Speculation: Tavares Tells Toronto, "I'm YOUR Huckleberry Now". Fans leaguewide mourn.

[TruBlu]

What exactly has the Blues shown that should convince JT that he should go there?

Fair question here, because I don't see a team that is vested into going after the Cup, I see a team that can't decide on what it's identity is, has holes in lines, questions at goaltending... this isn't a team that if I'm JT I'd want to go to. If I'm JT and I'm leaving the Isles I'm looking for a contender. The Blues are pretenders, pure and simple, and have done nothing to prove otherwise. If I'm JT, I'm looking for a team where a IC would not only fill a need but could put the team over the top, like Vegas or SJ.

It's not quite as bleak as you see it. The level of injuries we had this year would put a dent in any team. The Blues are one of the best depth teams out there, and we are scraping the bottom of the barrel to fill the empty holes. DA has shown, with every move he's made since giving Hitch that last extension, that he is working towards the vision he put forth at that press conference. Every person we have acquired has been at our core's age or younger. He's picked up several promising prospects, and drafted many others. The team doesn't go from one of the oldest in the league to one of the youngest overnight. It was always going to take at least a couple of years to make that transition I think the early season success just fooled everyone. I, for one, am glad that we made the transition when Backes didn't sign. DA probably saved us 5 years of rebuilding by making the transition sooner than later.

 

[Instant]

I'm sorry, that's probably my fault that GoldenSeal came here, because I suggested St. Louis could be interested in Tavares. It's been a rough couple of week for the Islanders' fans. Wish you all the best though!

 

[The Note]

I'm sorry, that's probably my fault that GoldenSeal came here, because I suggested St. Louis could be interested in Tavares. It's been a rough couple of week for the Islanders' fans. Wish you all the best though!

Don’t get me wrong I hope that Tavares is wearing a Blue note next October but I do feel bad for Islanders fans. It’s gotta be pretty shitty to have your franchise center possibly a month away from playing his last game for your team. If he’s not in STL next year I hope he’s still on the Island/Brooklyn.

 

[Instant]

Don’t get me wrong I hope that Tavares is wearing a Blue note next October but I do feel bad for Islanders fans. It’s gotta be pretty ****ty to have your franchise center possibly a month away from playing his last game for your team. If he’s not in STL next year I hope he’s still on the Island/Brooklyn.

You know, I'm seriously torn about this. Because sure, I want him to be an Islander for life but I also know that he deserves so much better.

Besides, if I were you I really wouldn't worry about the fanbase. Seriously, half of the people just see him as a part of the problem, think he's too slow and old and not worth the money. So, you know, maybe you need to think about whether or not do you want him some more, since a big part of the fanbase is turning their back on him. They have a new shiny toy in Barzal, so they think they can just throw away the old and used, that was so faithful through the 9 years. Maybe Tavares not only deserves a better team, but also a better fanbase

And I hope that if he doesn't re-sign with us, he'll come to you. My boyfriend is from St. Louis and though his family lives in Springfield now, they still make the trip for a game sometimes. And he still watches almost every game. So the Blues are the second best thing.

 

[Ranksu]

I feel bad for Islanders fans. I would totally pissed about if our best player would go and without anything in return. Auch.

 

[GoldenSeal]

I'm sorry, that's probably my fault that GoldenSeal came here, because I suggested St. Louis could be interested in Tavares. It's been a rough couple of week for the Islanders' fans. Wish you all the best though!

I asked a pretty honest question and this is your response? Wow, man. Wow. Maybe instead of insulting me you should just answer my question:

What exactly has the Blues shown that should convince JT that he should go there?

Fair question here, because I don't see a team that is vested into going after the Cup, I see a team that can't decide on what it's identity is, has holes in lines, questions at goaltending... this isn't a team that if I'm JT I'd want to go to. If I'm JT and I'm leaving the Isles I'm looking for a contender.

Are people afraid to answer this? Does everyone here feel the Blues and Blues management are in a place that they can answer this because JT will ask this. Yes, a 1C like him would be AMAZING to have but what can the Blues offer HIM? Money? Believe me, every team out there will offer him damn near whatever he asks and you all know it.

