Next year's roster

[DatDude44]

Not that I think we're done this year....I've just been talking with my friends about our roster makeup for next year and wanted to get your guys thoughts on my views on what we should do.

My lineup:

Steen(5.8 Mill)-Backes(4.5)-Oshie (4.175)
Schwartz(2.35)-Lehtera(2.75)-Tarasenko(RFA)
Fabbri(925K)-Stastny(7M)- Jaskin(772,500K)
Porter(UFA)-Ott/Goc(2.6Mill/ UFA)-Reaves(1.125M)


Jaybo(5.4M)-Petro(6.5M)
Gunnar(2.95M)-Shatty(4.25M)
Lindbohm(636,667)-Bortuzzo(RFA).

Allen (RFA)
Cheap veteran backup (Keep playing binnington in Chicago)

^= 51.73(Including Ott) Mill on the cap while leaving Tarasenko, Porter, Bortuzzo, Allen, backup tendy and Press box players left to sign. We should have plenty of cap room to re-sign tarasenko and everyone else in my starting lineup here with plenty of room to spare.....

Butler, parayko, Edmunson, Jokinen, Rattie Barbashev battling for spots in camp.

Changes: No Jackman(3.1M), Elliott(2.9M), Berglund(3.7M) or Michalek (4M)

Click to read more...

 

[Vladys Gumption]

My preferences for next year's roster are heavily dependent on the outcome of the playoffs. If we make a deep run, I don't want to change much.

 

[FloridaBlue]

Do we really think Elliott's gone? I mean I know he's going to want to start but he would be a SOLID back up to Allen next year. But I agree that a lot of the roster will be based on playoff performance.

 

[inglouriousbackes]

i highly doubt elliot will be gone. he is a hell of a deal and i would rather keep our awesome tandem then have a junky goalie paired with allen.

 

[542365]

I see no reason to get rid of Elliott unless he demands a trade. He's relatively cheap(2.5 cap hit I believe), has starter experience, and has been awesome here each year.

Berglund is making a strong case for himself to stay with his playoffs. His salary is a little high, but there's no denying he's been an impactful player in the postseason.

I'd be fine letting Jax walk, but I just can't see it happening.

Michalek hasn't really provided the hoped stability on the backend. He's going to want more than I feel he's worth.

Add Fabbri, Lindbohm, depth. Subtract Michalek and Jackman hopefully.

 

[DatDude44]

elliott doesn't have to be gone...but I think Allen is running away witht he startign job and i'd rather save money and save the possible locker room tension that could cause.......

Also, we don't HAVE to have a junky backup, there's always some quality backups for cheap...... Also Binnington/Husso are options too.

 

[542365]

elliott doesn't have to be gone...but I think Allen is running away witht he startign job and i'd rather save money and save the possible locker room tension that could cause.......

Also, we don't HAVE to have a junky backup, there's always some quality backups for cheap...... Also Binnington/Husso are options too.

Binnington and Husso are most certainly NOT realistic options. Elliott is not the type of guy to create locker room issues. He'll work like hell to get the job back, but that's only a good thing.

 

[Vladys Gumption]

I don't see Elliott moving. We know he's a great teammate who doesn't complain, and the competition can only help both goalies. Elliott stays and if Allen takes the starter's role next season, then we can discuss moving Elliott following that.

 

[DatDude44]

Forgive me for jumping to conclusions....but I think this is Jake Allen's team...

and Elliott could fetch us some solid assets via trade to a team like Edmonton or someone.....

I feel like it'd be worth it to regain some draft-picks(help make up for miller deal) by moving Elliott, saving some cap room and getting draft picks.....as long as army has a plan for a good Chad Johnson or Khudobin like Backup.

 

[2 Minute Minor]

If Elliott gets to put his name on the Cup as a part of this team, its hard to imagine him wanting to force a trade. He just doesn't seem like that kind of guy. I would expect a guy that showed up to camp thinking he has a shot to win the job back, and then continuing to make it a tough choice the whole rest of the season.

