GDT: Game 13: St. Louis Blues @ Colorado Avalanche 8PM BSMW

[Mike Liut]

Did Kap come back in?

 

[BadgersandBlues]

No he wasn't on the bench after the collision with the boards.

 

[Reality Czech]

Sunny was all over the place last night. He's been a wrecking ball out there. Slow start, but I'm really pleased for what Sunny's been doing of late. I get excited when our 4th liners get out there and start throwing their bodies around.

I feel the same way. He might not be the most skilled player, but he always does something to make an impact. His passing and shot are better than average for a bottom six player and he's elite on the PK. Really happy to have him back.

 

[pseudoswede]

Missed both games in town this year. Super bummed.

Last night, my kid had an orchestra concert at school. If she didn't have that, she would've been at her 7pm hockey game last night in Colorado Springs.

Proudly wore my Blue Note jersey this morning to her 9:30am game.

 

[stl76]

 

[GoldenSeal]

Drinking the tears of Avs fans today. How delicious and refreshing.

We're still not a good team but damn did that feel good!

 

[Nederlander]

Sunny was all over the place last night. He's been a wrecking ball out there. Slow start, but I'm really pleased for what Sunny's been doing of late. I get excited when our 4th liners get out there and start throwing their bodies around.

That pass on the SH goal for Buchy was elite. I had a good feeling about Sunny coming back to the Blues. He really brings some grit and toughness.

 

[jura]

 

[Sgt Schultz]

I watched chunks of last night's game, and I need you guys to answer a question for me. Who the heck were the two teams wearing Blues and Avs uniforms?

I will say this: whoever they were, I enjoyed every minute of what I saw.

 

[Mike Liut]

I watched chunks of last night's game, and I need you guys to answer a question for me. Who the heck were the two teams wearing Blues and Avs uniforms?

I will say this: whoever they were, I enjoyed every minute of what I saw.

it was the 2019 Blues vs the 2016 Avs.

 

[PerryTurnbullfan]

Krug looked amazing tonight like wtf lol defended well too.

I wondered the same thing. Who is this guy? Glad we picked him up this year….

 

[Blueston]

This game was a reminder of why I’m not rooting for tank. Winning is fun. Beating up on a “better” team is great fun. Watching gm try to make moves to improve club, thinking through how to improve team, that brings me joy. Rooting for us to lose, doesn’t.

Thomas is a 1c we got mid-late first. Buchy and Faulk and Schenn were all acquired in deals. parayko and binny and kyrou were 2nd round or later picks. It’s not the “easy” way to build a winner but it seems more satisfying than what Buffalo or Edmonton or Detroit have gone through last decade.

So while we wait for the next wave to arrive, and debate who we want this year in draft, let’s enjoy the team we have now. They are imperfect and don’t look like legit contenders, but they are battling and showing what it means to be a blue. And I think playoffs are real possibility this season, even if our postseason stay is brief. Beats the heck out of last year!

 

[Snubbed4Vezina]

This game was a reminder of why I’m not rooting for tank. Winning is fun. Beating up on a “better” team is great fun. Watching gm try to make moves to improve club, thinking through how to improve team, that brings me joy. Rooting for us to lose, doesn’t.

Thomas is a 1c we got mid-late first. Buchy and Faulk and Schenn were all acquired in deals. parayko and binny and kyrou were 2nd round or later picks. It’s not the “easy” way to build a winner but it seems more satisfying than what Buffalo or Edmonton or Detroit have gone through last decade.

So while we wait for the next wave to arrive, and debate who we want this year in draft, let’s enjoy the team we have now. They are imperfect and don’t look like legit contenders, but they are battling and showing what it means to be a blue. And I think playoffs are real possibility this season, even if our postseason stay is brief. Beats the heck out of last year!

I didn't realize how close we were to missing out on Thomas. On 32 Thoughts last week, Friedman was talking about how the Maple Leafs were very close to picking Thomas a few picks before us but ultimately decided to take Timothy Liljegren. We're lucky they decided to go that direction because Thomas is really developing into a hell of a player.

I love hearing those backroom stories about how different NHL moves took shape.

Thomas looks like he's headed for his first All-Star nod this season. Hopefully he and Binny both continue to shine and get the recognition they deserve.

I have to admit, I don't understand the tank wagon this season. If this team is so terrible that we finish with a top 5 pick, it likely means we're not getting jack sh%$ for our movable pieces at the deadline, and it would also raise questions about the young core we have in place. I'd much rather see a competitive hockey team that develops an identity with our young core as the driving force.

 

[Blueston]

I didn't realize how close we were to missing out on Thomas. On 32 Thoughts last week, Friedman was talking about how the Maple Leafs were very close to picking Thomas a few picks before us but ultimately decided to take Timothy Liljegren. We're lucky they decided to go that direction because Thomas is really developing into a hell of a player.