A good answer to this kind of question that JT could pose would be something like this:

Golden Knights: Vegas has the Cap to do it, a solid management core and coach who are dedicated to taking whatever they have and making it win. Plugging in a long term deal with JT as their 1C does nothing but build up on the identity and ethic they have established. If Vegas gets into the second round, they are for real and if they make the WCF they won't have to look for players, they will come to Vegas. And Vegas has picks.

So what would the Blues answer be to this? Do they have an identity? Are they going to do more than habitually resign 90's styled players who have no place on the fourth line let alone in the league? Are they going to continue to live and die by their farm players? I'm not trying to be a prick, so apologies up front but I'm pretty sincere and serious when I ask this and if no one here can answer them without mocking someone about it, I'm sorry but that tells me that there is no plan, no identity and ethic? Watching them on the ice shows me very little ethic and lack of effort which has become a year-in, year-out thing and it's beyond nerverwracking.

 

[The Note in MI]

Not much productive coming from this topic these days, it’s an absolute crapshoot where he ends up.

 

[Ranksu]

 

[EastonBlues22]

I asked a pretty honest question and this is your response? Wow, man. Wow. Maybe instead of insulting me you should just answer my question:

What exactly has the Blues shown that should convince JT that he should go there?

Fair question here, because I don't see a team that is vested into going after the Cup, I see a team that can't decide on what it's identity is, has holes in lines, questions at goaltending... this isn't a team that if I'm JT I'd want to go to. If I'm JT and I'm leaving the Isles I'm looking for a contender.

Are people afraid to answer this? Does everyone here feel the Blues and Blues management are in a place that they can answer this because JT will ask this. Yes, a 1C like him would be AMAZING to have but what can the Blues offer HIM? Money? Believe me, every team out there will offer him damn near whatever he asks and you all know it.

A good answer to this kind of question that JT could pose would be something like this:

Golden Knights: Vegas has the Cap to do it, a solid management core and coach who are dedicated to taking whatever they have and making it win. Plugging in a long term deal with JT as their 1C does nothing but build up on the identity and ethic they have established. If Vegas gets into the second round, they are for real and if they make the WCF they won't have to look for players, they will come to Vegas. And Vegas has picks.

So what would the Blues answer be to this? Do they have an identity? Are they going to do more than habitually resign 90's styled players who have no place on the fourth line let alone in the league? Are they going to continue to live and die by their farm players? I'm not trying to be a prick, so apologies up front but I'm pretty sincere and serious when I ask this and if no one here can answer them without mocking someone about it, I'm sorry but that tells me that there is no plan, no identity and ethic? Watching them on the ice shows me very little ethic and lack of effort which has become a year-in, year-out thing and it's beyond nerverwracking.

You understand that you're responding to an Islanders fan, right?

We could take the time to explain the positives we have in place moving forward and what's happened here this season, but what's the point? You clearly want to believe that the Blues aren't a fit for Taveras, and are going to push back at anything that indicates otherwise.

You may find a taker, but I have no desire to waste my time engaging in that charade. Tavares is going to have his pick of teams this coming offseason. He looks ready to move on, and he won't have any trouble finding greener pastures to move on to if that's his desire, whether he considers that to be here or somewhere else. I certainly don't think Blues are at the top of his list, but it wouldn't surprise me at all if we were higher up on it than the Islanders at this point.

My suggestion as a mod is that you're walking a very fine line when you walk into another team's sub-forum and start talking about how many problems you think that organization has. There are better ways and better places to broach the topic if you're looking for an honest discussion.

 

[The Note]

I asked a pretty honest question and this is your response? Wow, man. Wow. Maybe instead of insulting me you should just answer my question:

What exactly has the Blues shown that should convince JT that he should go there?

Fair question here, because I don't see a team that is vested into going after the Cup, I see a team that can't decide on what it's identity is, has holes in lines, questions at goaltending... this isn't a team that if I'm JT I'd want to go to. If I'm JT and I'm leaving the Isles I'm looking for a contender.

Are people afraid to answer this? Does everyone here feel the Blues and Blues management are in a place that they can answer this because JT will ask this. Yes, a 1C like him would be AMAZING to have but what can the Blues offer HIM? Money? Believe me, every team out there will offer him damn near whatever he asks and you all know it.