 

[Dbrownss]

I'd rather keep Elliott unless he wants to move on. Man is a class act

 

[PiggySmalls]

From the day after the playoff exit last year the talk began about Jake coming in and eventually being the starter. Elliott knew this yet still signed on for 3 seasons. I do not want him to be traded for the sake of picks because I don't see us getting a return that would outweigh his benefits. His salary is not an issue as many of the UFA back-ups would want around the same. So I'd say keep him unless he wants out, in that case I wouldn't mind seeing Elliott in a package to EDM for Scrivens+.

 

[STL fan in MN]

If Elliott would still want to be here, I'd be willing to keep him around. If it would be awkward or he wants to be a starter, I see what's out there. Some teams have virtually no goalie options at all for next season so maybe the Blues could actually get something decent for him. A vet backup would then be needed to replace him. Binnington and especially Husso aren't ready.

I'd be willing to keep Jax as long as he's willing to take #6-7 money. I'd then rotate Hax, Lindbohm and Borts as the 3rd pairing d-men. If not Jax, another vet 3rd pairing caliber d-man will be needed IMO.

I think Fabbri makes the team. For the 13th and 14th forwards, I would preliminarily guess they'd be Rattie and Porter. Tough to say this far out though.

Either re-sign Goc or find a replacement. A potential replacement that the Blues will likely have to deal with one way or another is Sobotka. Assuming he returns to the NHL, that's a player that's automatically on the Blues roster so they'll either have to find room for him or trade him. Bergy also has a spot next season unless he's traded.

Lots of moving parts. Some guys could be traded but who knows. MUCH hinges on these playoffs.

 

[Vladys Gumption]

Forgive me for jumping to conclusions....but I think this is Jake Allen's team...

and Elliott could fetch us some solid assets via trade to a team like Edmonton or someone.....

I feel like it'd be worth it to regain some draft-picks(help make up for miller deal) by moving Elliott, saving some cap room and getting draft picks.....as long as army has a plan for a good Chad Johnson or Khudobin like Backup.

Goaltenders typically bring very little in return. We don't have to move Elliott as we'll have enough cap space to hold onto him. Let's not forget that as great as Allen was down the stretch, he was equally bad during Elliott's injury absence. I'm not ready to completely hand the team over to him until he demonstrates a solid level of play over an entire season

I'm sure most teams would kill to have a starting caliber goaltender as their backup. Khudobin is a great backup, but I'm not sure he's good enough to be a starter.

 

[Brian39]

Count me as one of the people who wants to keep Elliott. It is really hard to be a starting goalie in the NHL. Allen is playing lights out right now and appears to have taken the next step in development. My worries about his mental toughness have greatly diminished in the past few weeks and I really do think he is going to be a stud.

With that said, no one knows how a goalie will react to 60 starts per season until that goalie actually plays 60 games in a season. There are countless goalies that simply can't handle the workload. Being a top tier starter is more about 'finding a way' during slumps than it is looking great while hot. Allen has proven that he is top notch when hot. He has not proven that he can gut out some wins when he is off his game. I'm not concerned about his ability to do so, but simply acknowledging that he hasn't done it yet.

This appears to be Allen's team now. I think he will be given the chance next year to prove that he can bring it for 60 games. However, I would rather hold onto Elliott until he proves that he can. If Allen can do it, great. We will have a very, very good backup for those other 20 games and at the end of the year we can look to move Elliott (who will still have value with 1 year left on his deal). If Allen falters, then Elliott should be able to pick up some slack and give us 30-35 quality starts.

All in all, I think that decision comes down to a cost benefit analysis and the risk of moving Elliott greatly outweighs the reward. The only reward is that we would free up $1 mil or so in cap space. The risk is that we would significantly downgrade the backup goalie and could potentially be in trouble if Allen struggles with his first season as a starter. An injury to Allen could end up costing the Blues a season.

Personally, I would much rather spend $1 mil in cap space and have the best goaltending insurance policy in the NHL.

 

[Dbrownss]

What happens with Berglund? Say he keeps up his performance, and I don't mean PPG. If he's a big playoff performer....do we look to keep him or cash in with his raised value

 

[Vladys Gumption]

My preference is actually to keep Berglud, but unless the cap goes up to around 72 million I just don't see us keeping him. We're going to need the cap space. Next year we could make it work I think, but the following year would be a nightmare. We'll have Schwartz, Lehtera and Backes all to re-sign. For that reason alone I think he's moving on.