I love hearing those backroom stories about how different NHL moves took shape.

Thomas looks like he's headed for his first All-Star nod this season. Hopefully he and Binny both continue to shine and get the recognition they deserve.

I have to admit, I don't understand the tank wagon this season. If this team is so terrible that we finish with a top 5 pick, it likely means we're not getting jack sh%$ for our movable pieces at the deadline, and it would also raise questions about the young core we have in place. I'd much rather see a competitive hockey team that develops an identity with our young core as the driving force.

100%. And I am not suggesting short sighted moves. Future is paramount. But let’s root for guys to improve and win games!

 

[PJJJP]

100%. And I am not suggesting short sighted moves. Future is paramount. But let’s root for guys to improve and win games!

I mean if Kyrou can continue his defensive improvements while picking it up on the offensive side, that's a big win for us long term. If Thomas can make the step into a true all situations 1C that's another big win. Yeah I'd like to get a lottery pick but I'd take our younger players making improvements for a couple more wins in all honesty

 

[Brian39]

This game was a reminder of why I’m not rooting for tank. Winning is fun. Beating up on a “better” team is great fun. Watching gm try to make moves to improve club, thinking through how to improve team, that brings me joy. Rooting for us to lose, doesn’t.

Thomas is a 1c we got mid-late first. Buchy and Faulk and Schenn were all acquired in deals. parayko and binny and kyrou were 2nd round or later picks. It’s not the “easy” way to build a winner but it seems more satisfying than what Buffalo or Edmonton or Detroit have gone through last decade.

So while we wait for the next wave to arrive, and debate who we want this year in draft, let’s enjoy the team we have now. They are imperfect and don’t look like legit contenders, but they are battling and showing what it means to be a blue. And I think playoffs are real possibility this season, even if our postseason stay is brief. Beats the heck out of last year!

And going a bit further back, our Conn Smythe winning 1C on the Cup team was acquired in a deal by trading a former 26th overall pick and lottery-protected picks. Our clear top LD J-Bo was acquired by trading a late 1st. Schwartz and Tarasenko were 14th and 16th overall picks. Perron was a 26th overall pick that left and came back multiple times.

Now, we did have that one top 5 pick still on the team in Petro and he played a massive role in the Cup win. But he also just won Cup #2 for a franchise that acquired him for nothing but the cap space needed to sign him.

Vegas just won their Cup without drafting in the top 5. They had the #6 pick in year 1 and the guy the picked (Cody Glass) contributed nothing to their Cup win. He only played 66 total games for the organization and then was traded for a player who promptly wound up on career-ending LTIR (Nolan Patrick). They have been exceptionally aggressive trading futures for star players and traded all of Suzuki, Brannstrom, and Krebs to bring in established talent. And while those were all high-end prospects, they drafted them 13th, 15th, and 17th overall.

They got their futures war chest from an expansion draft we will never get, but I think they do demonstrate that you can acquire the elite talent needed for a Cup win without a bunch of top 5 picks. I do think that they are a good example of how you can successfully build a winner by getting a bunch of good futures assets instead of relying on a few great ones.

 

[GoldenSeal]

Far, far too much hope expressed in this thread lol.

The changes or drafting’s discussed in previous threads to build a cup winner takes roughly a decade to work, if they work at all. Not being negative just telling it how it is.

This team is not making the playoffs but that’s not gonna stop me from enjoying moments like this as much as I can.

 

[Brian39]

The changes or drafting’s discussed in previous threads to build a cup winner takes roughly a decade to work, if they work at all. Not being negative just telling it how it is.

An expansion team just won a Cup in their 6th year in existence.

Any argument that a winner can't be built in under a decade in the NHL should be dismissed outright based on that fact.

 

[Majorityof1]

This game was a reminder of why I’m not rooting for tank. Winning is fun. Beating up on a “better” team is great fun. Watching gm try to make moves to improve club, thinking through how to improve team, that brings me joy. Rooting for us to lose, doesn’t.

Thomas is a 1c we got mid-late first. Buchy and Faulk and Schenn were all acquired in deals. parayko and binny and kyrou were 2nd round or later picks. It’s not the “easy” way to build a winner but it seems more satisfying than what Buffalo or Edmonton or Detroit have gone through last decade.

So while we wait for the next wave to arrive, and debate who we want this year in draft, let’s enjoy the team we have now. They are imperfect and don’t look like legit contenders, but they are battling and showing what it means to be a blue. And I think playoffs are real possibility this season, even if our postseason stay is brief. Beats the heck out of last year!

