Blues Discussion Thread 2018-2019 - Part II

[BlueDream]

I'm on the side of being completely against moving Schenn to RW. He played great there all year and his line basically carried the team. You come into TC now and say "oh yeah sorry about that Brayden, thanks for the hard work but you're back on the wing now." Why?

I also strongly disagree with the notion that he "didn't actually do well" as a center. Yes, he did. I am not going to go looking through any stats but from the eye test, I thought he looked pretty damn solid defensively. His positioning was fine. And I'd be appalled if anyone thought Bozak or Thomas would do a better job there. As for his faceoffs, that "issue" is way overblown. He was at 48%, which isn't awful. As long as you're around 50, it's fine. Especially if you have guys that can make up for it (which we now have). I think people would be surprised to see the faceoff numbers of a lot of other top centers. McDavid 41%, Mackinnon 42%, Turris 49%, Malkin 43%, Kuznetsov 44%, Couture 45%.

Point blank, Thomas is a rookie and shouldn't start above the 3rd line, and Bozak is a worse player than Schenn. So let those 2 fight for the 3C spot, I don't really care what happens there. But moving Schenn to the wing in favor of either one of them would be an asinine slap in the face to him.

Maybe we can revisit this if Thomas just sets the world on fire and looks incredible at center. Until then though, I hate the idea. Every single Cup winner is strong down the middle. A 1-2 punch of O'Reilly and Schenn gives us - BY FAR - the best chance to win out of any possible center combo on this roster. Those are the guys I want going up against Scheifele/Little, Johansen/Turris, Thornton/Couture, Kopitar/Carter, Getzlaf/Henrique, Karlsson/Stastny, Seguin/Spezza, etc etc in the playoffs. No reason to break that up.

(And moving ROR to wing is an even worse idea than Schenn, FWIW. Most elite faceoff man and devensive forward on the roster. He should never leave the middle of the ice, especially in favor of Tyler Bozak and a rookie.)

 

[STL fan in MN]

Maybe we can revisit this if Thomas just sets the world on fire and looks incredible at center.

The entire premise was based on this. Nobody was talking about doing it to start the season.

It’s a hypothetical if Thomas sets the world on fire.

 

[BlueDream]

The entire premise was based on this. Nobody was talking about doing it to start the season.

It’s a hypothetical if Thomas sets the world on fire.

My bad, I guess I missed that. I've seen other people throughout the summer suggest moving Schenn to RW so my point overall still stands, but regardless: I'd say the chances of Thomas showing up to camp and outperforming Schenn at center are 0%.

 

[STL fan in MN]

Good article on Soshnikov.

PHPA

Didn’t realize how devastating that concussion he got from Chara was. Sounds like he was in a Perron-like “dark place” for a while there and wasn’t able to do any normal off-season training a year ago. So with him now healthy and spending this summer with Nichol, he should be in great shape. Sounds like a very good option for our 4th line with the ability to move up the lineup as needed.

 

[David Dennison]

Training camp roster

 

[STL fan in MN]

Training camp roster

Appears to be no real surprises. A few AHL/ECHL invitees but only minor surprise is I see no true PTOs invited (although they certainly still could be invited in the next week or so).

That tells me that the Blues are likely pretty confident in their group and that they have enough internal compensation for spots that they didn’t see any real holes a PTO might be able to fill.

Either that or the guys looking for PTOs saw how deep the Blues were and took PTO offers from other teams instead! Could be that too. Or a bit of both.

 

[Beauterham]

Bokk isn't on the list aswell. So it appears he's only here for the Traverse tournament.

PTO's can still be added. Although, as you said: why would they? We're already pretty stacked at forward with all the players already battling or a spot. Wouldn't have mind to try out a player like Stephen Dhillon though. He could be a decent pickup to start in Tulsa along with Opilka.

 

[STL fan in MN]

Bokk isn't on the list aswell. So it appears he's only here for the Traverse tournament.

PTO's can still be added. Although, as you said: why would they? We're already pretty stacked at forward with all the players already battling or a spot. Wouldn't have mind to try out a player like Stephen Dhillon though. He could be a decent pickup to start in Tulsa along with Opilka.

I was assuming Fitzpatrick would be the Tulsa starter with Opilka backing up?

And I want to say I saw a tweet (from I think Strickland) that Bokk might just attend the TC tourney but not camp. Probably since the Euro season has already started so he likely doesn’t want to miss too many SHL games.

 

[Beauterham]

I was assuming Fitzpatrick would be the Tulsa starter with Opilka backing up?

Yeah, probably. But Opilka is a huge questionmark to me. He hasn't played a game in such a long time, so who knows what level he's at, and if he is even capable of playing at the ECHL-level. Taking an extra goalie on a PTO as a back-up plan doesn't seem far fetched. And besides that, Personally I'd rather run a Husso/Fitzpatrick tandem at San Antonio and trade Binnington. I really like Jordan, but Husso and Fitz are both younger and more talented IMO so if there is a team that needs a depth goalie and wants to trade him (looking at you Boston!) for a pick/B-prospect, I'm all in.