 

[STLBloosiers]

Steen-Backes-Oshie
Schwartz-Lehtera-Tarasenko
Fabbri-Stastny-Jaskin/Sobotka
Ott/Porter-Sobotka-Reaves

Bo-Petro
Left Shot Dman picked up via FA or trade that is a THUMPER------Shatty
Lindbohm/Jax-----Bortuzzo


Allen
Ells

 

[STLBloosiers]

Goaltenders typically being very little in return. We don't have to move Elliott as we'll have enough cap space to hold onto him. Let's not forget that as great as Allen was down the stretch, he was equally bad during Elliott's injury absence. I'm not ready to completely hand the team over to him until he demonstrates a solid level of play over an entire season

I'm sure most teams would kill to have a starting caliber goaltender as their backup. Khudobin is a great backup, but I'm not sure he's good enough to be a starter.

THANK YOU!

This is such a short sample size. All these Blues fans making fun of Dubnyk with his short sample size need to look in the mirror with Allen. Nothing is guaranteed

 

[2 Minute Minor]

I think Berglund may become a cap casualty, and that the fanbase may reverse course and want to keep him by the time the playoffs are over. I don't see how that salary on the 3rd line wing is going to be sustainable. Tarasenko's money has to come from somewhere. It most likely comes from Jackman not being re-signed and Berglund being traded.

 

[Vladys Gumption]

I do wonder exactly where they plan to slot Fabbri in next year. I think a lot of it depend on where Oshie is. If he's moved then Fabbri lines up in a different spot. If Oshie is here I'd like to see the top nine like like this:

Steen-Backes-Oshie
Schwartz-Lehtera-Tarasenko
Jaskin-Stastny-Fabbri

If Oshie is moved I'd like to see us target Hagelin and roll a top nine of
Schwartz-Stastny-Fabbri
Steen-Lehtera-Tarasenko
Hagelin-Backes-Jaskin

I don't think the defense should or will change much in terms of players on the team.

Bouw-Petro
Gunnar-Shatty
Lindbohm-Bortuzzo

If Bouwmeester plays poorly again, switch him with Lindbohm.

 

[RR10*]

Steen - Malkin - Fabbri
Schwartz - Lehtera - Tarasenko
Barbashev - Stastny - Sobotka
Cracknell - Porter - Reaves

Oduya - Pietrangelo
Lindbohm - Shattenkirk
Gunnarsson - Parayko

Goalie: Allen

Coach: Someone not named Hitchcock.

 

[Ranksu]

To me its too early to think about future, all depends how deep we go this post-season.

What comes to Bertta he has been good in these 4 games, but sample is too small and I really don't look back last years etc to compare, but there is some sense of truth Bertta is big games player. I think we can put together at the end of post-season and see where Bertta stands for. Is he really worth of 3.7mill. another 2 years or could we use him to some good picks + package on summer. There is still Fabbri coming and what about Rattie + what is case with Sobotka. Is Jackman still capable of 3rd pair or 7th Dmen and will he accept cheaper contract. What is real condition of Jbo after post-season.

IMO there is too many IF's to speculate future. Lets just put focus on this post-season and it success or fail.

 

[griff713]

i love elliot as a backup but if a team who needs a good goalie wants to trade pieces for him (elliots stats look really good behind our defense) i am perfectly fine with trading him. Jake Allen looks like he's gonna be the future for a while and since we are going to be a playoff team for a while we can settle with an average backup anyway. I do not want to resign backes for more than he is worth, i'd rather let him go and give captaincy to petro or tarasenko unless he wants to sign for less. I feel like we could get something for Oshie too, it depends how far we go. Onto game 5!

 

[blauwenoot]

I'm with Ranksu on this, it feels too soon to speculate about future rosters while we are still fully in the playoffs. Especially when some moving roster parts could be determined by it.

Unless there is some movement upwards with the cap you would have to think that some adjustments will be made with that in mind. Whether that means asking Jax to really take a home-town discount or losing a player because a cheaper option makes the salary structure healthier.

But lets hope we won't have to think on this too hard for at least 14 more wins and a long hangover watching a parade down Market Street.