Confirmed with Link: Sunny is back!

[Mike Liut]

Did anybody watch Sunny play last year? Does he look healthy?

 

[Brian39]

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.

I'd be stunned if a healthy Hofer isn't the backup to start the season. He was genuinely good in his stint with the Blues last year and put up a .921 as the clear #1 in the AHL last year.

Subban played zero NHL games last year and just 4 the year before (posting a rough .871 SV%). At this stage of his career, he is not the veteran borderline NHL backup you bring in to compete for the job in camp. He's a veteran AHL goalie that you bring in to provide some organizational depth.

Each of them will play fewer than 120 preseason minutes and evaluating goalies during drills and scrimmages isn't as useful as it is with skaters. I can't imagine what Subban could do in camp to erase the edge Hofer has on him at the moment.

 

[Reality Czech]

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.

Blais had 25 points

 

[Stupendous Yappi]

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

I like Walker. He isn’t any good after that initial burst of a couple games, but he is a low maintenance guy who is perfect for the press box and probably survives waivers up and down if needed. No one will be upset if a team claimed him. Every team needs one or two guys like this.

As long as we aren’t depending on him as a regular starter, meh.

I remember Malcolm Subban’s first NHL start in St Louis when he got pummeled. I wonder if he thought about that when we offered him a contract. I guess he might be 3rd string in case of injury, but I won’t be surprised if he never plays in St Louis, and certainly not going to displace Hofer.

 

[TurgPavs]

I'd be stunned if a healthy Hofer isn't the backup to start the season. He was genuinely good in his stint with the Blues last year and put up a .921 as the clear #1 in the AHL last year.

Subban played zero NHL games last year and just 4 the year before (posting a rough .871 SV%). At this stage of his career, he is not the veteran borderline NHL backup you bring in to compete for the job in camp. He's a veteran AHL goalie that you bring in to provide some organizational depth.

Each of them will play fewer than 120 preseason minutes and evaluating goalies during drills and scrimmages isn't as useful as it is with skaters. I can't imagine what Subban could do in camp to erase the edge Hofer has on him at the moment.

Would be shocked as well, they seem pretty set on Hofer.

Blais had 25 points

Thanks, just a typo on my end.

Pretty much the same production. Blais seems to have that added ability of sliding into a 2nd line role on occasion.

 

[finnishflash13]

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.

helps when his g/f is from St. Louis and he still lives here but yes. he was also in the toronto area for Binnington's wedding, which coincided with the match.

 

[Linkens Mastery]

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

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?

I like Walker. He isn’t any good after that initial burst of a couple games, but he is a low maintenance guy who is perfect for the press box and probably survives waivers up and down if needed. No one will be upset if a team claimed him. Every team needs one or two guys like this.

As long as we aren’t depending on him as a regular starter, meh.

I remember Malcolm Subban’s first NHL start in St Louis when he got pummeled. I wonder if he thought about that when we offered him a contract. I guess he might be 3rd string in case of injury, but I won’t be surprised if he never plays in St Louis, and certainly not going to displace Hofer.

I don't want Alexandrov over Walker on the NHL roster (unless Alexandrov outplays Sunny for 4C). But I also don't want Walker being in the lineup either. Because with our current Roster construction he doesn't fit the style of the 4th line and he's not good enough in long stretches to be a 3rd liner.

 

[BlueOil]

Who will win the back up Goalie, Subban or Hofer

this isn't a real debate, it's gonna be hofer

 

[Reality Czech]

Would be shocked as well, they seem pretty set on Hofer.


Thanks, just a typo on my end.

Pretty much the same production. Blais seems to have that added ability of sliding into a 2nd line role on occasion.

Yeah, not a huge difference. I think it's clear Blais has more offensive potential at this point, but Sunny is a guy that you know will contribute defensively and playing a tenacious game away from the puck. Him and Torpo holding down the 4th line should be fun to watch.

 

[BlueOil]

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

very idealistic considering the forward group we're icing

i'm on board, in a filled out roster, walker shouldn't have a place in the top 12, but that's not what the blues have this season, so he'll get some looks and can provide some energy in short spurts

 

[jura]

 

[BlueDream]

f*** yes, super happy to see him back. The fact he took league minimum shows this was his goal all along because he could have gotten more money than that.

I love having guys like him and Blais back. At least it will make us more fun to watch with them providing energy and giving us flashbacks to 2019.

 

[CaliforniaBlues310]

This is how I have the 23 man roster looking as of this moment:

Saad-Thomas-Buchnevich
Neighbours-Schenn-Kyrou
Vrana-Hayes-Kapanen (our own misfits line lol)
Toropchenko-Alexandrov-Sundqvist
Blais, Walker

Leddy-Parayko
Scandella-Faulk
Krug-Tucker
Bortuzzo

Binnington
Hofer


This leaves Perunovich, Bolduc, Dean, MacEachern, and Rosen as guys sent down to the AHL.


I really don’t think Armstrong is done making moves here. Neighbours is the only forward who isn’t waiver eligible, and despite Blais having that hot streak at the end of the year, I can’t see them benching Alexandrov over him if he has to be on the roster, or sending Jake down to keep another dman or MacMac in Blais’ reserve spot. Pressbox duty/AHL does nothing for either’s development if the forward group is fully healthy.

That, and I know they want to find a way to have Peru on the roster this year.

 

[TheDizee]

1 year deal, f*** off army u cheapskate. should have been 4 yr minimum

 

[Stealth JD]

1 year deal, f*** off army u cheapskate. should have been 4 yr minimum

One-year deals are great for the team. Keep guys hungry. 4th-line, league-min guys can be found 8 days a week. Why commit to a broken-down donkey when you can run that packmule into the ground each year and replace him with a fresh body the next?

