What Constitutes Success in the Playoffs?

[stl76]

Losing in the first round again is an obvious failure.
Winning a series and losing second round is not a success but it is an improvement.
Winning 2 series and going to the WCF is a successful playoff run IMO.
Winning 3 series and going to the SCF is obviously a success.

My opinion March 27th is as valid tonight as it was then. This has been a successful playoff run. Proud of our boys.

 

[rumrokh]

It's not binary and I don't see the point in framing it that way. Some negatives, but a whole lot of positives. Very good season.

 

[StLHokie]

I originally voted for SCF appearance. But I would consider this year a success. The team showed a different mentality and approach to the game that was missing in previous years. Yes, they were eliminated in 6 again, but it seemed more a function of the players just not having the experience of how exhausted the playoffs become in the later rounds. Team was very off and on as the playoffs progressed. Need to just develop that consistency.

 

[Ranksu]

Baby steps, if this team could win 1st round its success in my eyes after that heaven is open. I believe if we won 1st round curse we gain so much extra boost so we can see flying Blues to the SC. So only obstacle is 1st round.

Not enough, not enough.

 

[2 Minute Minor]

It's not binary and I don't see the point in framing it that way. Some negatives, but a whole lot of positives. Very good season.

Thank you for that. I agree.

 

[Brian39]

It was a great run but it also showed we are a ways away from the Cup. We got a bit lucky as well in when we played the first two teams. Chicago made a lot of TDL moves that just didn't click and they lost Keith for a game with suspension. So they weren't as good as they should be. Then Dallas comes in without Seguin. I am not trying to take anything away from our team, but they were both ripe for the pickings. And we barely get by. Then despite winning 2 games, we were fairly easily manhandled by the Sharks.

It did show some good things. Parayko and Fabbri (especially Fabbri) are real bright spots. We have a goalie who can win a series. We found some secondary scoring, and showed the older core can step up at times too.

That said, we need to make adjustments. Because it still isn't good enough. We fell short. And I think every Blues fan is disappointed to some extent that we still don't have a cup. I think we need to make some roster improvements and some coaching improvements to push us over the top. If we stand back, bring back most of this team with minimal changes, it will be a worse team. The cap won't let us bring everyone back. So we will be almost as good as a team that wasn't good enough. So we need to be pro-active in improving the team for now and the future.

I hear you, but I think you are selling our successes short a bit. I wouldn't describe Chicago or Dallas as 'ripe for the pickings' any more than any other playoff team. If we were even remotely healthy this year, we would have gotten the Wild in round 1, who were much 'riper' than Dallas or Chicago. I think LA was less of a threat than Chicago this year. I don't think Nashville was any tougher than the Hawks team we faced and the Dallas team we faced.

Even with the issues facing Chicago and Dallas, I think the Blues still had the toughest first 2 rounds of any playoff team. It is exceedingly rare for a team to make a Cup run without luck and a favorable matchup along the way. Qualifying the Blues success as if that is the expectation is unrealistic and unfair.

With all that said, I completely agree that there are adjustments to be made. We have a few really tough contract decisions to make and it is clear that our window could stay open a long time if we choose to focus on the youth. I would be completely okay with a step back next year if it is done in order to create roster flexibility to secure all of our young players. I truly believe that we could open the window for 6-7 years if we don't go all in right now.

 

[KingBran]

Best thing this year was proving wrong all the fans that quit on the team in the first series against Chicago. Then again all the fans that gave up against Dallas, lol. I understand the fans reluctance to think that the Blues could win any playoff series after the last few years. Blues made a good run, one of the best playoff runs in years!

So the best thing for you was laughing at the fans of the same team you cheer for who expected the team to fail like they have for the past 49 years?

Best thing for me was the W's in the playoffs for sure. Beating CHI was awesome and the DAL series was fun.

It all came crashing down in the WCF though. I truly believe the Blues were the best team left after the first round. It's too bad they didn't give the effort or prove it.

 

[MissouriMook]

It's not binary and I don't see the point in framing it that way. Some negatives, but a whole lot of positives. Very good season.

I feel the same way. Part of the mixed emotions is that winning the Chicago series elevated my expectations dramatically. I went into that series expecting to lose in 6 and went into Round 2 thinking we were the best team still standing in the West so this should be the year we make it back to the finals. From that perspective, how the season ended was disappointing, and it is even more disheartening to realize that we went 10-10 in these playoffs, but we certainly exceeded my early April expectations.

 

[ort]

Eventually this will be considered a good season. Right now it's too raw and too painful.

 

[Majorityof1]

I hear you, but I think you are selling our successes short a bit. I wouldn't describe Chicago or Dallas as 'ripe for the pickings' any more than any other playoff team. If we were even remotely healthy this year, we would have gotten the Wild in round 1, who were much 'riper' than Dallas or Chicago. I think LA was less of a threat than Chicago this year. I don't think Nashville was any tougher than the Hawks team we faced and the Dallas team we faced.

Even with the issues facing Chicago and Dallas, I think the Blues still had the toughest first 2 rounds of any playoff team. It is exceedingly rare for a team to make a Cup run without luck and a favorable matchup along the way. Qualifying the Blues success as if that is the expectation is unrealistic and unfair.

With all that said, I completely agree that there are adjustments to be made. We have a few really tough contract decisions to make and it is clear that our window could stay open a long time if we choose to focus on the youth. I would be completely okay with a step back next year if it is done in order to create roster flexibility to secure all of our young players. I truly believe that we could open the window for 6-7 years if we don't go all in right now.