A good answer to this kind of question that JT could pose would be something like this:

Golden Knights: Vegas has the Cap to do it, a solid management core and coach who are dedicated to taking whatever they have and making it win. Plugging in a long term deal with JT as their 1C does nothing but build up on the identity and ethic they have established. If Vegas gets into the second round, they are for real and if they make the WCF they won't have to look for players, they will come to Vegas. And Vegas has picks.

So what would the Blues answer be to this? Do they have an identity? Are they going to do more than habitually resign 90's styled players who have no place on the fourth line let alone in the league? Are they going to continue to live and die by their farm players? I'm not trying to be a prick, so apologies up front but I'm pretty sincere and serious when I ask this and if no one here can answer them without mocking someone about it, I'm sorry but that tells me that there is no plan, no identity and ethic? Watching them on the ice shows me very little ethic and lack of effort which has become a year-in, year-out thing and it's beyond nerverwracking.

You want to know what the Blues can offer sincerely? This season notwithstanding they’ve consistently made the playoffs for the better part of a decade. The results largely haven’t been there, but last year they beat a heavily favored Minnesota team and played a strong series against the eventual WC champs. The year before that they made it to the WCF, the same thing that apparently is going to help make Vegas irresistible to players if they do it this year.

What else can they can offer?Tarasenko/Petro/Schwartz/Schenn/and Parayko as a core with Dunn/Edmundson/Fabbri/Steen as a supporting cast. I’d wager that’s a better group of players than Tavares has ever had in New York. They’ve got a solid group of prospects that can hopefully yield another couple solid contributors sooner rather than later.

Tavares seems to be a guy who values his low profile; St. Louis is a fantastic place for that and the relatively low cost of living can help his dollar go a little further. If we want to get into off ice reasons.

I think the Blues still need to sign or trade for another top 6 guy in addition to Tavares. They’re by no means a perfect team. But you’re acting like they’re the Buffalo Sabres. If he hits UFA, the Blues can make a very competitive pitch.

 

[stl76]

My suggestion as a mod is that you're walking a very fine line when you walk into another team's sub-forum and start talking about how many problems you think that organization has. There are better ways and better places to broach the topic if you're looking for an honest discussion.

Pretty sure GoldenSeal is a Blues fan.

Regardless, if I am making a sales pitch to JT, there are plenty of positives to list. The city's affordability and livability, former players stay here for a reason, passionate fan base, improvements to the arena, ownership's commitment to winning, steady/consistent management, new AHL affiliation, great scouting, excellent prospect pool, etc. All those things speak to the quality of the organization and city itself, and that's all without even speaking to the current roster of players he would be joining.

We have a great defense. Period. The Blues have star wingers and a core (forwards and dmen) mostly locked up long term to match JT's next contract. There is a question in goal, but that is not THAT big of a negative considering every other team will have some warts as well.

 

[GoldenSeal]

You understand that you're responding to an Islanders fan, right?

We could take the time to explain the positives we have in place moving forward and what's happened here this season, but what's the point? You clearly want to believe that the Blues aren't a fit for Taveras, and are going to push back at anything that indicates otherwise.

You may find a taker, but I have no desire to waste my time engaging in that charade. Tavares is going to have his pick of teams this coming offseason. He looks ready to move on, and he won't have any trouble finding greener pastures to move on to if that's his desire, whether he considers that to be here or somewhere else. I certainly don't think Blues are at the top of his list, but it wouldn't surprise me at all if we were higher up on it than the Islanders at this point.

My suggestion as a mod is that you're walking a very fine line when you walk into another team's sub-forum and start talking about how many problems you think that organization has. There are better ways and better places to broach the topic if you're looking for an honest discussion.

I asked an honest question. I don't think it's too much to ask for an answer to it. I didn't walk in saying that I was right on all I said or that my opinion was the more important, I stated a question and in detail explained why I felt that way. Am I a nut? Probably so, but how can one say I was not looking for honest discussion with the question I posed.