 

[Brian39]

I don't want Alexandrov over Walker on the NHL roster (unless Alexandrov outplays Sunny for 4C). But I also don't want Walker being in the lineup either. Because with our current Roster construction he doesn't fit the style of the 4th line and he's not good enough in long stretches to be a 3rd liner.

I don't think Sunny can skate well enough to play center (especially a high energy center) in the NHL anymore. I'll be a bit surprised if Alexandrov isn't the 4C in the healthy 12 man roster.

I think it is too early to guess the style of the 4th line. One of Blais/Neighbours will very likely be on it and I wouldn't be surprised if both are on it. We could very well be trying to roll out 4 lines that can score instead of a typical grinding 4th line.

Edit: I read roster as lineup and assumed you were penciling Alexandrov as the 13th or 14th forward. Are you saying that you want to try to sneak him through waivers to play in the AHL? He doesn't have a long NHL career, but he is a former 2nd round pick who had a pretty damn good season last year. I'm not wild about risking that.

 

[rumrokh]

1 year deal, f*** off army u cheapskate. should have been 4 yr minimum

Your schtick is dull as hell, my dude.

 

[Brian39]

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.

I agree with your point about using past usage to gauge how an organization views players, but looking at past usage of Perunovich/Rosen reaches the opposite conclusion that the team prefers Perunovich.

Rosen played 15:39 a night over 49 games for the Blues last year and while Perunovich was sent to the AHL when he returned from injury. In 2021/22, they were directly competing with each other for lineup spots and playing time in the playoffs when we got hit with injuries. Rosen got 14:28 a night over 9 games and Perunovich got 10:49 a night over 7 games.

Rosen has gotten spot duty in the top 4 when injuries hit. He has a number of 20+ minute games and I counted 17 games of 18+ minutes. Perunovich got 18+ minutes in each of his first 5 NHL games and then never hit the 18 minute mark again. He's never hit the 20 minute mark and has almost exclusively been used as a bottom pair guy at even strength with varying amounts of PP time.

Past usage suggests that Berube quickly lost confidence in Perunovich. Since his first 5 game stint, he hasn't been used the way they have used Rosen over the last year+.

 

[AjaxManifesto]

MADE MY DAY!!!!!

Welcome back Sunny.

 

[Xerloris]

I'd be stunned if a healthy Hofer isn't the backup to start the season. He was genuinely good in his stint with the Blues last year and put up a .921 as the clear #1 in the AHL last year.

Subban played zero NHL games last year and just 4 the year before (posting a rough .871 SV%). At this stage of his career, he is not the veteran borderline NHL backup you bring in to compete for the job in camp. He's a veteran AHL goalie that you bring in to provide some organizational depth.

Each of them will play fewer than 120 preseason minutes and evaluating goalies during drills and scrimmages isn't as useful as it is with skaters. I can't imagine what Subban could do in camp to erase the edge Hofer has on him at the moment.

I see no way possible cept for injury that Hofer is not backup.

1 year deal, f*** off army u cheapskate. should have been 4 yr minimum

I knew you would find some reason to still be mad at Army.

 

[rumrokh]

I agree with your point about using past usage to gauge how an organization views players, but looking at past usage of Perunovich/Rosen reaches the opposite conclusion that the team prefers Perunovich.

Rosen played 15:39 a night over 49 games for the Blues last year and while Perunovich was sent to the AHL when he returned from injury. In 2021/22, they were directly competing with each other for lineup spots and playing time in the playoffs when we got hit with injuries. Rosen got 14:28 a night over 9 games and Perunovich got 10:49 a night over 7 games.

Rosen has gotten spot duty in the top 4 when injuries hit. He has a number of 20+ minute games and I counted 17 games of 18+ minutes. Perunovich got 18+ minutes in each of his first 5 NHL games and then never hit the 18 minute mark again. He's never hit the 20 minute mark and has almost exclusively been used as a bottom pair guy at even strength with varying amounts of PP time.

Past usage suggests that Berube quickly lost confidence in Perunovich. Since his first 5 game stint, he hasn't been used the way they have used Rosen over the last year+.

It's tough to say with the injuries, lack of a sample size, and the desperate need the Blues have had. But I think they have given Perunovich chances from the start while Rosen had to earn them and got benched in favor of other guys coming back from injury even when he was producing.

 

[Memento]

WELCOME BACK, SUNNY!

I'm so happy we have him back. He obviously loves this city, and we love him. Here's hoping things work out.

 

[Majorityof1]

Glad Sunny's back. I wanted another wing that could push for for 3rd line minutes but settle nicely on the 4th and I got just that.

I think he'll mostly be at 4th line wing. He'll play a bit of 3rd line with injuries and mayeb even slide to C if a bottom 6 C gets hurt short term. But I'd bet he plays like 65-70 games and 50-60 of them are at 4th line Wing

 

[GoldenSeal]

My feelings about this summed up in a single video: Thoughts

 

[TheDizee]

Your schtick is dull as hell, my dude.

maybe you are happy with 1 yr deals for people who want to be here and love the team and city but next summer we will now have to do this all over again because army is a cheap skate. moves like this lead to people who want to be here like maroon leaving. locking up sunny to a 3-4yr deal at 1mill a season does not hurt the team in the near or long term and shows that you care about team chemistry on a long term basis.

he should have signed him to a 3-4yr deal at min salary but with full NTC as you gotta give to get which is what i have said all along

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