Let me clarify. I honestly wasn't trying to take anything away from what the team accomplished. We did have the hardest road by far of any team to the conference finals. But, we are in the Central, so we are always going to have the hardest road. If we are going to get back, we will have an equally hard road. Even if we win the Central (which is tough), we'll have to pay the piper in the second round anyway. So for the teams we had to face, Chicago and Dallas, we got the easiest possible versions of them. Dallas without Seguin should be a cakewalk. Chicago will fix their defensive depth next year. So while we did great, we barely made it where we did against weakened teams. We have to do better in the future if we want to get to the conference finals or further in the near future.

 

[Brian39]

Let me clarify. I honestly wasn't trying to take anything away from what the team accomplished. We did have the hardest road by far of any team to the conference finals. But, we are in the Central, so we are always going to have the hardest road. If we are going to get back, we will have an equally hard road. Even if we win the Central (which is tough), we'll have to pay the piper in the second round anyway. So for the teams we had to face, Chicago and Dallas, we got the easiest possible versions of them. Dallas without Seguin should be a cakewalk. Chicago will fix their defensive depth next year. So while we did great, we barely made it where we did against weakened teams. We have to do better in the future if we want to get to the conference finals or further in the near future.

I'm not sold Chicago will fix their defensive depth next year. They are once again in a huge cap crunch. Projections have been that the cap will be $74 mil next year. That is assuming the players opt for the escalator and relies on some revenue projections made throughout the year.

Assuming a $74 mil cap, the Hawks currently have about $7 mil in cap space to fill 6 roster spots. That number doesn't include the $2+ mil overage penalty they will get for Panarin hitting his bonuses, so that number is actually a little under $5 mil to fill 6 roster spots. That is a tough position and it gets worse when you look at the roster. These numbers are counting 3 D men on the NHL roster that are set to make under $1 mil next season. Assuming those bottom 3 guys are the ones they want to upgrade, they will need to swap bad/cheap players for better/more expensive players. This will put them closer to the cap without addressing the 6 empty roster spots they need to fill.

To make meaningful improvements on the bottom pairing, they are going to get players making at least $1.5 mil (and that is best case scenario). Let's say they can get 2 legitimate bottom pairing guys for $3 mil total to replace Gustafsson and Svedberg. That's an extra $1.58 mil in cap space, leaving them only $3.5 mil to fill 6 remaining roster spots. Realistically, it will be hard to get legitimate 3rd pairing D men at $1.5 mil each, but even if they pull it off they will still need to get creative. They will either need to shed more offense or fill 6 roster spots with guys making league minimum.

Long story short, Bowman has done a great job working around the cap. But he has done it by sacrificing depth. It is far from a given that they can suddenly replenish all that depth in a summer where they are still extremely hand cuffed by the cap. I think they will address the defensive depth, but will have to give up offense to do it. Ladd, Fleishman, and Weise are all gone. Shaw is almost certainly gone. They will have to find a way to get rid of Bickell and then will need to find 2-3 forwards that can give you legitimate 3rd line play at under $1 mil per player. Considering how many picks they have already traded, it will be even tougher to move futures for reasonably priced options. I have no doubt they find a way to ice a good team, but I don't think it will be a ton better than this year's Hawks team.

Dallas will likely be very scary next year though.

 

[2 Minute Minor]

I had the same thought when I read that post:
I think Chicago may have some longer days ahead. Pittsburgh is a team that's had some top level elite talent from their core, but no managed to stay in the mix (until now) for another Cup run. I think especially in the Central, Chicago may join them in that category sooner than later.

We'll all just have to wait to see it to believe it, but I think Chicago may fall back to the pack a little bit. If Dallas takes another step forward, if Winnipeg is more competitive, Nashville and St Louis should continue to be solid. I don't know what to expect from Colorado, but I think they've got bigger problems...but to much talent they can make trouble for anyone. Anyway, I think Chicago can slide into the pack a lot easier than many think.

Big deal will be what happens with Hossa's contract.

 

[Robb_K]

So the best thing for you was laughing at the fans of the same team you cheer for who expected the team to fail like they have for the past 49 years?

Best thing for me was the W's in the playoffs for sure. Beating CHI was awesome and the DAL series was fun.

It all came crashing down in the WCF though. I truly believe the Blues were the best team left after the first round. It's too bad they didn't give the effort or prove it.

It seemed to me that they gave enough effort. They were much more tired from their rough series with The Blackhawks and Stars, than were The Sharks, and THAT made it tough for them to play their hard-hitting, tough defensive game in the last two games of the series. Remember, they held a 3-2 lead in games, before the seemed to tire noticeably.

 

[timtindall]

I'm proud of this team. They made it out of the first round by defeating the Stanley Cup Champions. They defeated the Division Champion Stars. They made it to the Western Conference Finals. Played hard and never gave up. Before that empty netter my friends and I were still cheering on. Booing the announcers talking trash about Tarasenko.
Free agents will want to come here, we will be an even better team next year and expect nothing less than the cup. Plus it would be perfect getting it when we play an outdoor game and on year 50.

 

[AjaxManifesto]

This year was a success. We just need to build on it, makes some weeks, and leverage the experience next year.

1. The team is bipolar: it plays well for several games and then goes into zombie mode. This hurt us in the playoffs in the 1st and 2nd rounds and it resulted in going to 7 games. We need to finish off our opponents early and REST.
2. Some players need more stamina...read Tarasenko. Conditioning is key.
3. We need to change up some lines and adopt more of SJ's system. We are similar but they have it figured out.