Season-opening top 9 set?

Captain Creampuff

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Sep 10, 2012
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How can you gauge the value when MPS hasn't even played a game yet? They signed Morrow who is a former captain and is friends with both Hitch and Doug. He already knows Hitch's system and this will allow Pajaarvi to get acclimated to the system while he is healthy scratched. I imagine they play Pajaarvi like they did with Schwartz last year. Healthy scratched a few games and then bobbling between the 3rd and 4th line due to our depth.
 

floydmurphy

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Feb 4, 2009
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People seem to forget injuries happen as well. Oshie and Steen have not been the most durable players in their careers. I'll be surprised if they both play the full 82 games this season. Also Roy as well.

I fully expect someone like Sobotka to get 20-40 games in the top 9 this season as an injury fill in.

Which, if anyone remembers, is why Sobotka was brought up in the top-9 in the first place. He was signed as a 4th liner, and found his way in the top-9 the past 3 years due to injuries. Thus, he is now viewed as a versatile utility player for us, which is why he is so valuable.
 

Namikaze Minato

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Apr 30, 2009
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So i took a bit of a chance taking Tarasenko in my fantasy draft. 12 teams 12 players, took him with my last pick, feeling decently confident about it.... until i see hes on the third line haha.

Is he going to be playing top 6 minutes with a third line title? Seems like a really, really good third line, i just hope hes getting the minutes to put up some points.

Anyways, any information on him would be appreciated!

Best of luck this season, gonna be one of your best!
 

Captain Creampuff

Registered User
Sep 10, 2012
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So i took a bit of a chance taking Tarasenko in my fantasy draft. 12 teams 12 players, took him with my last pick, feeling decently confident about it.... until i see hes on the third line haha.

Is he going to be playing top 6 minutes with a third line title? Seems like a really, really good third line, i just hope hes getting the minutes to put up some points.

Anyways, any information on him would be appreciated!

Best of luck this season, gonna be one of your best!


Well since Schwartz is on that line as well as Berglund rather than MPS, I'm thinking the line will get more minutes.

Tarasenko has also been on the PP at practice with Roy and Stewart.
 

kimzey59

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Aug 16, 2003
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So Magnus Pääjärvi is a 4th liner ?? :shakehead

Oshie should not be on the top line. He should be playing with Berglund. Those two have always had chemistry and never had a coach that could see it.

The #1 line should be Steen Roy Tarasenko
#2 Schwartz Backes Stewart
#3 Pääjärvi Berglund Oshie
4th Sobokta Lapierre Morrow


Name a better 5 man defensive unit in the League than Steen-Backes-Oshie-Bouwmeester-Pietrangelo.

It doesn't matter how you shuffle the forwards around; this team is not going to win on our offensive skill. We don't have the "Star" scorers who can take over games. This team will win on the back of our defensive game and ability to shut other teams down. Given that; there is no way you break up that 5 man unit. That group is the single greatest weapon Hitch has at his disposal. Instant offense killer; you aren't scoring when that line is on the ice.

I don't care if Oshie is finishing Berglund's sentences, you build the entire rest of the team off the idea of using that 5 man unit to shut everything down. That's how this team is built to win games.
 

Daley Tarasenkshow

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Nov 7, 2012
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Most of the lines have to do with chemistry and/or how players play with one another. Mixing around the players based on skill is wrong, the players need to be mixed around based on their ability to play with their specific line, and their ability to execute based on their projected ice time.
 

bleedblue1223

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Jan 21, 2011
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I'm just fine if Oshie and Berglund aren't together. Their line was abysmal in the playoffs. Berglund needs a distributor and I'd like to see Schwartz be that guy before Oshie goes back on that line.

We know each guy on the SOB line can score around 55 points if they are together and healthy. Might as well keep them together and see if the other players can find chemistry before mixing things up across the board.
 

Daley Tarasenkshow

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I'm just fine if Oshie and Berglund aren't together. Their line was abysmal in the playoffs. Berglund needs a distributor and I'd like to see Schwartz be that guy before Oshie goes back on that line.

We know each guy on the SOB line can score around 55 points if they are together and healthy. Might as well keep them together and see if the other players can find chemistry before mixing things up across the board.

People overlook the SOB line because they aren't as 'flashy' as guys like Tarasenko and Roy and Stewart, but this is a line that could have 55-60 points for each player.

And just because Tarasenko or Schwartz isn't on the top line, that does not mean they won't play enough to become a serious factor.
 

bleedblue1223

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Jan 21, 2011
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Schwartz will get his minutes. I think he'll end up being the Sobotka of the full-time top 9 and he'll double shift late in games with Morrow getting less minutes in those situations to save his body. Hopefully Tarasenko will get more PP time which can help relieve some minutes from Backes to make him more effective.
 

Daley Tarasenkshow

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Schwartz will get his minutes. I think he'll end up being the Sobotka of the full-time top 9 and he'll double shift late in games with Morrow getting less minutes in those situations to save his body. Hopefully Tarasenko will get more PP time which can help relieve some minutes from Backes to make him more effective.

Never thought about that. Morrow saving his body will be crucial for his success.
 

rumrokh

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Mar 10, 2006
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I've read the thread. If you disagree with me that's ok. It's my opinion if MPR doesn't start it's a bad trade. The Blues are in all in mode. If your intention in the off-season as a franchise (which it was) is to trade David Perron that's fine. But you have to get fair value. A bench player is not fair value at this moment in time.

