Contract most likely to be moved

[c-carp]

What Contract will be moved if any?

I think they have to move one to create Cap Space, with the depth at forward at this point I think they will try and move Steen.

You can never have enough depth on D I would rather keep the D man. If you have to move one of them move Gunnarson the J-Bo if you have too.

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[Bluesish]

Gunny due to the lack of a NTC.

 

[BlueDream]

What Contract will be moved if any?

I think they have to move one to create Cap Space, with the depth at forward at this point I think they will try and move Steen.

You can never have enough depth on D I would rather keep the D man. If you have to move one of them move Gunnarson the J-Bo if you have too.

Actually you can. You can only play 6 of them per night and unless you want to lose Schmaltz for nothing or just block him from getting any playing time, a defenseman has to be moved.

Gunnarsson really doesn't provide anything that we need.

 

[Majorityof1]

Actually you can. You can only play 6 of them per night and unless you want to lose Schmaltz for nothing or just block him from getting any playing time, a defenseman has to be moved.

Gunnarsson really doesn't provide anything that we need.

You can never have enough of the right kind of depth. Depth that will willingly play most the year in San Antonio, but can be serviceable call-up if needed is the right kind of depth. So not Gunnarsson who won't be happy about playing AHL, nor Butler who sank us by not being NHL-capable. Hopefully Mikkola, Reinke, and Walman develop to that level and Wortherspoon is good (from what I remember seeing, he is decent). Then we have 3-4 guys in the minors to provide depth, and losing Gunnarsson isn't a huge deal.

 

[Stealth JD]

Rather dump Bouwmeester...but Gunnar would be the easiest to move.
I think JBo goes.

 

[PiggySmalls]

With free agency defenseman being so thin this off season. I can see Gunny moved not long after he is cleared medically.

Would love to see JBow moved, but NTC hurts. I still think FLA is the best spot for JBow. Panthers need JBow back.

 

[Frenzy31]

I think Bort gets traded. He is a UFA next year - and Schmaltz is ready to fill in - and is cheaper. Bort will have more value then Gunnerson at this point because Gunn has to prove he is healthy.

My guess is an early trade during preseason once teams see what they have and evaluate the younger players.

 

[Robb_K]

I'm hoping that Gunnarsson shows in pre-season that he is ready to play, and he's traded for a 3rd or 4th Rounder. If not, he may be traded 20 games into the season after proving that he's healthy. Schmaltz won't be risked by being sent down.

 

[Alklha]

I think Bort gets traded. He is a UFA next year - and Schmaltz is ready to fill in - and is cheaper. Bort will have more value then Gunnerson at this point because Gunn has to prove he is healthy.

My guess is an early trade during preseason once teams see what they have and evaluate the younger players.

I think the only reason to consider moving Bortuzzo is if his demands are too much. We're not exactly flush with options on the right side, and if he's looking for a similar contract to what he is currently on then we should be extending him.

With Dunn and Edmundson, at least one of Gunnarsson or Bouwmeester isn't in the plans beyond this season... that is the one we should focus on moving.

 

[Brian39]

I answered 'other' because I don't agree that a contract has to be moved. Even with a $4ish mil AAV to Ed, we can make it work without moving anyone. It would be tight and the worst case scenario is that Dunn has to be in the AHL for a few weeks (at least on paper). More realistically, there will be an injury in camp, Thorburn will get sent to the AHL, Schmaltz holds out for a few weeks to get a better contract (or signs at around $700k one way), or some other combination of things to make us just a shade under the cap.

It will be tight, but it is absolutely doable and I think the Blues will prefer to actually see what we have in J-Bo/Gunnar before moving one for scraps. I don't think Steen is going anywhere this season. For as much as fans rip on him, he was a 46 point player last year (49 point pace), is good defensively when he isn't asked to play C or RW and is suddenly one of our best penalty killers. We're not moving that just to create the $200k or so of cap space we may or may not need to build our ideal 23 man roster. If you move Steen and Fabbri can't cut it (or gets hurt), suddenly your forward group is a bigger concern than your 8th D man.

I think we enter camp with what we have, use some creativity to get ourselves just a hair under the cap and then make a decision in November/December about whether we need to free up cap space for a rental or want to just roll with the depth we have. I think Gunnar probably gets moved during the season, but not until we get a better idea of what we have in Schmaltz, Walman, Mikkola and potentially Reinke.

