2018/2019 Lineup Thread

[Retroglyphs]

You watched him play in 7 preliminary matches. I’ve watched him play in 266 NHL games. But hey, that’s your opinion. I wouldn’t be mad if you’re right.

Okay, then I haven't seen him as often as you. I have no problem with accepting a different opinion. Remains to be seen whether this tournament was an outlier, or whether he has made a leap forward.

 

[yogintheaveragebears]

Wait are we not talking about chubs anymore?

 

[Reality Czech]

Fair enough. I'm very confident that this "proves otherwise"-moment is about to come, and that he doesn't belong on the 4th line. I've seen him playing in all 7 preliminary round matches, and it's no minor aspect that he scored key goals in victories vs. strong group opponents Slovakia, Switzerland and Russia.

Yep, he scored more key goals in those 7 games than he has in his entire NHL career. Sure, he looked good but the competition at the World Championships is not the same as the NHL. Patrick Berglund dominated the WC a few years back, it didn't make him a better NHL player. Plus, there just isn't room for him in the top 9 right now. If/when injuries happen, he might get another look but he got lots of chances on the 2nd/3rd lines last year and didn't do much.

Agree with others who see a Maroon/O'Reilly/Tarasenko line as a possibility and it makes a lot of sense. Of course a lot depends on how well Fabbri can get back into the lineup.

I wonder how upset Bozak will be when Thomas looks unreal and moves up to 3C and Bozak to 4C? When you watch videos of Thomas, his vision and skill is something we as Blues fans haven’t seen at center in a LONG time. Can’t even think when... maybe since Janny? Oates? Its unreal watching his playmaking ability. His shooting has really improved too.

I am very excited to see what Thomas can do, but I'd imagine either him, Bozak or O'Reilly would be bumped to wing before Bozak is centering the 4th line. Plus....injuries.

 

[Falco Lombardi]

As excited as I am to see ROR and Thomas and Maroon and some others, nothing has me more excited than seeing Robby Fabbri back.

I’m trying to temper my expectations but man...if he can get back to being close to what he was, this could be a seriously dangerous team.

 

[Mike Liut]

As excited as I am to see ROR and Thomas and Maroon and some others, nothing has me more excited than seeing Robby Fabbri back.

I’m trying to temper my expectations but man...if he can get back to being close to what he was, this could be a seriously dangerous team.

Yeah, im really anxious to see what he looks like. His knee should be 100% healthy, im just curious to see if hes rusty. He’s a world class athlete, so hopefully his skills return quickly. It sounds like hes working his ass off.

 

[TK 421]

Yeah, im really anxious to see what he looks like. His knee should be 100% healthy, im just curious to see if hes rusty. He’s a world class athlete, so hopefully his skills return quickly. It sounds like hes working his ass off.

Listened to an NHL Tonight interview with DA and he said Fabbri has been in Toronto rehabbing and working out since January. Also that he's been 100% medically cleared to participate in camp and will be ready to go.

 

[STLegend]

This has been one hell of an off-season. I don't think I've been so excited for the start of a season since Schwartz/Tarasenko were breaking in. On paper we look very well balanced. The Rampage look like they will be a lot of fun to watch also...

How I see the start of the season baring a rookie just blowing the coaches away:

Schwartz-Schenn-Perron
Maroon-O'Reilly-Tarasenko
Steen-Bozak-Thomas
Soshnikov-Barbashev-Jaskin
Fabbri/Nolan

Edmundson-Pietrangelo
Bouwmeester-Parayko
Dunn-Bortuzzo
Schmaltz
(Gunnarsson traded when medically cleared)

Allen
Johnson


Rampage:

Blais-Flynn-Kyrou
Foley-Stevens-Kostin
LaLeggia-Sudqvist-Sanford
Kaspick-Musil-Thorburn
MacEachern

Lindbohm-Butler
Wotherspoon-Reinke
Walman-Mikkola
Sergeyev

Husso
Binnington


ECHL:
Fitzpatrick
Opilka
Bleackley
Poganski

Europe:
Bokk
Krag
Hakanpaa
Helt
Bennett

OHL:
Toropchenko
Bourque
Tucker

QMJHL:
Noel
Laferriere

NCAA:
Perunovich
McGing

WHL:
Hofer

 

[KirkOut]

Can't see Fabbri being healthy scratch or Nolan beating out Sundqvist/Sanford/etc, but other than that yeah I'm excited too

 

[STLegend]

Yea I don't see it being an every night thing, but that way he gets eased back into the lineup and plenty of rest. I only see Nolan there because it's not ideal to have a young guy sitting out often, even though Sundqvist did it last year, we are much deeper this year. When he was down at AHL he put up decent numbers.

