready this year or next. If he forces his way onto the roster we can move Hayes or Schenn to the wing by that point.

My first thought would be Dean, but he’s likely not going to be a full time player until 2024-2025

 

[Celtic Note]

Seems like we really are trying to build the worst defensive group of forwards. lol

 

[Majorityof1]

Who is he blocking? We don’t have a center prospect worth worrying about. If we draft one this year with an NHL future, he won’t be ready this year or next. If he forces his way onto the roster we can move Hayes or Schenn to the wing by that point.

Not necessarily someone internally, but it might block someone we could have gotten in trade/free agency down the road. $3.5 is also a bit expensive for a 3rd line C. Not a ton. But the cap could block us from making acquisitions elsewhere as well.

Hayes just doesn't move the needle for me. Army just likes to add these midldle 6, middle pair vets when we need gamechangers. $3.5M for a 30+ year old defensively suspect middle 6 forward is just not something I am going to get excited about. I'd rather roll the dice on a cheaper, youner guy with a lower floor and higher ceiling given the spot we are in. Newhook cost too much, but something along those lines would have been preferable.

Its a nit pick I know. I just can't help feeling a little meh about bringing in another vet cast off.

 

[Mike Liut]

Seems like we really are trying to build the worst defensive group of forwards. lol

to go along with 4 of the 6 defenders who aren’t good defenders Isn’t a good combo. This is the exact opposite of the cup winners this year.

 

[oPlaiD]

Seems like we really are trying to build the worst defensive group of forwards. lol

It's honestly weird how Armstrong has seemingly whole heartedly switched the type of players he targets since we won the Cup.

I guess you could say he's buying into the "new NHL" where everyone is faster and everyone is scoring more goals, but it's really jarring.

At this point I wouldn't be surprised if we somehow trade for Karlsson and just go all-in on the whole no defense and all offense thing.

But re: Hayes, wasn't he supposed to be decent defensively before his time in Philly? I'm not too familiar so I could be completely wrong, but I thought that was how they used him in New York.