 

[WeWentBlues]

I answered 'other' because I don't agree that a contract has to be moved. Even with a $4ish mil AAV to Ed, we can make it work without moving anyone. It would be tight and the worst case scenario is that Dunn has to be in the AHL for a few weeks (at least on paper). More realistically, there will be an injury in camp, Thorburn will get sent to the AHL, Schmaltz holds out for a few weeks to get a better contract (or signs at around $700k one way), or some other combination of things to make us just a shade under the cap.

It will be tight, but it is absolutely doable and I think the Blues will prefer to actually see what we have in J-Bo/Gunnar before moving one for scraps. I don't think Steen is going anywhere this season. For as much as fans rip on him, he was a 46 point player last year (49 point pace), is good defensively when he isn't asked to play C or RW and is suddenly one of our best penalty killers. We're not moving that just to create the $200k or so of cap space we may or may not need to build our ideal 23 man roster. If you move Steen and Fabbri can't cut it (or gets hurt), suddenly your forward group is a bigger concern than your 8th D man.

I think we enter camp with what we have, use some creativity to get ourselves just a hair under the cap and then make a decision in November/December about whether we need to free up cap space for a rental or want to just roll with the depth we have. I think Gunnar probably gets moved during the season, but not until we get a better idea of what we have in Schmaltz, Walman, Mikkola and potentially Reinke.

Agree 100%. The Blues don't have to move anyone to make this all work but a lot will depend on the contract Edmundson gets. Anything in the 3.5M to 3.75M range won't cause problems. If he somehow gets around 4.0M-4.5M, it gets a little more interesting.

The plight of Jordan Schmaltz is what is most interesting to me. I think the kid could end up being really good but just hasn't gotten the chance to show it yet. Had the Blues found some way to showcase his talent, he could be moved for a decent return and Reinke could be our depth piece in the AHL on the right side after Bortuzzo. That would solve the cap issue for next season. However, after investing a 1st in Schmaltz, the Blues would be eating some value to either lose him to waviers or by trading him now. The idea of sending Dunn temporarily to the AHL is very creative and makes the most sense for asset management and cap compliance.

 

[WeWentBlues]

Assume we carry 8 defenseman to start the season and 13 forwards.

Forwards: Steen, O'Reilly, Tarasenko, Schwartz, Schenn, Perron, Bozak, Maroon, Fabbri (9)
Defensemen: Bouwmeester, Gunnarsson, Pietrangelo, Parayko, Dunn, Bortuzzo, Schmaltz, Edmundson (8)

Pick four to make the team from this group:
Jaskin, Thorburn, Soshnikov, Barbashev, Sundqvist, Nolan, Thomas, Kyrou

I would go with Kyrou, Thomas, Jaskin and Barbashev. The other four can either be claimed on waivers or play in the AHL. I wouldn't lose any sleep if Thorburn, Soshnikov, Sundqvist or Nolan were claimed.

That line-up gives us 4.682M to play with for Edmundson and Schmaltz.

 

[Brian39]

The idea of sending Dunn temporarily to the AHL is very creative and makes the most sense for asset management and cap compliance.

I know the fan base will flip out if Dunn gets cut at camp, but rocking a 22 man roster would allow us to bank enough space to call him up pretty quickly. I don't love it, but it wouldn't be the end of the world. If we are against the cap all season, I fully expect Dunn to be sent to the AHL on paper during off days in order to bank a couple grand in cap space here and there.

Pick four to make the team from this group:
Jaskin, Thorburn, Soshnikov, Barbashev, Sundqvist, Nolan, Thomas, Kyrou

I would go with Kyrou, Thomas, Jaskin and Barbashev. The other four can either be claimed on waivers or play in the AHL. I wouldn't lose any sleep if Thorburn, Soshnikov, Sundqvist or Nolan were claimed.

That line-up gives us 4.682M to play with for Edmundson and Schmaltz.

Basically my exact lineup.

However, another option would be to keep Nolan up instead of Kyrou for a month or two if we are truly needing every cap penny. That would save $108k against the cap and would let Kyrou get his feet wet in the pros with top 6 AHL minutes while Nolan is the spare forward sitting in the press box. You could call Kyrou up at the first injury that causes a guy to hit LTIR, which will realistically be before Christmas.

