2018 Offseason Disappointment Tracker

[AjaxManifesto]

Yeah it would’ve been a real shame if the Blues were able to add a top 10 center in his prime. Thank goodness that didn’t happen.

It would be nice to win a million bucks, marry a super model, cure cancer, etc.

 

[Ranksu]

So was Thorburn, one of our 19 best forwards.

I think there is difference to play vet player at 4th line and PK heavily then youngster. I rather play kids on 3rd line with some offensive minded guys as many as possible o-zone starts then put them play toughest opponent and d-zone starts.

I'm just start to losing my mind how different view in this board have about things compare to mine.

 

[The Note]

It would be nice to win a million bucks, marry a super model, cure cancer, etc.

Everyone was acutely aware it was a long shot. The difference being you seem pleased the Blues didn’t get to sign him.

 

[AjaxManifesto]

Everyone was acutely aware it was a long shot. The difference being you seem pleased the Blues didn’t get to sign him.

I'm pleased DA didn't lose his head.

30 teams are disappointed....only one is happy...let's see how far they go next season.

 

[simon IC]

I think there is difference to play vet player at 4th line and PK heavily then youngster. I rather play kids on 3rd line with some offensive minded guys as many as possible o-zone starts then put them play toughest opponent and d-zone starts.

I'm just start to losing my mind how different view in this board have about things compare to mine.

FWIW, Ranksu, I completely agree with you on Brodziak.

 

[Majorityof1]

It would be nice to win a million bucks, marry a super model, cure cancer, etc.

People have won/made a million bucks. People have married super models, or have wives far more conventionally attractive than they are. Cancer research, while not yet at a cure, has progressed. None of that happens if the people who did it didn't step up the the plate to try in the first place. You don't stumble upon those things while looking for the sure thing. As the great Wayne Gretzky said, "You miss one-hundred percent of the shots you don't take."

 

[Majorityof1]

I think there is difference to play vet player at 4th line and PK heavily then youngster. I rather play kids on 3rd line with some offensive minded guys as many as possible o-zone starts then put them play toughest opponent and d-zone starts.

I'm just start to losing my mind how different view in this board have about things compare to mine.

Yes, we actually like the team and hope they do well. It must be a very strange perspective for you.

 

[Ranksu]

Yes, we actually like the team and hope they do well. It must be a very strange perspective for you.

C'mon lets be honest in here. You really think Tyler Bozak, Chad Johnson and David f***ing Perron will get us there, win Stanley Cup?

Ofc I hope team do well and I think this team would have done well without Bozak, Perron or Johnson.

Its really admirable how Toronto did fast re-build. Play with kids, tank and draft high. Make team interesting and finally get biggest fish of the table Tavares. Just wow.

 

[KilmKostin]

The only "disappointment" I have is that Tavares didn't want to speak to us. But that's his decision, nothing to do with DA.

People are quick to jump on Doug and call this a "typical Blues offseason" with lateral moves at best and those people have us penciled in for a lottery pick in 19. But I for one, am completely on DA's side of the fence here, I think he did everything he could this year to set us up for the future.

Trades Stastny for a 1st (Dominik Bokk, who seems like a speedy, high IQ goal scorer, which we desperately need) and Erik Foley, who definitely looks like a future NHLer). For an expiring, this is a win for us. Two solid prospects who bolster our already deep forward prospect corps

With free agency, obviously we all wanted the big name. But it didn't work out that way, so we managed our assets properly.

Our biggest holes going into today were another top 9 right winger and centre depth. We addressed them both, with the top options that were available.

Perron, obviously we all know about his history here, which has had some success and some disappointment. But, he had a really good year last year, and obviously has lots of ties to us. Great $$ as well.

Bozak will fit into our 2 or 3 hole nicely. He's not a Ryan O'Reilly, offensively or defensively. But if you can count on him to help our PP and score 35-45 points (could be more, but I'm not going to get my hopes up) Not home run numbers by any means, but we were desperate and needed the depth.

At the end of the day, we didn't sell the farm for a guy like ROR. DA could have easily done just that, seeing this as a season where he has to win or could be out a job. But he was more concerned about the teams future then his own. Means a lot to myself, as a long time fan.

 

[KilmKostin]

Its really admirable how Toronto did fast re-build. Play with kids, tank and draft high. Make team interesting and finally get biggest fish of the table Tavares. Just wow.

Great strategy, if you don't have the likes of Tarasenko, Schwartz, Schenn, Petro, etc. on your team already. Want us to just tell them to stay home for the year?

