The St. Louis Blues...look bad

[Genny Screamer]

Go to a Blues game and just watch him everytime he gets on the ice. He's a one dimensional player and loves to coast and take shifts off. He doesn't show up for big games and only seems to turn on the skill when the team is playing well/already winning. Saying he "sucks" is just an easy way to condense my criticisms, but obviously he does have talent and can skate and shoot the puck - at least when he feels like it. He's basically Phil Kessel except he has Kessel's off ice work ethic on the ice and vice versa.

Also, yes the Kings and Hawks were great teams then, but that doesn't change the fact that the Blues had the same formula every year under Hitchcock where they would overperform in the regular season and then be burned out for the playoffs. They not only lost to better teams but they looked like they didn't belong in the same league - which should not be the case when you finished ahead of those same teams in the standings. Hell the conference finals year was probably the worst. Watching them actually give a **** and play 110% playoff hockey and leave blood/sweat/tears on the ice just to scrape out 2 close game 7 victories only to then be gassed and roll over to get defiled by a Sharks team that in turn embarrassed themselves against Pittsburgh. Could you imagine if somehow the Sharks had choked? The Blues would have lost all 4 games 10-0.

The way the Blues always seem to build their franchise, regardless of ownership / management, always seems to lead to the same trainwreck. Good team but horrible coach, great coach but horrible team. They can never get on the same page. Their best chances to win a cup were in the 80s/early 90s but those windows were squandered by financial woes and later poor GM decisions.

My biggest issue with the Blues is that they should not be as bad as they are. If you took a fantasy all-time Blues roster it would be so stacked and deep it would rival any of the original 6 all-time lineups, the same cannot be said about the other perennial losers - Vancouver and Buffalo - yet both of those teams have come much closer to actually winning a championship.

The way history keeps repeating itself, I do not think the Blues will ever win a Cup unless they can get lucky with another Roman Turek fluke year except without the mental breakdown in the Conference Final.

Buffalo's all-time roster is just as stacked as the Blues. In fact, Buffalo has a much better history than the Blues. Yes, Buffalo has been struggling lately, but they still have talent.

 

[winnipegger]

You need an elite center to win a cup. Show me the last team to win with a collection of 2C's like St Louis has. Doesn't happen. Crosby, Kopitar, Toews, Backstrom, now those are centers that win cups. ROR ain't winning a cup. Good team though.

 

[ColbyChaos]

You need an elite center to win a cup. Show me the last team to win with a collection of 2C's like St Louis has. Doesn't happen. Crosby, Kopitar, Toews, Backstrom, now those are centers that win cups. ROR ain't winning a cup. Good team though.

Depending on who you ask the 11 Bruins fit. They had no Savard, so it was just Krejci and Bergeron was just finally turning the corner after numerous concussions were putting a stall on his career.

 

[EurlichBachman]

Go to a Blues game and just watch him everytime he gets on the ice. He's a one dimensional player and loves to coast and take shifts off. He doesn't show up for big games and only seems to turn on the skill when the team is playing well/already winning. Saying he "sucks" is just an easy way to condense my criticisms, but obviously he does have talent and can skate and shoot the puck - at least when he feels like it. He's basically Phil Kessel except he has Kessel's off ice work ethic on the ice and vice versa.

Also, yes the Kings and Hawks were great teams then, but that doesn't change the fact that the Blues had the same formula every year under Hitchcock where they would overperform in the regular season and then be burned out for the playoffs. They not only lost to better teams but they looked like they didn't belong in the same league - which should not be the case when you finished ahead of those same teams in the standings. Hell the conference finals year was probably the worst. Watching them actually give a **** and play 110% playoff hockey and leave blood/sweat/tears on the ice just to scrape out 2 close game 7 victories only to then be gassed and roll over to get defiled by a Sharks team that in turn embarrassed themselves against Pittsburgh. Could you imagine if somehow the Sharks had choked? The Blues would have lost all 4 games 10-0.

The way the Blues always seem to build their franchise, regardless of ownership / management, always seems to lead to the same trainwreck. Good team but horrible coach, great coach but horrible team. They can never get on the same page. Their best chances to win a cup were in the 80s/early 90s but those windows were squandered by financial woes and later poor GM decisions.

My biggest issue with the Blues is that they should not be as bad as they are. If you took a fantasy all-time Blues roster it would be so stacked and deep it would rival any of the original 6 all-time lineups, the same cannot be said about the other perennial losers - Vancouver and Buffalo - yet both of those teams have come much closer to actually winning a championship.

The way history keeps repeating itself, I do not think the Blues will ever win a Cup unless they can get lucky with another Roman Turek fluke year except without the mental breakdown in the Conference Final.

I have watched nearly every Blues game in the last 6-7 years. He is more one dimensional, that's fine. He's an offensive guy, I am not expecting great defense from him. How can you say he doesn't show up for big games? He is the only Blues player to consistently score in the playoffs. You talk like you watch the Blues then say he doesn't show up in big games, that doesn't add up.

The Kings and Hawks were just flat out better teams than the Blues. That is why they won. Couple that with the fact the offense basically dried up. They were up 2-0 in those series and went to a game 6 each time. How can you say it looks like they weren't in the same league? The series against Chicago especially. They were up 2-0 heading into Chicago and Miller let up an absolutely awful goal to start game 3. The game ended 2-0 with an empty netter. Miller makes that save or the offense actually shows up and there's potential the Blues go up 3-0..

Yep, you're right. If they had played the Penguins in the finals they would have lost every game 10-0. That makes total sense. They took the Sharks to game 6. Its not like they were blown out. When the other team is a better team, you lose. It is what happens.