I could also see Nolan in AHL with Maroon on the 4th line and Fabbri/Blais splitting time with ROR & Vova

 

[STL fan in MN]

I’ve noticed an issue with a lot of these rosters/depth charts folks are posting.

We seem to be very light at C for players projected to be on the Rampage. Foley isn’t a C, he’s a LW.

I recall some talk of trying Sanford at C last year before the shoulder injury. Maybe he can play there?

Unless Barbs and Sundqvist both end up there then it’s really just Stevens and Musil at C.

Not a huge problem but just something I noticed.

 

[STLegend]

I’ve noticed an issue with a lot of these rosters/depth charts folks are posting.

We seem to be very light at C for players projected to be on the Rampage. Foley isn’t a C, he’s a LW.

I recall some talk of trying Sanford at C last year before the shoulder injury. Maybe he can play there?

Unless Barbs and Sundqvist both end up there then it’s really just Stevens and Musil at C.

Not a huge problem but just something I noticed.

That's why they signed Flynn, Sanford has played C before, there is also Nolan, Kaspick, MacEachern and Bleackley too. We're actually quite deep at C, just not many highly skilled centers.

 

[thigpen]

Balancing lines by handedness is sound but I'm of the opinion that the lines should be balanced by defensive ability, unless Yeo can somehow manage to get the entire team to check as consistently and relentlessly as Vegas did last season.

There's enough natural defensive aptitude in the lineup to limit one defensively deficient player per line. "(d)" - designates the defensively deficient player. It just so happens they'd all end up on the right wing, here, but wherever the wings play the principle should stand:

Schwartz-Schenn-Maroon/Fabbri (d)
Perron-O'Reilly-Tarasenko (d)
Steen-Bozak-Thomas (d)
Jaskin-Barbashev-Fabbri/Maroon (d)
Soshnikov

I really hope Barbie can learn better FO skills from the new arrival center men. Thomas is given a "d" until he proves himself at the NHL level, which remains to be seen. It's possible his lax back checking in the CHL playoffs was injury related but from what I saw it wasn't up to snuff. Fabs also has something to prove in that area. Maroon isn't so good either, and Vladdy rarely picks up the open man in the D zone or checks anyone closely.

Just my 2 cents and I'd much prefer a relentlessly checking team mentality but I have my doubts that certain Blues forwards are capable (Vladdy in particular).

 

[LGB51]

Yeah, im really anxious to see what he looks like. His knee should be 100% healthy, im just curious to see if hes rusty. He’s a world class athlete, so hopefully his skills return quickly. It sounds like hes working his ass off.

I realize I should know this but I thought he blew out his other knee this time. So it was the same knee again?

 

[LGB51]

Balancing lines by handedness is sound but I'm of the opinion that the lines should be balanced by defensive ability, unless Yeo can somehow manage to get the entire team to check as consistently and relentlessly as Vegas did last season.

There's enough natural defensive aptitude in the lineup to limit one defensively deficient player per line. "(d)" - designates the defensively deficient player. It just so happens they'd all end up on the right wing, here, but wherever the wings play the principle should stand:

Schwartz-Schenn-Maroon/Fabbri (d)
Perron-O'Reilly-Tarasenko (d)
Steen-Bozak-Thomas (d)
Jaskin-Barbashev-Fabbri/Maroon (d)
Soshnikov

I really hope Barbie can learn better FO skills from the new arrival center men. Thomas is given a "d" until he proves himself at the NHL level, which remains to be seen. It's possible his lax back checking in the CHL playoffs was injury related but from what I saw it wasn't up to snuff. Fabs also has something to prove in that area. Maroon isn't so good either, and Vladdy rarely picks up the open man in the D zone or checks anyone closely.

Just my 2 cents and I'd much prefer a relentlessly checking team mentality but I have my doubts that certain Blues forwards are capable (Vladdy in particular).

Fabbri always throws his body around checking, he actually checks quite hard for a smaller player.

 

[thigpen]

Checking hard and checking effectively, then, must be mutually distinct when it comes to Fabbri. I think a lot of peewees have trouble checking bigger players and that's one more reason why they must work twice as hard to be effective at the NHL level.

 

[The Note]

I realize I should know this but I thought he blew out his other knee this time. So it was the same knee again?

It was the same knee. There was some small chance of re-injury after the surgery and unfortunately it happened.