 

[Bobby Orrtuzzo]

Voted Gunny, would rather trade JBo

 

[WeWentBlues]

I know the fan base will flip out if Dunn gets cut at camp, but rocking a 22 man roster would allow us to bank enough space to call him up pretty quickly. I don't love it, but it wouldn't be the end of the world. If we are against the cap all season, I fully expect Dunn to be sent to the AHL on paper during off days in order to bank a couple grand in cap space here and there.



Basically my exact lineup.

However, another option would be to keep Nolan up instead of Kyrou for a month or two if we are truly needing every cap penny. That would save $108k against the cap and would let Kyrou get his feet wet in the pros with top 6 AHL minutes while Nolan is the spare forward sitting in the press box. You could call Kyrou up at the first injury that causes a guy to hit LTIR, which will realistically be before Christmas.

Moral of the story - Blues have a multitude of options. Armstrong has not backed himself into any corner here.

 

[Memento]

Voted Bouwmeester, but I wouldn't be surprised if both him and Gunnarsson are moved before the season is done. Don't know why, but it's just a feeling I have.

Either way, Schmaltz has to be on the roster. I don't want to lose him to waivers.

 

[c-carp]

Wasn’t aware of the Schmaltz contract situation, that makes a move among the D highly likely

 

[TheDizee]

Thorburn followed by Gunnar

 

[rumrokh]

I know the fan base will flip out if Dunn gets cut at camp, but rocking a 22 man roster would allow us to bank enough space to call him up pretty quickly. I don't love it, but it wouldn't be the end of the world. If we are against the cap all season, I fully expect Dunn to be sent to the AHL on paper during off days in order to bank a couple grand in cap space here and there.

The Blues have made all of these off-season moves in an effort to win now. Having Dunn in the lineup is the way to do that. I'd sooner waive Gunnarsson than even bench Dunn, let alone put him in the damn minors.

 

[Brian39]

The Blues have made all of these off-season moves in an effort to win now. Having Dunn in the lineup is the way to do that. I'd sooner waive Gunnarsson than even bench Dunn, let alone put him in the damn minors.

And he'll be in the lineup by the end of November. Do you think this team is bad enough that playing Gunnar/J-Bo over Dunn in October will cause us to miss the playoffs? If so, do you think there is any hope that they win the Cup this year? Doing this would allow the team to figure out what they have in Gunnar/J-Bo and make an informed decision on how to have the best possible playoff roster. If 15 games without Dunn tanks the season, this team had zero hope of winning this year. Especially since this only happens if the rest of the team is healthy.

 

[rumrokh]

And he'll be in the lineup by the end of November. Do you think this team is bad enough that playing Gunnar/J-Bo over Dunn in October will cause us to miss the playoffs? If so, do you think there is any hope that they win the Cup this year? Doing this would allow the team to figure out what they have in Gunnar/J-Bo and make an informed decision on how to have the best possible playoff roster. If 15 games without Dunn tanks the season, this team had zero hope of winning this year. Especially since this only happens if the rest of the team is healthy.

I know you're sticking to your guns, but I find it difficult to believe you're all in on this reasoning. Because you can say that about any other player in the lineup, right? In which case, why do the Blues need to make this drawn-out decision about Bouwmeester and Gunnarsson? Not only should they have a sufficient idea about these guys coming out of training camp and preseason, but, keeping with your reasoning, such a decision shouldn't be the difference for making the playoffs or winning the Cup. So just make a move that doesn't put a dynamic young player in the minors.

 

[Brian39]

I know you're sticking to your guns, but I find it difficult to believe you're all in on this reasoning. Because you can say that about any other player in the lineup, right? In which case, why do the Blues need to make this drawn-out decision about Bouwmeester and Gunnarsson? Not only should they have a sufficient idea about these guys coming out of training camp and preseason, but, keeping with your reasoning, such a decision shouldn't be the difference for making the playoffs or winning the Cup. So just make a move that doesn't put a dynamic young player in the minors.

I absolutely think that your 6th D man in the playoffs makes a difference towards winning the Cup. Picking the correct player between Gunnar/J-Bo to be our 6th D man in May is absolutely more impactful to our Cup chances than whether Dunn spends October in the AHL or NHL. Barring injury, Dunn is playing 65+ NHL games plus the playoffs on our roster either way. You can't say it about any other player on the roster because Dunn is the only one who is waiver exempt. Doing it with any other player risks losing them to waivers and then not having them for your playoff roster. Realistically, you can't go 12 forwards, 8 D and 2 goalies for a month. Dunn is quite literally the only player on the roster we could do this with.