Were 6 games in. They are playing bad currently. They won't continue to be this bad. There are tons of new/young faces. The coaching staff needs to get things figured out quick or hopefully they are gone by the end of the month. Allen is the biggest question mark. The skill up front and on the back end is there. It is October 20th. The Canadians and Senators look half decent. Get back to me on Thanksgiving and well see where things are at.

 

[EurlichBachman]

You need an elite center to win a cup. Show me the last team to win with a collection of 2C's like St Louis has. Doesn't happen. Crosby, Kopitar, Toews, Backstrom, now those are centers that win cups. ROR ain't winning a cup. Good team though.

The years the Hawks won the cup in 2010 and 2015 Toews had 68 and 66 points. O'Rielly is roughly a 60-65 point center. What's the difference? O'Rielly is better on face-offs and they are probably equal defensively. Then you also have Schenn behind him who last year put up 70 points and has started the year on a decent PPG pace.

 

[M2Beezy]

The are Flyers West.

Loaded at forward, but have awful goaltending and coaching.

Not true. The Flyers are likeable, have better honest hard working players, and a hell of a crop of prospects

 

[Ceremony]

So as it turns out, adding Ryan O'Reilly and his signing bonus to a team with no goalie, coach, forward depth or defence wasn't the answer for Saint Louis? I am shocked.

 

[Jumptheshark]

they will be okay

 

[Tage2Tuch]

Buffalo's all-time roster is just as stacked as the Blues. In fact, Buffalo has a much better history than the Blues. Yes, Buffalo has been struggling lately, but they still have talent.

Yeah up until a few years ago we were 5th or 6th in all time winning percentage.

I guess the French connection -hasek mogilny - laffontaine -post lockout team with miler made that percentage somewhat decent.

It’s been awful ever since that leino goal in overtime in 2011 vs philly. Then we went out and signed the plug.

 

[Rebels57]

So as it turns out, adding Ryan O'Reilly and his signing bonus to a team with no goalie, coach, forward depth or defence wasn't the answer for Saint Louis? I am shocked.

Or, maybe its less than 10 games into the season and theyll right the ship and be a formidable team?

 

[Ceremony]

Or, maybe its less than 10 games into the season and theyll right the ship and be a formidable team?

 

[Rebels57]

All officials must die

 

[Fire Benning]

It's too bad. They have a good team, no goaltending.

 

[Tage2Tuch]

It's too bad. They have a good team, no goaltending.

Jake Allen is no vezina winner but....

Tarasenko, Ryan O Reilly, Jaden Schwartz, Petriangelo, Parayko, and Bozak have ALL together combined together for A total of 2 goals in these 6 games where they have 1 win.

And both were from tarasenko (in the same game too I believe) It looks like a team thing right now. That being said they are much better then this.

 

[JianYang]

In recent times, they've typically reminded me of a team that ends up being less than the individual sum of it's parts.

I think their biggest priority right now is goaltending. If the players don't trust their goalie, it has a trickle down effect mentally on the entire team. Do they believe in their goaltending? I can't speak for sure because I'm not in the room. I don't trust him though.

However, if that switch goes on, the blues can do some real damage. Look at the Jets and hellebyuck. He took a step last season, and it vaulted the team into elite status.

 

[MoPucks]

Yeo is bad, agreed.

Please explain "entitled fan base". This is a fan base that expects to have their hearts ripped out every year and our bright spot in the last 20 or so years has been the western conference appearance a couple seasons ago.

Yeah I don't sense our fan base is entitled at all, unless entitled to disappointment is what he meant. I feel like our fan base is constantly waiting for the bad news to come every year. That comment made no sense to me.

 

[Atrusai]

Just be bad for one more game, then you can win all the Nashville banners you like.

 

[Skipee]

They're looking pretty good against the team that already has a parade planned tonight.

 

[CantLoseWithMatthews]

no team looks bad against Babcock's Leafs

 

[tntkid]

Jake Allen is not very consistent.

St Louis needs to get a good starter.

 

[The Winter Soldier]

They looked pretty good to me tonight. Dominated the Leafs on the puck and on the scoreboard.

 

[BuLLeT1291]

You need an elite center to win a cup. Show me the last team to win with a collection of 2C's like St Louis has. Doesn't happen. Crosby, Kopitar, Toews, Backstrom, now those are centers that win cups. ROR ain't winning a cup. Good team though.

My god, another one of you? San Jose Rooster dude has a new buddy. Guys addicted to thinking you have to have an elite center to win a cup. Sorry but Toews was not elite in pretty much all 3 cup runs. ROR even makes a case for being a better all around player then Toews but I am not gonna argue this entire subject again. Apparently all the teams who don’t have an elite center should just throw the season in the bag because they have no chance to win.

 

[Meatball]

Or, maybe its less than 10 games into the season and theyll right the ship and be a formidable team?

Hey, you get out of here with your reason.

 

[Ainec]

when is Ville Husso ready?

 

[libertarian]

These are silly threads so early in the season. So far I seen a "Jets look bad" and a "LA looks bad" and this "Blues look bad" thread. The mods have locked up the Jets thread because they won their last 2 games?

Some teams start slow and then get to where they should be, some teams will not and be a bad team for the rest of the season. {Oilers and Sens last year) Until we reach at lease the 20 game mark it is silly to make this kind of thread.

As for the Blues they brought many new major players for this season and they need to learn how to play with each other. If the Blue figure this out they will be a major force in the central if they don't then they will not be a PO team. I will not make any kind of determination about this until at lease 20 games played.

To early for these type of threads.