 

[STL fan in MN]

Yeah, probably. But Opilka is a huge questionmark to me. He hasn't played a game in such a long time, so who knows what level he's at, and if he is even capable of playing at the ECHL-level. Taking an extra goalie on a PTO as a back-up plan doesn't seem far fetched. And besides that, Personally I'd rather run a Husso/Fitzpatrick tandem at San Antonio and trade Binnington. I really like Jordan, but Husso and Fitz are both younger and more talented IMO so if there is a team that needs a depth goalie and wants to trade him (looking at you Boston!) for a pick/B-prospect, I'm all in.

While I necessarily wouldn’t be opposed to trading Binny, I’d think that Fitz would be better served being an ECHL starter than AHL backup. Let him play a ton in the ECHL with perhaps a few AHL games if he’s deserving/needed due to injury.

 

[wannabebluesplayer]

Point blank, Thomas is a rookie and shouldn't start above the 3rd line, and Bozak is a worse player than Schenn. So let those 2 fight for the 3C spot, I don't really care what happens there. But moving Schenn to the wing in favor of either one of them would be an asinine slap in the face to him.

Maybe we can revisit this if Thomas just sets the world on fire and looks incredible at center. Until then though, I hate the idea. Every single Cup winner is strong down the middle. A 1-2 punch of O'Reilly and Schenn gives us - BY FAR - the best chance to win out of any possible center combo on this roster. Those are the guys I want going up against Scheifele/Little, Johansen/Turris, Thornton/Couture, Kopitar/Carter, Getzlaf/Henrique, Karlsson/Stastny, Seguin/Spezza, etc etc in the playoffs. No reason to break that up.

Why do you believe that Thomas shouldn't start above the 3rd line? What if he shows throughout camp that he can play with Schenn and Schwartz? Would you not like to see him get some time with those two on RW and maybe take a draw here and there or perform center duties here and there? Just because he's a rookie isn't a reason to peg him into the bottom 6. Now, you are correct in that there are at least 2 if not 3 players who are better then him at C currently on the roster. O'Reilly, Schenn, and Bozak are those three but I'd argue that he's probably already better then Bozak defensively and could be as good as Bozak offensively. I'm not going to write off Thomas simply because he's a rookie. I won't write off Kyrou or place him in the bottom 9 simply because he's a rookie. If Thomas presents you a better opportunity to win by being the 3rd line center or on the 2nd or 1st lines then that's where he should play. Thomas is the best Blues prospect we've seen in a WHILE. I'd be willing to place a large wager he outshines what Fabbri did his rookie season. If he shows he can play, then he needs to stay and play up the lineup in a place he can succeed. Placing guys like Barbashev, Soshnikov, Thorburn, and Jaskin around him if he's clearly more skilled then that isn't providing him a position to succeed in, which could be detrimental to his development. I'm not saying he should start in the top 6 but he needs to be given a fair shake. Look around the league and you see young, rookie centers dominating all over. This notion that he can't play up is unfounded until you actually try it and see for yourself. The luxury the Blues have is enough center depth now to place him lower to bring him along slower if need be, but the notion that he has to start in the bottom 6 is exactly what Thompson was referring to when he said he was pigeon holed. (Even though I disagreed with him).

 

[The Note in MI]

I’m tempering my expectations of Thomas until I see him perform at regular season speed. Camp and preseason are fine and dandy but everyone knows the vets sandbag. Unless he’s dominating preseason games my expectations are very low going in.

 

[Dbrownss]

Why do you believe that Thomas shouldn't start above the 3rd line? What if he shows throughout camp that he can play with Schenn and Schwartz? Would you not like to see him get some time with those two on RW and maybe take a draw here and there or perform center duties here and there? Just because he's a rookie isn't a reason to peg him into the bottom 6. Now, you are correct in that there are at least 2 if not 3 players who are better then him at C currently on the roster. O'Reilly, Schenn, and Bozak are those three but I'd argue that he's probably already better then Bozak defensively and could be as good as Bozak offensively. I'm not going to write off Thomas simply because he's a rookie. I won't write off Kyrou or place him in the bottom 9 simply because he's a rookie. If Thomas presents you a better opportunity to win by being the 3rd line center or on the 2nd or 1st lines then that's where he should play. Thomas is the best Blues prospect we've seen in a WHILE. I'd be willing to place a large wager he outshines what Fabbri did his rookie season. If he shows he can play, then he needs to stay and play up the lineup in a place he can succeed. Placing guys like Barbashev, Soshnikov, Thorburn, and Jaskin around him if he's clearly more skilled then that isn't providing him a position to succeed in, which could be detrimental to his development. I'm not saying he should start in the top 6 but he needs to be given a fair shake. Look around the league and you see young, rookie centers dominating all over. This notion that he can't play up is unfounded until you actually try it and see for yourself. The luxury the Blues have is enough center depth now to place him lower to bring him along slower if need be, but the notion that he has to start in the bottom 6 is exactly what Thompson was referring to when he said he was pigeon holed. (Even though I disagreed with him).

