Patrik Berglund Appreciation Thread

[KingBran]

It all depends on what he would cost. He was a decent 3rd liner for us when healthy. He brought solid defense, possession and streaky secondary goal scoring. Absolutely zero play making or consistency on offense. But the rest has value. He just cost too much. If he replaced Maroon with Berglund at Maroon's salary, we'd be a much better team. We are actually missing puck possession and defense after dropping our best players in those areas.

That said, I don't touch him at all due to optics of the situation. Trading him, having him fail to report and get his contract canceled, and then signing him. It smells way too much like collusion.

I just don't get it. Why do Blues fans want MORE third liners? Berglund would not help this team.

 

[Majorityof1]

I just don't get it. Why do Blues fans want MORE third liners? Berglund would not help this team.

Because we don't really have 3rd liners. Bozak, Maroon and to a lesser extent Perron all play much better with top talent and struggle without it. Berglund for all his faults produced what he produced regardless of who you put him with. We don't want more 3rd liners, just better ones for the role that what we have now. As I said, we would need to replace Maroon with the same contract. Replacing one for another is not more.

 

[KingBran]

Because we don't really have 3rd liners. Bozak, Maroon and to a lesser extent Perron all play much better with top talent and struggle without it. Berglund for all his faults produced what he produced regardless of who you put him with. We don't want more 3rd liners, just better ones for the role that what we have now. As I said, we would need to replace Maroon with the same contract. Replacing one for another is not more.

OR, Perron, Bozak and Maroon all play better than they are like they are supposed to. The Blues have 3rd liners. Plenty of them.

 

[Stupendous Yappi]

This incident only underscores why the Blues should not want Berglund back. He's a good example of the 'hired hands' that Armstrong complained about. I can't think of why the Blues would want him back, even if the salary was good.

As a fan, I find it easier to root for a struggling Maroon who plays with his heart on his sleeve than a more talented Berglund who leave me thinking he just wants to cash his check. Berglund's puck possession rarely gelled with a line to create effective scoring chances. That's not a 3rd line I want out of this team in the future. I know Maroon is the favorite whipping boy of the moment, but I still respect him as a man and for deciding to gamble on the 1 year home town deal. I would love to see him succeed and turn it around.

 

[BlueDream]

Makes no sense to sign him.

I doubt he would replace Maroon. They’d both be in the lineup and maybe even on the same line. That’s way too slow.

We can’t be adding poor skaters like this anymore.

 

[Doohickie]

Wow this is strange...

So could Burgy recontract as a Blue and slot in as winger on our forth? We could give him the covited #7 jersey. Macaroon would make an awesome sabre.

I suspect part of his issue was that he was stapled to the fourth line in Buffalo. I think he wants to play on a scoring line.

 

[jura]

As a fan, I find it easier to root for a struggling Maroon who plays with his heart on his sleeve than a more talented Berglund who leave me thinking he just wants to cash his check.

 

[Ranksu]

Somebody said in main board there is rumour Berglund might had drinking problem.

 

[MissouriMook]

From Oshie’s comments to the press, I think it might be more likely that it is clinical depression. Certainly seems to be one or the other.

 

[Klank Loves You]

From someone who has delt with depression for over decade, I empathize. This is all speculation, but addiction goes hand in hand with mental illness. I hope he can find a place in his life where he can be happy.

More than 50 thousand people commit suicide in the US every year.

 

[tfriede2]

From Oshie’s comments to the press, I think it might be more likely that it is clinical depression. Certainly seems to be one or the other.

What did Oshie say?

 

[Stupendous Yappi]

From Oshie’s comments to the press, I think it might be more likely that it is clinical depression. Certainly seems to be one or the other.

I don’t see how they could terminate his contract if that were the case. Wouldn’t they have put him on IR while he deals with this? It’s a medical condition incapacitating him.

 

[MissouriMook]

What did Oshie say?

 

[tfriede2]

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Interesting. Yeah, that could be interpreted multiple ways. Don’t want to speculate, but either way it’s something Berglund is apparently addressing.

 

[Ranksu]

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Damn I miss Oshie. Not gonna curse you Army, but why? And Brouwer.