For me, being a contender and thinking we have a real shot in the playoffs is more enjoyable than winning a meaningless regular season game. I would rather lose now for a better shot down the road.

We may have gotten good players with late picks. But it is inarguable that it is better to have a 8th OA than a 18th if your scouting is good. If your guy will last til 18 than you can trade back and get more assets or guarantee you will get him by picking him early. There is no downside to a better pick. The rest of the stuff, the acquisition of Faulk, Buch, schenn, that all happened in the off season. So rooting for us to lose does not preclude Army from making those moves in the off season.

Go ahead and cheer for the team. I'll be cheering Let's Lose Blues!!!! until the draft.

Also I kind of don't like the team we have now. I dislike Ott, Toropchenko, Binnington and Krug. I am not a fan of Saad, Faulk, Kapanen or Vrana really. I really don't like half our team from a play style or personality perspective. I've always rooted for players over crest in every other sport, so I guess it makes it easy for me to root against this team. I still hope Thomas, Buchy, Kyrou, Hofer, Blais Parayko and Schenner do well

 

[TheOrganist]

This game was a reminder of why I’m not rooting for tank. Winning is fun. Beating up on a “better” team is great fun. Watching gm try to make moves to improve club, thinking through how to improve team, that brings me joy. Rooting for us to lose, doesn’t.

Thomas is a 1c we got mid-late first. Buchy and Faulk and Schenn were all acquired in deals. parayko and binny and kyrou were 2nd round or later picks. It’s not the “easy” way to build a winner but it seems more satisfying than what Buffalo or Edmonton or Detroit have gone through last decade.

So while we wait for the next wave to arrive, and debate who we want this year in draft, let’s enjoy the team we have now. They are imperfect and don’t look like legit contenders, but they are battling and showing what it means to be a blue. And I think playoffs are real possibility this season, even if our postseason stay is brief. Beats the heck out of last year!

Agreed. Tanking is very season specific. Last yr the stars aligned if you will to root for a tank when we had veteran guys on expiring contracts and the team was going nowhere. Let the season play out this yr and see how it goes. To outright root for a losses and have a team with nothing to play for by November is boring to me as a fan.

 

[Mike Liut]

For me, being a contender and thinking we have a real shot in the playoffs is more enjoyable than winning a meaningless regular season game. I would rather lose now for a better shot down the road.

We may have gotten good players with late picks. But it is inarguable that it is better to have a 8th OA than a 18th if your scouting is good. If your guy will last til 18 than you can trade back and get more assets or guarantee you will get him by picking him early. There is no downside to a better pick. The rest of the stuff, the acquisition of Faulk, Buch, schenn, that all happened in the off season. So rooting for us to lose does not preclude Army from making those moves in the off season.

Go ahead and cheer for the team. I'll be cheering Let's Lose Blues!!!! until the draft.

Also I kind of don't like the team we have now. I dislike Ott, Toropchenko, Binnington and Krug. I am not a fan of Saad, Faulk, Kapanen or Vrana really. I really don't like half our team from a play style or personality perspective. I've always rooted for players over crest in every other sport, so I guess it makes it easy for me to root against this team. I still hope Thomas, Buchy, Kyrou, Hofer, Blais Parayko and Schenner do well

how do you not like Binny? we would still be cup-less if not for him.

 

[GoldenSeal]

An expansion team just won a Cup in their 6th year in existence.

Any argument that a winner can't be built in under a decade in the NHL should be dismissed outright based on that fact.

Anything CAN be built at ANY time if enough strings get pulled and enough things are handled off-stage but is that really a team you’d want to identify with as a fan just cause Dey Arr Winnahs?

I got more integrity than that.

 

[Bluesnatic27]

Anything CAN be built at ANY time if enough strings get pulled and enough things are handled off-stage but is that really a team you’d want to identify with as a fan just cause Dey Arr Winnahs?

I got more integrity than that.

I genuinely have no idea what this means.

This reads like you would hate it if the team you root for won the Stanley Cup because the GM was doing his job by making trades, signing contracts, etc. and that goes against your moral code.

Unless the handling of things "off-stage" is meant to imply that Vegas won because of dubious means.

 

[Majorityof1]

how do you not like Binny? we would still be cup-less if not for him.

I liked Calm, confident cup Binner. I don't like his antics when we struggle. Swinging a stick near someone's face, even if its Kadri, even if provoked, and even if he meant to miss, its just not good at all. I don't like it. I don't want a player on my favorite team doing it.

 

[Mike Liut]

I liked Calm, confident cup Binner. I don't like his antics when we struggle. Swinging a stick near someone's face, even if its Kadri, even if provoked, and even if he meant to miss, its just not good at all. I don't like it. I don't want a player on my favorite team doing it.

He does some weird shit, but he’s a darn good goalie