So, I am totally disallowed from going into another forum where the subject was relevant and talk about what I feel are problems that are hindering a team? I didn't know that I had to pick one team to follow or have one opinion on it.

As for knowing they were an Islanders fan, that wasn't the point of my response. You're a mod and you don't find it abit over the line for someone to come on a forum and "Apologize" for leading a poster somewhere? That's kind of tacky, ain't it?

 

[Majorityof1]

I asked an honest question. I don't think it's too much to ask for an answer to it. I didn't walk in saying that I was right on all I said or that my opinion was the more important, I stated a question and in detail explained why I felt that way. Am I a nut? Probably so, but how can one say I was not looking for honest discussion with the question I posed.

So, I am totally disallowed from going into another forum where the subject was relevant and talk about what I feel are problems that are hindering a team? I didn't know that I had to pick one team to follow or have one opinion on it.

As for knowing they were an Islanders fan, that wasn't the point of my response. You're a mod and you don't find it abit over the line for someone to come on a forum and "Apologize" for leading a poster somewhere? That's kind of tacky, ain't it?

RTFF. Its been asked and answered.

 

[EastonBlues22]

I asked an honest question. I don't think it's too much to ask for an answer to it. I didn't walk in saying that I was right on all I said or that my opinion was the more important, I stated a question and in detail explained why I felt that way. Am I a nut? Probably so, but how can one say I was not looking for honest discussion with the question I posed.

So, I am totally disallowed from going into another forum where the subject was relevant and talk about what I feel are problems that are hindering a team? I didn't know that I had to pick one team to follow or have one opinion on it.

As for knowing they were an Islanders fan, that wasn't the point of my response. You're a mod and you don't find it abit over the line for someone to come on a forum and "Apologize" for leading a poster somewhere? That's kind of tacky, ain't it?

Your "honest question" came with the following rider:

"The Blues are pretenders, pure and simple, and have done nothing to prove otherwise." - You

You'll have to explain to me, via PM, how that can be taken in anything but an antagonistic way by fans of the team that you are directing your question towards.

 

[PiggySmalls]

I asked a pretty honest question and this is your response? Wow, man. Wow. Maybe instead of insulting me you should just answer my question:

What exactly has the Blues shown that should convince JT that he should go there?

Fair question here, because I don't see a team that is vested into going after the Cup, I see a team that can't decide on what it's identity is, has holes in lines, questions at goaltending... this isn't a team that if I'm JT I'd want to go to. If I'm JT and I'm leaving the Isles I'm looking for a contender.

Are people afraid to answer this? Does everyone here feel the Blues and Blues management are in a place that they can answer this because JT will ask this. Yes, a 1C like him would be AMAZING to have but what can the Blues offer HIM? Money? Believe me, every team out there will offer him damn near whatever he asks and you all know it.

A good answer to this kind of question that JT could pose would be something like this:

Golden Knights: Vegas has the Cap to do it, a solid management core and coach who are dedicated to taking whatever they have and making it win. Plugging in a long term deal with JT as their 1C does nothing but build up on the identity and ethic they have established. If Vegas gets into the second round, they are for real and if they make the WCF they won't have to look for players, they will come to Vegas. And Vegas has picks.

So what would the Blues answer be to this? Do they have an identity? Are they going to do more than habitually resign 90's styled players who have no place on the fourth line let alone in the league? Are they going to continue to live and die by their farm players? I'm not trying to be a prick, so apologies up front but I'm pretty sincere and serious when I ask this and if no one here can answer them without mocking someone about it, I'm sorry but that tells me that there is no plan, no identity and ethic? Watching them on the ice shows me very little ethic and lack of effort which has become a year-in, year-out thing and it's beyond nerverwracking.

I will try to lay it out as best as I could if I was talking to JT. But first let me preface this by saying some of these statements may be true with other teams. I don't know every other teams strong points and weak points.

• In 2016 Blues were all in and made a deep run into the Western Conference finals. After that season we saw a large chunk of veteran players move on. Blues saw this as an opportunity to become a team that used speed and skills to outwork the opponent and not rely on their size. Our drafting became more focused on picking players that excelled at skating and edge work. We knew this reshaping of our identity was not going to happen overnight. 16/17 season saw a team year one into their retooling experience a coaching change and was still able to make the playoffs and advance to the 2nd round.