That's my opinion. You shouldn't name call if you disagree with me.

To be fair, he said your opinion is crazy, not that you are crazy. The most rational people I've known still say crazy things from time to time. That's how being a human works.

The evaluation of the trade is not that simple. Schwartz and Tarasenko are set to inherit Perron's icetime and they spent his salary shoring up their depth. They also got a 2nd rounder, which could be a valuable piece in making a deadline deal.

They very well may have lost that trade, and badly, but choosing opening night as your point of judgment is shortsighted. I have very little doubt they'll make the playoffs without Perron, so having him or not having him between now and then is not a big deal. It's how the Blues are prepared between now and then that matters. If guys like Morrow, Paajarvi, and Lapierre perform as depth and if guys like Schwartz do well with increased minutes, those are dividends of the trade that I cannot ignore and I think anyone else has to deliberately ignore.

Because the Blues are all in, why evaluate movement until the time when that matters? If Paajarvi is the only element you want to focus on, no matter how much that is contrary to reality, at least let the coaches work with Paajarvi and see what he becomes. He'll improve, they'll have injuries, he'll get a chance. If you can judge Armstrong's trade as bad right this second, why can't you judge Hitchcock's choice not to start Paajarvi as bad right this second? In that case, it's a good trade, he's just being misused! You can go around in circles with that one for a long time...
 

TK 421

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Sep 12, 2007
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Name a better 5 man defensive unit in the League than Steen-Backes-Oshie-Bouwmeester-Pietrangelo.

It doesn't matter how you shuffle the forwards around; this team is not going to win on our offensive skill. We don't have the "Star" scorers who can take over games. This team will win on the back of our defensive game and ability to shut other teams down. Given that; there is no way you break up that 5 man unit. That group is the single greatest weapon Hitch has at his disposal. Instant offense killer; you aren't scoring when that line is on the ice.

I don't care if Oshie is finishing Berglund's sentences, you build the entire rest of the team off the idea of using that 5 man unit to shut everything down. That's how this team is built to win games.

You don't HAVE TO run that 5 man unit unless you're facing a particularly dangerous opposing scoring line. With having both a strong group of defensemen and a system that's defensive in nature, we don't have to.
 

izzy

go
Apr 29, 2012
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I do agree with Oshie and Berglund.

Even if they don't see consistent line time together give them OT time and Powerplay time where they can be offensively effective.
 

BlueDream

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Aug 30, 2011
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I always thought Paajarvi should play with Berglund and Oshie if he's gonna be the most successful, but we'll see.

I do like the look of the Schwartz-Berglund-Tarasenko line, though. That has great potential.

We already know what Steen-Backes-Oshie can do. If Roy and Stewart can score, rotating Morrow and Paajarvi when needed on LW would be pretty nice. Those lines look pretty safe to me. The chemistry SHOULD be there.

Then you have the 4th-line, and Sobotka-Lapierre-Reaves should be A LOT of fun to watch. Nobody will be looking forward to retrieving the puck along the boards when those 3 are on the ice.

I'm liking the makeup of our group. You look at a player like Cracknell who is our 14th forward, but he can play physical on the 4th-line or even play smart defense while providing a little offense on the 3rd if needed. Then that isn't even counting players like Jaskin and Porter who can easily step in and play a good bottom 6 role as well if we get to that point.

Lots of good options here. I look at this group, and not one player sticks out as "WOW!" but it's just a good blend. They all play pretty gritty, they can all chip in some offense and are all pretty reliable players defensively. I don't want to say Perron was the odd man out, but just looking at this lineup, it blends more if that makes sense. I think our players compliment each other and truly do play the Blues' style.
 

Daley Tarasenkshow

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Nov 7, 2012
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I always thought Paajarvi should play with Berglund and Oshie if he's gonna be the most successful, but we'll see.

I do like the look of the Schwartz-Berglund-Tarasenko line, though. That has great potential.

We already know what Steen-Backes-Oshie can do. If Roy and Stewart can score, rotating Morrow and Paajarvi when needed on LW would be pretty nice. Those lines look pretty safe to me. The chemistry SHOULD be there.

Then you have the 4th-line, and Sobotka-Lapierre-Reaves should be A LOT of fun to watch. Nobody will be looking forward to retrieving the puck along the boards when those 3 are on the ice.

I'm liking the makeup of our group. You look at a player like Cracknell who is our 14th forward, but he can play physical on the 4th-line or even play smart defense while providing a little offense on the 3rd if needed. Then that isn't even counting players like Jaskin and Porter who can easily step in and play a good bottom 6 role as well if we get to that point.

Lots of good options here. I look at this group, and not one player sticks out as "WOW!" but it's just a good blend. They all play pretty gritty, they can all chip in some offense and are all pretty reliable players defensively. I don't want to say Perron was the odd man out, but just looking at this lineup, it blends more if that makes sense. I think our players compliment each other and truly do play the Blues' style.

Cracknell is honestly a pretty decent sniper, another reason I believe he was picked over Porter. I think the team thinks he will score more, and I see that happening. He had a couple solid goals last year.
 

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