I'm pretty sure he was talking about playing 1/2C.... I doubt anyone would be against him playing top 6 wing. Blues have said they want him playing center though, so well see how it all works out

 

[Zamadoo]

I can't believe it. Today is finally the day. The Traverse City Tournament marks the return of Blues hockey at 2:30pm vs Carolina's team. I am one of those fortunate enough to get off work in time to see watch. For those less fortunate, I'll tell ya all about it.

 

[Stealth JD]

From today’s preview of the Sabres on The Athletic:

O’Reilly is obviously a defensive force that handles the tough minutes well and is a very effective player on both special teams units – that will be very difficult to replace – but his 5-on-5 scoring rates during his time in Buffalo were shockingly low. Over the past three seasons, his points-per-60 is at 1.26 which ranks 290th among forwards in the illustrious company of players like Zack Smith, Frans Nielsen and Carl Soderberg. He was even worse last season at 1.07 as his personal shot rate and shooting percentage both plummeted.

Jeez...maybe he should be a power-play specialist and shut-down Center here. Really don’t want to see him drag down his wingers...but to be fair, his wingers in Buffalo couldn’t hold the jocks of the Blues’ top wings. Stunning to see how bad his 5-on-5 scoring was, but like in Colorado before Buffalo, i’m willing to give him the benefit of the doubt that his numbers were a product of the garbage around him.

 

[ManyIdeas]

From today’s preview of the Sabres on The Athletic:


Jeez...maybe he should be a power-play specialist and shut-down Center here. Really don’t want to see him drag down his wingers...but to be fair, his wingers in Buffalo couldn’t hold the jocks of the Blues’ top wings. Stunning to see how bad his 5-on-5 scoring was, but like in Colorado before Buffalo, i’m willing to give him the benefit of the doubt that his numbers were a product of the garbage around him.

Ah damn, I guess we will have to deal with ROR and Schenn both being special teams specialists

 

[Dbrownss]

From today’s preview of the Sabres on The Athletic:


Jeez...maybe he should be a power-play specialist and shut-down Center here. Really don’t want to see him drag down his wingers...but to be fair, his wingers in Buffalo couldn’t hold the jocks of the Blues’ top wings. Stunning to see how bad his 5-on-5 scoring was, but like in Colorado before Buffalo, i’m willing to give him the benefit of the doubt that his numbers were a product of the garbage around him.

I always enjoy how they dont weigh that against the whole team. They all sucked

 

[PiggySmalls]

ROR’s low 5v5 scoring bugged me as much as Schenn’s did before coming here. With those two on PP1 there shouldnt be any reason Vladi should be the focal point of the PP. Outside of 15-16 season he has not had a lot of PP goals in each season. His shot is deadly accurate but it isn’t the fastest release. I wouldn’t be mad to see these be the PP units.

PP1:
Schwartz-ROR-Schenn
Dunn-Petro

PP2:
Perron/Steen-Bozak-Tarasenko
Thomas/Schmaltz (if they make the team)-Parayko

 

[Stealth JD]

you can't run a 3F2D power-play these days, especially not with the lack of success they had at it last year.
There have been all kinds of break-downs showing the 4F1D power-play is well worth the extra defensive risk.
With the forward depth they've got, I'll be pissed if they put 2D out there on the same unit unless Dunn suddenly becomes a LH-Shattenkirk.

 

[Dbrownss]

I have no issue running 2 D on the PP when considering the 3 candidates. Dunn, he is a PP QB. The problem is getting Parayko to become deadly with a 1 timer. Pietrangelo if pretty good from the left circle too.

 

[BluesBrother]

I still can’t believe we landed o’reilly, even if he puts up 50-55 pts our roster looks so much better and balanced now. If we take him out and put bergie and sobie in... yikes.. with this roster we can really compete in west, don’t think it will be enough for the cup but man, army really managed to get my attention.
I’m usually very optimistic about upcoming seasons, but this time I think something special might actually happen. Players we got wanted to come here, and the core is very good and versatile what comes to skill levels. Good time to be a Blues fan!

 

[David Dennison]

I have no issue running 2 D on the PP when considering the 3 candidates. Dunn, he is a PP QB. The problem is getting Parayko to become deadly with a 1 timer. Pietrangelo if pretty good from the left circle too.

I feel like we kept asking the same question with EJ. IMO, puck movement is more important than a howitzer on the power play, I think our PP is better with Dunn (maybe even Schmaltz) than Parayko out there.

 

[Dbrownss]

I feel like we kept asking the same question with EJ. IMO, puck movement is more important than a howitzer on the power play, I think our PP is better with Dunn (maybe even Schmaltz) than Parayko out there.

I disagree. When he's effectively used his shot, it's one of the most dangerous shots on the Blues

 

[PiggySmalls]

AP, Parayko, and Dunn were 4,5,6 in PP assists last year. If they better options, it shouldn't matter what their position is. Dunn has emerged as the team's current best PP QB, AP being the trigger man on the blueline is a lot better then watching steen turn the puck over and watch the short handed opportunity go against you. Steen needs to go in front of the net like he did in the 2nd half of last season.

 

[BlueDream]

The even strength points argument always cracks me up. I love it.

Also that Canucks fan is doing GM ranking polls and Armstrong just placed in the top 5 and he's furious.