• This season, Blues have experienced many highs and lows, it is no secret. Going into year 2 of our retool, Blues started off playing as a cohesive 5 man unit which showed in the wins column, winning 20 of the first 30 games. Defense were engaged and contributed on the scoreboard, leading the league in goals by defensemen until January. Unfortunately, our gameplay did not continue at that pace and the season began to slip away. They began playing slower and were easier to beat.

• When your team is 3rd in the league in man games lost due to injuries it forces your team to ask our players to play positions that do not best fit their role. When you look at our goal tending and defense and see where we can improve. Just remember that we are still top 10 in the league in Goals against/ game and up until 2 weeks ago we were top 4.

• As the Blues continues to morph into the team that is built off of speed and ability to quickly transition we will see younger players supplant the older veterans that do not best meet team needs. Through excellent drafting, we can already see the "fruits of our labor" and we look forward to seeing how they can make this team better.

• Our vision is clear, we want our forwards to be able to be speedy forecheckers, have the skills to carry the puck into the O-zone and create scoring chances. Our defensemen will become ones who have the ability to carry the puck to start the transition or make quick reads and be capable of making the needed passes to get the attack going.

Also for JT to consider:

• St. Louis Area has an long history of players loving to live in the STL area. The area is an excellent place to raise a family and it is evident by the exhaustive list of Alumni that have chosen to live in STL since moving on from their playing days. The current players here can tell you, they feel free to travel around and be respected by the community. Not being constantly interrupted by fans.

• Blues also have known the importance of making your family feel welcome. STL was the first team in the NHL that implemented a spouse/family suite at the arena. Many player's better-halves are actively involved in the community and with the team.

• In the summer of '17 renovations to the Scottrade center began and will continue during each off-season in '18 & '19. These upgrades included a new ice plant with all new piping installed for an improved ice surface, new HVAC units, remodeled locker rooms and greatly improved fan experience including the new jumbotron.

• This summer a state of the art, $75 Million dollar Blues practice facility will break ground. Located more centrally in St. Louis county to make driving to the rink easier on the players.

 

[Brian39]

I asked an honest question. I don't think it's too much to ask for an answer to it. I didn't walk in saying that I was right on all I said or that my opinion was the more important, I stated a question and in detail explained why I felt that way. Am I a nut? Probably so, but how can one say I was not looking for honest discussion with the question I posed.

So, I am totally disallowed from going into another forum where the subject was relevant and talk about what I feel are problems that are hindering a team? I didn't know that I had to pick one team to follow or have one opinion on it.

As for knowing they were an Islanders fan, that wasn't the point of my response. You're a mod and you don't find it abit over the line for someone to come on a forum and "Apologize" for leading a poster somewhere? That's kind of tacky, ain't it?

The answer has been laid out in great depth throughout this thread, so I'm not going to spend a ton of time on the answer. With that said, the short version is:

We have the cap flexibility to add him without losing a significant roster piece now or in the short term future. The entire core is locked up for the next 2 years and we have lots of cap flexibility to re-sign the most important pieces as the become free agents. Even with Tavares at $12 mil, we should be able to keep all (or all but one) of Tarasenko, Schenn, Schwartz, Pietrangelo, Parayko, and Edmundsson for at least the first 4-5 years of his contract. By the time cap becomes an issue, we have a number of highly regarded prospects who should be ready to contribute and replace the guy or two we lose (Kyrou/Thomas/Kostin are the main players, but we have a couple more long shotters as well).

Tarasenko is as good or better than any winger he will have a chance to play with. He's a great playmaker and he's not going to get a realistic offer that includes playing with a better shooter. If he is concerned about personal stats, Tarasenko as a line mate likely offers him the best opportunity to compete for an Art Ross.

There are others like his friendship with Petro, the mild media in St. Louis and the alumni group that is praised around the NHL, but every team has some of these secondary arguments. The main argument is that our team is clearly structured to have a Cup window that lines up with the vast majority of his contract. It may not be the best chance at a Cup in year 1, but there is every indication that our window will still be wide open in years 5+ of a 7 year deal.