We're too good to tank.

 

[EastonBlues22]

C'mon lets be honest in here. You really think Tyler Bozak, Chad Johnson and David ****ing Perron will get us there, win Stanley Cup?

Ofc I hope team do well and I think this team would have done well without Bozak, Perron or Johnson.

Its really admirable how Toronto did fast re-build. Play with kids, tank and draft high. Make team interesting and finally get biggest fish of the table Tavares. Just wow.

Did you think Vegas was going to get to the finals last year?

This isn't a game where the best team on paper usually wins. The best three or four teams on paper don't always make it out of the second round. If you've got a reasonably talented team and you're playing well as a team, you have a legitimate chance. It's not going to be a great chance, but even the President's Trophy winner gets no better than a 20-25% chance to win it all from Vegas when the playoffs start, and they're likely overstating the actual percentages a bit because people tend to bet the favorites even at poor odds.

If the only thing that will make you happy is a top five team on paper, you will be better off being a fan of a different franchise because it's an uphill battle for an organization like St. Louis to get there.

 

[GoldenSeal]

After all of this, the only four words I want to hear at this point is "Blues Fire Doug Armstrong"

 

[ChuckLefley]

After all of this, the only four words I want to hear at this point is "Blues Fire Doug Armstrong"

Yeah, it sucks he didn’t sell off the future for guys like Ryan “Hockey isn’t fun anymore” O’Reilly at $7.5 per year and brought in guys who make our roster better while being competitive until that youth is ready to take over.

 

[mk80]

After all of this, the only four words I want to hear at this point is "Blues Fire Doug Armstrong"

I am not DA's biggest fan, but he patched our holes with the best most affordable options. No big names, but guys who will fit and be stopgaps until the prospects he didn't blatantly trade away come up and take over.

 

[GoldenSeal]

Yeah, it sucks he didn’t sell off the future for guys like Ryan “Hockey isn’t fun anymore” O’Reilly at $7.5 per year and brought in guys who make our roster better while being competitive until that youth is ready to take over.

What is the point of having all these futures if the team is consistently going nowhere? There needs to be a balance between the two and if Armstrong has proven anything is that he seems to enjoy trading true blue chip players for ran down has-beens. Management needs to plan to build the team up, right now it keeps getting torn down through attrition and probably the worst coaching I've seen in a very long time. Mike Yeo? Stillman and Army though this was the guy? That decision alone and how long he got signed for speaks volumes of how badly the team is being mismanaged.

If anything, we should be calling up and totally utlizing all the talent we have downstairs, but the belief seems to be to give has-beens ice time over blue chips who are ready to go. If you're going to handle money as tight as you are, play the guys you got. Army seems to trade them off instead. And man, those line changes that come up when we got a winning line... I mean what the hell, guys?

 

[Novacain]

There needs to be a balance between the two and if Armstrong has proven anything is that he seems to enjoy trading true blue chip players for ran down has-beens.

Name one prospect we have traded in the last 8 years we actually really missed out on having on our team.

Also, yeah, the rush a player to the NHL strat sure worked wonders with Thompson this last year.

 

[ChuckLefley]

What is the point of having all these futures if the team is consistently going nowhere? There needs to be a balance between the two and if Armstrong has proven anything is that he seems to enjoy trading true blue chip players for ran down has-beens. Management needs to plan to build the team up, right now it keeps getting torn down through attrition and probably the worst coaching I've seen in a very long time. Mike Yeo? Stillman and Army though this was the guy? That decision alone and how long he got signed for speaks volumes of how badly the team is being mismanaged.

If anything, we should be calling up and totally utlizing all the talent we have downstairs, but the belief seems to be to give has-beens ice time over blue chips who are ready to go. If you're going to handle money as tight as you are, play the guys you got. Army seems to trade them off instead. And man, those line changes that come up when we got a winning line... I mean what the hell, guys?

Aren’t the moves Armstrong made, along with what veterans we already have creating a balance? There is room for one or two of our highly touted prospects to play this year and, with the length of contracts and Seattle expansion, room for those prospects to bloom into bigger roles. You claim you want a balance, but you want to sell off the future for today. That’s not a balance, that’s the strategy the Blues tried for many years and it got us nothing.

 

[Novacain]

I don't know where to post this, but man, this day made some really strange bed fellows in terms of who is agreeing with who.

 

[GoldenSeal]

Name one prospect we have traded in the last 8 years we actually really missed out on having on our team.

Also, yeah, the rush a player to the NHL strat sure worked wonders with Thompson this last year.