 

[Alklha]

I don’t see how they could terminate his contract if that were the case. Wouldn’t they have put him on IR while he deals with this? It’s a medical condition incapacitating him.

If the termination was mutual, then that was his own decision to go along with that. He should have been getting advice from his agent and the NHLPA before agreeing to that, and I'm certain that the NHLPA would have immediately reached out when he was suspended.

If it wasn't mutual then whatever the underlying issues are, he gave them a potential out when he started failing to report. The Sabres would argue the termination is based entirely on that and nothing else. If that is the case then we'll see a grievance filed pretty soon.

 

[KingBran]

Somebody said in main board there is rumour Berglund might had drinking problem.

This is the kind of BS I hate to see get started. None of us have any idea what happened.

 

[Renard]

I'm just guessing, but maybe Bergy realizes that he can't play in the league anymore, and sees his future as the guy sitting in the pressbox. If he has any self-respect, and I'm sure he does, that future is depressing.

 

[tfriede2]

I'm just guessing, but maybe Bergy realizes that he can't play in the league anymore, and sees his future as the guy sitting in the pressbox. If he has any self-respect, and I'm sure he does, that future is depressing.

I’d love to make 4 million a year watching games. I get what you’re saying, but I think the issue is different and more personal, but that’s just a guess.

 

[Renard]

I’d love to make 4 million a year watching games. I get what you’re saying, but I think the issue is different and more personal, but that’s just a guess.

Bergy has already made a lot of money in his career. Would he be willing to be the local joke in Buffalo so that he could make still more money? How much better can he eat than he does now? How much softer can his bed be?

 

[Majorityof1]

Bergy has already made a lot of money in his career. Would he be willing to be the local joke in Buffalo so that he could make still more money? How much better can he eat than he does now? How much softer can his bed be?

Its not about improving his current lifestyle, but sustaining that lifestyle. Athletes. few rare exceptions aside, make most of their money during their peak playing years. They basically need to make enough money to retire before 40. If you have done any planning for retirement by 65 or 70, you know a lot of money is needed to maintain your lifestyle for how long you could potentially live. Berglund's only 30, so add an extra 35 years before he even hits 65. If he lives to 90, he needs to provide for another 60 years. If he ever has kids, he'll probably want to provide some inheritance for them as well.

Berglund's earned roughly $25M in salary. I'm sure there were some endorsement dollars but not much for his level. Let's call it $30 which is generous. His agent takes 10% off the top, so that's $27M. Uncle Sam and the state take close to half. That's $13.5M. Spread that over 60-70 years, its certainly livable and above middle class, but hardly an athletes lifestyle. However, if most of it is still in the bank and invested wisely, than maybe he can live well off the interest and doesn't need to work any more. But the extra $6M or so he could pocket after agent and taxes from the remainder of his contract would really boost that amount.

 

[Stealth JD]

I think Berglund knows he can step away, get right, and resume a hockey career in the SEL then fall back on celebrity, living a privileged life in Sweden. Having his career dissolve in a new town with few friends/comforts probably just wasn't worth it to the guy. Many Europeans don't desire to live in America any longer than they have to, and having already made more money than most countrymen in his land will EVER see in a lifetime, it's not such an awful proposition to take a job back home making 20% of your former wage...which is still 25X the average income of a Swedish resident. I'm guessing that Bergy just don't GAF anymore.

 

[Stupendous Yappi]

There are a lot of comments that assume Berglund is making rational (for him) decisions right now based on his values. I think its more likely that he's making irrational decisions based on something else, like an addiction. If he wanted to go to Europe, or leave Buffalo, he could have done that in different ways than pretending to be sick and then not reporting.

 

[AjaxManifesto]

Reading Oshi’s comments and the bits and pieces of other info it looks like Bergie is dealing with some mental health issues. What kept him going were his friends and teammates in STL. Now that he’s on his own in Buffalo, it all came apart. He seemed liked a heck of a guy when he was here. I hope he gets well.

 

[KingBran]

Bergy has already made a lot of money in his career. Would he be willing to be the local joke in Buffalo so that he could make still more money? How much better can he eat than he does now? How much softer can his bed be?

Stan. Kronke.