 

[LGB51]

It was the same knee. There was some small chance of re-injury after the surgery and unfortunately it happened.

I feel stupid for not knowing that, I thought I saw a report after the injury happened that said it was the other knee, and I guess that's all I remembered.

 

[Stealth JD]

I feel stupid for not knowing that, I thought I saw a report after the injury happened that said it was the other knee, and I guess that's all I remembered.

Nope. He's waiting until pre-season this year to blow out the other knee.

 

[TheBluePenguin]

Nope. He's waiting until pre-season this year to blow out the other knee.

This made me laugh and feel bad at the same time

 

[mk80]

Nope. He's waiting until pre-season this year to blow out the other knee.

I feel bad for laughing at this so much. Especially because it's my worst fear going into this season that Fabbri will re-injure himself.

 

[BlueDream]

I'm not even worried this year. I love Fabbri and hope more than anything that he returns to form, but just in case he doesn't, the Blues could still roll:

Maroon-O'Reilly-Tarasenko
Schwartz-Schenn-Kyrou
Steen-Bozak-Perron
Barbashev-Thomas-Jaskin

Kyrou could essentially jump in there and replace him. Let me repeat: we'd be missing a top 6 forward and we STILL would have the depth to push either Thomas or Maroon to the 4th line. That is damn good. Even if Kyrou didn't make the team, you still have a legitimate group of 12:

Maroon-O'Reilly-Tarasenko
Schwartz-Schenn-Perron
Steen-Thomas-Bozak
Soshnikov-Barbashev-Jaskin

That's with no Fabbri or Kyrou, two pretty dynamic forwards (or at least the potential to be)... Armstrong really is covering his ass this year, Yeo can't screw this up.

 

[wannabebluesplayer]

Based on what we all believe to be the current roster (assuming at least Edmundson is also returning), how would the special teams shake out to everyone? Who do you see on PP1/PP2 and who do you see on PK1/PK2/possibly PK3?

 

[Zamadoo]

Not what I'd expect to see, but this is what I'd like to see:



PP1
Perron/Fabbri-O'Reilly-Tarasenko
Dunn-Pietrangelo

PP2
Schwartz-Bozak-Schenn
Parayko-Schmaltz

PP3
Maroon-Thomas-Fabbri
Schmaltz-Dunn

PP1
O'Reilly-Thomas
Edmundson-Pietrangelo

PK2
Bozak-Steen
Dunn-Parayko

PK3
Barbashev-Soshnikov
Bortuzzo-Schmaltz

 

[MissouriMook]

Based on what we all believe to be the current roster (assuming at least Edmundson is also returning), how would the special teams shake out to everyone? Who do you see on PP1/PP2 and who do you see on PK1/PK2/possibly PK3?

Regardless of how it shakes out, I want a right handed trigger man on the left half wall to compliment Tarasenko on his PP unit. That could be Perron, it could be Pietrangelo, or it could be Parayko. As long as they have a decent shot and have (or can improve upon) the ability to one-time the puck, that what I'm looking for. To me, that makes Tarasenko just that much more dangerous if you have to worry about a secondary option on the other side of the ice. As it has been the last few years, he's just too easy to key on.

 

[simon IC]

Balancing lines by handedness is sound but I'm of the opinion that the lines should be balanced by defensive ability, unless Yeo can somehow manage to get the entire team to check as consistently and relentlessly as Vegas did last season.

There's enough natural defensive aptitude in the lineup to limit one defensively deficient player per line. "(d)" - designates the defensively deficient player. It just so happens they'd all end up on the right wing, here, but wherever the wings play the principle should stand:

Schwartz-Schenn-Maroon/Fabbri (d)
Perron-O'Reilly-Tarasenko (d)
Steen-Bozak-Thomas (d)
Jaskin-Barbashev-Fabbri/Maroon (d)
Soshnikov

I really hope Barbie can learn better FO skills from the new arrival center men. Thomas is given a "d" until he proves himself at the NHL level, which remains to be seen. It's possible his lax back checking in the CHL playoffs was injury related but from what I saw it wasn't up to snuff. Fabs also has something to prove in that area. Maroon isn't so good either, and Vladdy rarely picks up the open man in the D zone or checks anyone closely.

Just my 2 cents and I'd much prefer a relentlessly checking team mentality but I have my doubts that certain Blues forwards are capable (Vladdy in particular).

Excellent post! I think at least one defensively proficient forward on each line is a fantastic idea. I also agree with your evaluations. I would like to add that David Perron is not a defensive stalwart. He can be, when he chooses to, but he is very inconsistent in applying defensive awareness.