Do You View This Team as a Legitimate Cup Contender?

[Celtic Note]

They aren’t nearly fast enough as a team to do this

Nor do we have the backend offense/breakout.

 

[ItsOnlytheRiver]

The Blues aren’t fast enough. Or defensive enough. Or offensive enough. Or anything really. Average team will deliver average results.

 

[joe galiba]

Each and every year since I was about 6 (roughly 50 years)

 

[Robb_K]

What makes it even funnier is that Berube is known for offence first.

Is THIS really true? I've never heard that, nor thought that. Can you give me an example of that? As far as I remember, he's always been a hard-nosed coach who believes in giving 100%, playing hard and tough. But he's always wanted that in BOTH ends, hard on the forecheck, but hard on backchecking, and being back in position. He's always been strong on playing the 200 ft game. and playing fundamental hockey. How is that MORE emphasis on offence???

 

[Ranksu]

Is THIS really true? I've never heard that, nor thought that. Can you give me an example of that? As far as I remember, he's always been a hard-nosed coach who believes in giving 100%, playing hard and tough. But he's always wanted that in BOTH ends, hard on the forecheck, but hard on backchecking, and being back in position. He's always been strong on playing the 200 ft game. and playing fundamental hockey. How is that MORE emphasis on offence???

It was a joke.

 

[Robb_K]

It was a joke.

Oh! Sorry! I guess you should have used the sarcastic emoji.

 

[sfvega]

The Blues aren’t fast enough. Or defensive enough. Or offensive enough. Or anything really. Average team will deliver average results.

Exactly. We're in no man's land. No longer good enough on defense to shut teams down, but we also don't have a top 10 offense on our hands either. We're basically just what the Hawks or Preds have been the past few years. Fringe playoff team that will not contend for the Cup and have only a shot in the dark at a top pick.

 

[Thallis]

I'm not unconvinced that the Blues best strategy next season might be to run-and-gun and try to be the first team to score 6. They've got the forwards (and defense) to make a go of it.

I don't think our best offensive guys play the right style for this. Buch, Thomas and Kyrou could thrive, but ROR, Perron, schenn, & Saad would be worse in that environment.

 

[Ranksu]

I don't think our best offensive guys play the right style for this. Buch, Thomas and Kyrou could thrive, but ROR, Perron, schenn, & Saad would be worse in that environment.

What about is our coach right guy for that job where Army is fixing/aiming roster now?

Knowing Berube is defense first type of coach.

 

[EastonBlues22]

IMO, the defensive unit was the glue that held together the championship team once the Berube and Binnington pieces finally clicked into place. It was well-rounded and talented enough to be rather difficult for an opponent to exploit, was capable of exploiting other teams in a number of ways (in all three zones), and it was able to support both the goaltending and the offense in several very important ways that elevated their respective effectiveness of each of those units...perhaps the most important of which was the ability to win pucks quickly and facilitate transitioning extremely well from zone to zone.

They weren't necessarily dominant themselves, but they couldn't be dominated, and the strengths they brought to the table as a unit were just the ones needed to greatly elevated the team's effectiveness as a whole.

Even with a healthy Parayko, I just don't think the defense as currently constructed is capable of replicating much, if any, of that. I don't think they're a minor tweak away, either. Are the other units improved (or changed) to the point where they can compensate and build a whole that's greater than its part in other ways? Personally, I don't think so.

 

[Celtic Note]

IMO, the defensive unit was the glue that held together the championship team once the Berube and Binnington pieces finally clicked into place. It was well-rounded and talented enough to be rather difficult for an opponent to exploit, was capable of exploiting other teams in a number of ways (in all three zones), and it was able to support both the goaltending and the offense in several very important ways that elevated their respective effectiveness of each of those units...perhaps the most important of which was the ability to win pucks quickly and facilitate transitioning extremely well from zone to zone.

They weren't necessarily dominant themselves, but they couldn't be dominated, and the strengths they brought to the table as a unit were just the ones needed to greatly elevated the team's effectiveness as a whole.

Even with a healthy Parayko, I just don't think the defense as currently constructed is capable of replicating much, if any, of that. I don't think they're a minor tweak away, either. Are the other units improved (or changed) to the point where they can compensate and build a whole that's greater than its part in other ways? Personally, I don't think so.

There are too many holes and the composition isn’t great. We have lost offense on the backend (Dunn hurts here quite a bit) since then and the defensive capabilities have diminished as well (too many downgrades to list).

To be clear, there are ways that you can overcome a less than stellar D corps with solid defensive D who can successfully initiate a smooth breakout, but you need a legit two-way stud on the backend to accomplish that and a top tier group of forwards too. We have neither.