 

[Bluesnatic27]

I have always thought the Blues as being one of the strongest teams to make a pitch for Tavares. They've had a history of season success, have the cap space, have a dangerous core, have a great prospect system, and are one of the very few teams that have a need at 1C coupled with the former points.

In the end, Tavares will choose where he wants to go, but the Blues definitely have arguments that could convince him.

 

[Itsnotatrap]

I expect the Blues will give one of the strongest offers, because they may well have the most to gain from adding him. I’m not working myself up into believing they’ll actually get him, but I would expect they’ll be there right in the mix.

 

[Celtic Note]

The closer we get to NYI in the standings, the harder this becomes.

 

[Dbrownss]

The closer we get to NYI in the standings, the harder this becomes.

I doubt he's that short sighted.

 

[Celtic Note]

I doubt he's that short sighted.

If you were looking for a new company and they just had one of their worst years in a decade, would you want to go there, especially when your current company was a sinking ship too?

It seems our fans that are coming up with sales pitches are believing them out of desperation and bias.

 

[Majorityof1]

The closer we get to NYI in the standings, the harder this becomes.

I disagree. Tavares is a benefit to whatever team he plays for. NYI without Tavares do not have 68 points. The Blues with Tavares have more than 75. If NYI and Blues finish dead even, the Blues did it in a tougher division and without Tavares. Plus, this is a down year for the Blues. It happens with injuries and transitioning. The Blues historically have been a perennial playoff team while NYI has not. So just adding Tavares , getting healthy, having some youngsters step up, this team improves drastically without addressing any other of our issues that can be addressed this off-season. That makes the Blues much more attractive than NYI from a competitiveness standpoint, even if they end up tied in the standings.

If you were looking for a new company and they just had one of their worst years in a decade, would you want to go there, especially when your current company was a sinking ship too?

It seems our fans that are coming up with sales pitches are believing them out of desperation and bias.

If a normally successful company was on a natural down-cycle, and had a legitimate plan to bounce back of which I was an integral part, I absolutely would consider going there. I'd want stock options too. Buy low, sell high. For example, if a freak accident at the beginning of the year caused one of the companies plants to be shut down for the year (Fabbri getting hurt) and caused them to miss their projections (playoffs), but the plant would come back online (Fabbri gets healthy) and they added redundancies to make sure they weren't caught flat footed again (Hoffman), then I see no reason to hold the down year against them.​

 

[GoldenSeal]

If you were looking for a new company and they just had one of their worst years in a decade, would you want to go there, especially when your current company was a sinking ship too?

It seems our fans that are coming up with sales pitches are believing them out of desperation and bias.

The answers have been pretty well rounded and based on factors that don't just include the current team stats, including quality of life, etc. that could help sway him. I didn't think about these factors before and wherever he signs, he will probably sign for term, and having an environment with a media presence that won't hound him and a support network could help tip the scales. The Blues would absolutely benefit with a bonafide 1C and will have the cap to pay him.

My only concern, looking at the state of the team atm, would be if JT looks at Armstrong as being another Snow. If he's purely looking for a "turn-key" Contender and nothing else, he may look elsewhere.

 

[Mike Liut]

Need to send JT videos of Thomas and Kyrou.

 

[wannabebluesplayer]

If you were looking for a new company and they just had one of their worst years in a decade, would you want to go there, especially when your current company was a sinking ship too?

It seems our fans that are coming up with sales pitches are believing them out of desperation and bias.

That argument is a bit flawed. What does the company you're looking to move to have in assets? Was it a down year because of the economy? Was it a down year because of poor performance? What were the factors? Have they been a good, high end company the last decade or so? What do their projections look like for the next year? What's the competition doing? Do I make them better? Will I have a better chance to reach my goals with said new company even if it had a bad year for 1 year?

The Blues this year could be explained by a lot of factors. Being #3 in the league in man games lost is huge. I think you're selling the Blues a little short here. Has it been a bad, down year, absolutely. Will they stay down next season? I honestly don't think so. Too many good prospects on their way up and DA is...hopefully...going to move some dead weight off this roster.