We have no information about how J-Bo or Gunnar will look returning from injury. We won't know until a few weeks into preseason and trades for veterans during preseason are fairly rare. We either need to trade one of them before camp or be prepared to wait until November/December to move one. If you come into camp with both, you have to have a plan to fit both under the cap, because a September 29th trade of either is not guaranteed. Depending on what Ed and Schmaltz make, there is a real possibility that the only way to audition J-Bo and Gunnar during camp and preseason is to accept that we would have to risk stashing Dunn in the minors for a few weeks or sending Thomas back to junior in order to fill a forward spot with a guy making a little less than him.

Dunn to the AHL shouldn't be plan A. However, it is an option that allows us to make an informed decision between J-Bo/Gunnar (or more realistically, to ensure that J-Bo bounces back from injury) and then attempt to get rid of the other towards the close of camp. If we can move the extra, great. But if not, we're not in a position where we have to give up an asset to get a team to take the extra D man or send Thomas back to junior due to cap implications. You can send Dunn to the AHL for 4 weeks, audition Gunnar/J-Bo and then call up Dunn once we've banked sufficient cap space to fit him into the 23 man roster for the rest of the year.

 

[rumrokh]

I absolutely think that your 6th D man in the playoffs makes a difference towards winning the Cup. Picking the correct player between Gunnar/J-Bo to be our 6th D man in May is absolutely more impactful to our Cup chances than whether Dunn spends October in the AHL or NHL. Barring injury, Dunn is playing 65+ NHL games plus the playoffs on our roster either way. You can't say it about any other player on the roster because Dunn is the only one who is waiver exempt. Doing it with any other player risks losing them to waivers and then not having them for your playoff roster. Realistically, you can't go 12 forwards, 8 D and 2 goalies for a month. Dunn is quite literally the only player on the roster we could do this with.

We have no information about how J-Bo or Gunnar will look returning from injury. We won't know until a few weeks into preseason and trades for veterans during preseason are fairly rare. We either need to trade one of them before camp or be prepared to wait until November/December to move one. If you come into camp with both, you have to have a plan to fit both under the cap, because a September 29th trade of either is not guaranteed. Depending on what Ed and Schmaltz make, there is a real possibility that the only way to audition J-Bo and Gunnar during camp and preseason is to accept that we would have to risk stashing Dunn in the minors for a few weeks or sending Thomas back to junior in order to fill a forward spot with a guy making a little less than him.

Dunn to the AHL shouldn't be plan A. However, it is an option that allows us to make an informed decision between J-Bo/Gunnar (or more realistically, to ensure that J-Bo bounces back from injury) and then attempt to get rid of the other towards the close of camp. If we can move the extra, great. But if not, we're not in a position where we have to give up an asset to get a team to take the extra D man or send Thomas back to junior due to cap implications. You can send Dunn to the AHL for 4 weeks, audition Gunnar/J-Bo and then call up Dunn once we've banked sufficient cap space to fit him into the 23 man roster for the rest of the year.

"You can" is laden with caveats and assumptions. Also, no, your sixth D man doesn't really affect your Cup aspirations unless your top 4 isn't good enough and that guy is absolutely terrible and doesn't belong in the NHL at all (Sbisa). And if the Blues look like a powerhouse at the deadline, add somebody else. Just because you can technically send a guy down, that doesn't mean you should. They could technically bench a lot of their definite NHL roster to get a longer look at young players to sort out the bottom lines, but they aren't going to do that. They also aren't going to even bench Dunn unless he has a bad camp.

 

[EastonBlues22]

I'm also in the camp that Dunn shouldn't be in the minors (beyond an off-day paper transaction) at any point this year.

He's an NHLer, and one of the best 6 defensemen on the squad. He adds an important dynamic element to the back end and should be an important part of turning around a PP that was dismal last year. I think sending him down makes the Blues a worse team and sends a bad message to him, the team, and to anyone trying to make the team.

Make your decision on who to keep (I'm betting it will be Bouwmeester) and ship the other one out for whatever you can get, or waive however many forwards you need to waive to carry eight defensemen.

 

[Celtic Note]

Honestly, I would rather Dunn just play and not mess around with him. He needs to continue developing and no need to add the stress of figuring out what going on with his roster position. I would rather waive one of Jbo or Gunnerson and loose them for nothing.