Ok, I'll name just one: Ben Bishop.

And just to be clear, I don't want us rushing players who are not ready. At the same time, if they're doing well in the AHL or wherever they are, there's no reason we can't call them up a game and see how they're moving along. What I was getting at is, I'd rather we give them a chance than to sign or play some of the retreads and times past players that we seem to like giving ice time to.

As for the responses to my previous comments about Armstrong, I look at him as a guy who you hire when your team is in rebuild mode. He's fantastic at that and for getting bargain basement players who come out on a second wind. But he seems to hit a ceiling at a certain point and starts cycling. Not really moving forward, not really totally falling flat so we end up with a top 10 pick. Also, I don't see much of a plan from management beyond The Future, The Future, The Future, which I'm down by law with; we don't want to be a team who've totally depleated our prospects and have to rebuild the hard way. The goal should be to win the Cup and I see far too much emphasis on the future over planning -with- the future in mind to build a team to go after it and win it all. We can't keep using a year here and a year there just filling in slots while players like Tarasenko and Pietrangelo get older. That's the kind of situation that makes players leave town and imo begins to hamper morale.

Maybe I'm wrong and maybe the lineup we got now will go deep into the playoffs. Maybe Mike Yeo will fix the PP. I don't see it but I also didn't see Vegas going to the Finals, either. I just want to see the Blues win it all, is that too much to ask?

 

[GoldenSeal]

Aren’t the moves Armstrong made, along with what veterans we already have creating a balance? There is room for one or two of our highly touted prospects to play this year and, with the length of contracts and Seattle expansion, room for those prospects to bloom into bigger roles. You claim you want a balance, but you want to sell off the future for today. That’s not a balance, that’s the strategy the Blues tried for many years and it got us nothing.

I never said to sell the future, quite the opposite. I just don't see a plan and coaching doesn't seem to have a clue.

 

[TruBlu]

What is the point of having all these futures if the team is consistently going nowhere? There needs to be a balance between the two and if Armstrong has proven anything is that he seems to enjoy trading true blue chip players for ran down has-beens. Management needs to plan to build the team up, right now it keeps getting torn down through attrition and probably the worst coaching I've seen in a very long time. Mike Yeo? Stillman and Army though this was the guy? That decision alone and how long he got signed for speaks volumes of how badly the team is being mismanaged.

If anything, we should be calling up and totally utlizing all the talent we have downstairs, but the belief seems to be to give has-beens ice time over blue chips who are ready to go. If you're going to handle money as tight as you are, play the guys you got. Army seems to trade them off instead. And man, those line changes that come up when we got a winning line... I mean what the hell, guys?

Maybe that was true in years past, but he's been pretty consistent with his vision toward the youth. These moves were made out of necessity. He replaced Stastny and Hutton with Bozak, Perron, and Johnson. Altogether, that is an upgrade over what we had.

 

[Novacain]

I never said to sell the future, quite the opposite. I just don't see a plan and coaching doesn't seem to have a clue.

I mean, the plan isn't hard to see: Fill holes but leave room for the prospects we think could be impact players to actually become impact players. Also, get faster. Perron nor Bozak are exactly slow, and Kyrou specifically can absolutely fly

 

[GoldenSeal]

I mean, the plan isn't hard to see: Fill holes but leave room for the prospects we think could be impact players to actually become impact players. Also, get faster. Perron nor Bozak are exactly slow, and Kyrou specifically can absolutely fly

Dumb as it sounds, I didn't see it the way you put it here. Kyrou is really fast, Perron, I just keep thinking of how he vanishes in the playoffs but regular season the guy can be money. I know very little about Bozak but think he's what, a middle six player?

 

[Novacain]

Dumb as it sounds, I didn't see it the way you put it here. Kyrou is really fast, Perron, I just keep thinking of how he vanishes in the playoffs but regular season the guy can be money. I know very little about Bozak but think he's what, a middle six player?

He's generally an offense first middle 6 center, who has consistently gotten into the 40-50 range. He also is a very good faceoff guy, having been top 2 in the league both 2 and 3 years ago (he did have a dropoff to only 53% this past season), and is notoriously good in the shootout.

 

[Daley Tarasenkshow]

I personally am happy with Armstrong at this point in the offseason. He didn't sell the future, and appears the kids will develop while the team stays competitive. I like the Bozak deal, and even though I'm not a huge Perron fan, he had a good year last year and solidifies the top 9.

For what was on the table, I think Army did a fine job.

Trading Sobotka would be the cherry on top.