Confirmed with Link: Sunny is back!

[JoernAZ]

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[JoernAZ]

I guess our 4th line is definitely settled now. Lets hope he is able to play 50+ games this season. A more or less healthy Sunny is a gift for any team. And when knowing his history as a Blue...

 

[JoernAZ]

And for league minimum wages. Couldn't be better really.

 

[Stealth JD]

hope he's healthy.
and not toast.

 

[Linkens Mastery]

I knew it

 

[Novacain]

I've legitimately never seen a player adopt this town as his own as much as Sunny does. Dude attended the CITY game in Toronto on Sunday and tweeted about it. How can you not be a little romantic about that?

Also, dude had back to back 28 point seasons the last 2 years and we got him for league minimum.

 

[LogosBlue]

I love Sunny. Hope he stays healthy and has a great year

 

[67Blues]

Always Sunny in St. Louis.

 

[stl76]

Woo hoo! Really happy to see Sunny back!

I want to hear “Sunny! Sunny! Sunny!” chants on broadcasts this year haha

 

[STL fan in MN]

Happy to have Sunny back home!

I’m so happy I’m grinning from ear to ear like a crazed lunatic!

 

[Brian39]

Love this deal. I wanted Sunny back, but I didn't want to be the highest bidder if another team was willing to approach $1M (or higher).

Our 4th line is shaping up to be a good group. Barring a surprise/trade, the top 8 of the forward group feels pretty locked in (Thomas, Kyrou, Buch, Schenn, Saad, Vrana, Kap, Hayes).

That means that Blais, Neighbours, Alexandrov, Torpo, Sunny, MacMac, and Walker are fighting for the remaining top 9 spot, three 4th line spots, and the healthy scratch NHL roster spots (or maybe spot if we plan to go 13 forwards and 8 D). There is some legit scoring pop in that group as well as some potential for a group that can run around and create chaos.

I'm pretty pleased with the forward group Army has built for this year. There should be scoring pop up and down the lineup. This team doesn't have an excuse to have anything less than a slightly above average offense and there is potential for it to be top 10. Not bad for a stopgap group.

 

[mk80]

I've legitimately never seen a player adopt this town as his own as much as Sunny does. Dude attended the CITY game in Toronto on Sunday and tweeted about it. How can you not be a little romantic about that?

Also, dude had back to back 28 point seasons the last 2 years and we got him for league minimum.

Good on the Blues social media staff for recognizing his love for CIty too

 

[TurgPavs]

Sunny had 28 points in 67 games last season, 775K
Blais 20 points in 71 games last season 1 mil

It will be interesting who has more points next season.

 

[Vladys Gumption]

Absolutely love this deal. He’s worth 1.5 at least. So to get him at league minimum is fantastic. Even if he’s not the player he used to be this is a no brainer. We could use his energy and play on the fourth line.

 

[JoernAZ]

Sunny had 28 points in 67 games last season, 775K
Blais 20 points in 71 games last season 1 mil

It will be interesting who has more points next season.

Remember Blais had 20 pts in 31 matches after arriving last season.

I am not all that certain that Blais will be a 4th liner next year. In other words, the line combos will be very interesting to follow as time goes by. So many options for coach B now.

 

[Linkens Mastery]

Would not be surprised to see a lot of him, MacMac (or Blais) and Toropchenko on the 4th line this year. Kinda hoping to see Walker traded to one of the teams playing in Australia this season

 

[JoernAZ]

Would not be surprised to see a lot of him, MacMac (or Blais) and Toropchenko on the 4th line this year. Kinda hoping to see Walker traded to one of the teams playing in Australia this season

Training camp will definitely generate lots of interest. Many players fighting for a spot, and adding Sunny to the mix only intensify it further.

 

[joe galiba]

When everyone is healthy it sure looks like Sunny, Toro and Alexandrov will share 2 spots
I wouldn't be surprised if Mac and Walker are both in the AHL and we roll with 13/8

 

[Linkens Mastery]

When everyone is healthy it sure looks like Sunny, Toro and Alexandrov will share 2 spots
I wouldn't be surprised if Mac and Walker are both in the AHL and we roll with 13/8

I want Walker gone. He has no place on the team anymore

 

[joe galiba]

I want Walker gone. He has no place on the team anymore

I think he is fine as a 2 or 3 game emergency call up, especially if it is to sit in the press box on a road trip just in case

 

[kimzey59]

I want Walker gone. He has no place on the team anymore

So you'd rather have Alexandrov sitting every game.
Cause that's gonna be great for his development.

 

[Stupendous Yappi]

I remember when Sundqvist looked like a bust in his first season after the trade to acquire him. Seems like a long time ago.

 

[Brian39]

I want Walker gone. He has no place on the team anymore

I think he has a perfectly fine place as the team's 13th or 14th forward and I have no desire to give away a depth player who has shown time and time again that he can positively contribute as a 3-5 game fill in player and is capable of taking some faceoffs in a pinch.

If he gets beaten out for the extra forward spot by MacMac and claimed on waivers then so be it, but what is the rush to remove a fill in option?

 

[TurgPavs]

The Sunny signing tells me that they dont expect any of the players from the prospect camp to be playing in the NHL this season, or at least starting in the NHL this season.

If they sign Torp at roughly 900K
You will have
14 forwards
Kyrou, Thomas, Blais, Buch, Schenn, Saad, Hayes, Vrana, Kappy, Sunny, Mac, Torp, Neighbours, and Walker
7 defenmen
CP, Faulk, Leddy, Scandy, Krug, Bortz, and Rosen

Hofer and Binny

Roughly 500K in cap space.

A Few things.
On Defense, will Tucker or Peru win a spot over Rosen

Who will win the back up Goalie, Subban or Hofer

I think you have 2 forward spots up for grabs between Mac, Walker, Alexandrov, and ?
Mac is 29 and has played 31 NHL games in the last 3 seasons, I am not sure I am plugging him into the line up in St. Louis.

 

[rumrokh]

The Sunny signing tells me that they dont expect any of the players from the prospect camp to be playing in the NHL this season, or at least starting in the NHL this season.

If they sign Torp at roughly 900K
You will have
14 forwards
Kyrou, Thomas, Blais, Buch, Schenn, Saad, Hayes, Vrana, Kappy, Sunny, Mac, Torp, Neighbours, and Walker
7 defenmen
CP, Faulk, Leddy, Scandy, Krug, Bortz, and Rosen

Hofer and Binny

Roughly 500K in cap space.

A Few things.
On Defense, will Tucker or Peru win a spot over Rosen

Who will win the back up Goalie, Subban or Hofer

I think you have 2 forward spots up for grabs between Mac, Walker, Alexandrov, and ?
Mac is 29 and has played 31 NHL games in the last 3 seasons, I am not sure I am plugging him into the line up in St. Louis.

Every team has this theoretical depth chart that makes it seem like there's a certain opening or a logjam at a certain place. And while some predictable things happen, most things change when the hockey actually gets played.

Not only do injuries happen pretty much immediately, the video game way we tend to pencil guys in is kind of a pale shadow of how they're actually deployed. So many fans write up Schenn on the second or even third line, but he's been one of the top couple forwards in even strength and overall ice time for each of the last six seasons.
Kapanen and Blais also got more even strength icetime than Vrana did with the Blues. Yes, sometimes those things are out of necessity, but if you want to know what the lineup will look like, past player usage is where to start. In the case of MacEachern, that's kind of unclear, but in the case of Perunovich - they absolutely prefer him to Rosen.