Who is The Most Important Prospect in our system

[DatDude44]

Fabbri obviously. I've watched schmaltz and parayko live a few times and really really like them both. just wish they were lefties.

I haven't seen Rattie mentioned at all. I think he could be a very good radim Vrbata like cost controlled asset in a year or two. Put him on the wing of a Playmaker and i think he could turn out to be a good 25-35 goal scorer...guess we'll see.

I think fabbri will take berglunds spot in the lineup next year and i still think jaskin will improve over the next few years and become a solid physical top 9 winger. Haven't seen much of barbashev or letunov but i like what i hear from barbashev. I heard walman in the 4th could be a steal and I have very high hopes for binnington and Husso in net...looks like lundstrom has taken a step back this year but it's all part of developing young goalies, years like this happen for guys like him...especially since it's his first year in N.A. I think he still has the talent and tools to be a solid tendy....as long as he's there mentally.

 

[tfriede2]

Fabbri obviously. I've watched schmaltz and parayko live a few times and really really like them both. just wish they were lefties.

I haven't seen Rattie mentioned at all. I think he could be a very good radim Vrbata like cost controlled asset in a year or two. Put him on the wing of a Playmaker and i think he could turn out to be a good 25-35 goal scorer...guess we'll see.

I think fabbri will take berglunds spot in the lineup next year and i still think jaskin will improve over the next few years and become a solid physical top 9 winger. Haven't seen much of barbashev or letunov but i like what i hear from barbashev. I heard walman in the 4th could be a steal and I have very high hopes for binnington and Husso in net...looks like lundstrom has taken a step back this year but it's all part of developing young goalies, years like this happen for guys like him...especially since it's his first year in N.A. I think he still has the talent and tools to be a solid tendy....as long as he's there mentally.

I have heard one person who has seen Parayko play compare him to Petro, as being "Petro-lite". Would you agree with that, and does Parayko have much of a physical game? He has a very impressive physique, so I am hoping he develops a mean streak.

 

[Alklha]

I have heard one person who has seen Parayko play compare him to Petro, as being "Petro-lite". Would you agree with that, and does Parayko have much of a physical game? He has a very impressive physique, so I am hoping he develops a mean streak.

He is more physical than Pietrangelo, is a pretty quick skater and has a booming shot. Better accuracy than Pietrangelo... but then Bond villains have better accuracy than Petro.

Not sure who I would compare him to, but he has looked impressive in the very limited viewings I've had.

I know we get hung up on the righty/lefty thing, I wonder if either him or Schmaltz is going to be a candidate to switch sides. Some players can manage that fairly seamlessly, hopefully that is the case here.

 

[STL fan in MN]

I know we get hung up on the righty/lefty thing, I wonder if either him or Schmaltz is going to be a candidate to switch sides. Some players can manage that fairly seamlessly, hopefully that is the case here.

Right d-men are at a huge premium in the NHL so it's super rare to have one play the left side. Since there are so many more lefties, it's way more common to have a lefty play the right side than vice versa. Most left d-men have had to play the right side at some point but since most teams have so few righies that play D, very few righties have played the left side...and it's pretty darn hard to switch to your off side like that AND adapt to the pro game at the same time.

To be honest, if both Schmaltz and Parayko prove to be NHL ready at about the same time and create a log jam, it would probably be better asset management to trade a righty as righties always hold a good premium on the trade market. Just wait and see how much righty Jeff Petry goes for when EDM finally trades him here fairly soon.

Of course, any of that is hypothetical and a ways down the road. The Blues just need to see how these two fair in AHL Chicago and then the chips can fall where they may in the future.

 

[bleedblue1223]

Well Petry won't go for much, but say Schmaltz develops quickly as a pro like Shattenkirk did, then we have a huge asset on our hands.

 

[STL fan in MN]

Well Petry won't go for much, but say Schmaltz develops quickly as a pro like Shattenkirk did, then we have a huge asset on our hands.

Petry will go for more than he's "worth" simply because he's a righty. There will be more bidders on him as a righty than there would be on the exact same caliber of player that's a lefty. Pretty simply supply and demand.

 

[KirkOut]

Petry will go for more than he's "worth" simply because he's a righty. There will be more bidders on him as a righty than there would be on the exact same caliber of player that's a lefty. Pretty simply supply and demand.

Handedness may add very slight value for a defenseman, but nothing significant at all. Especially for a low 2nd/high 3rd pairing guy like Petry

 

[bleedblue1223]

Petry will go for more than he's "worth" simply because he's a righty. There will be more bidders on him as a righty than there would be on the exact same caliber of player that's a lefty. Pretty simply supply and demand.

I say that because he's a rental, if he was a long-term solution, then I'd agree. Especially puck movers on the right side. Shattenkirk had quite a bit of value when we traded for him. The key is determining if Schmaltz is a future Keith or Shattenkirk or more in the Leddy range.

 

[STL fan in MN]

I say that because he's a rental, if he was a long-term solution, then I'd agree. Especially puck movers on the right side. Shattenkirk had quite a bit of value when we traded for him. The key is determining if Schmaltz is a future Keith or Shattenkirk or more in the Leddy range.

Yeah, he won't get as much if he's viewed as a rental instead of a long-term solution but either way, with approx. only 30% of NHL d-men being righties, there's still going to be a premium for him (and any other righty that may get traded). Not a HUGE premium, but righties are harder to find than comparable lefties. With shorter supply and increased demand, price goes up. That's all I'm saying.

 

[bleedblue1223]

Yeah, he won't get as much if he's viewed as a rental instead of a long-term solution but either way, with approx. only 30% of NHL d-men being righties, there's still going to be a premium for him (and any other righty that may get traded). Not a HUGE premium, but righties are harder to find than comparable lefties. With shorter supply and increased demand, price goes up. That's all I'm saying.

Tyler Myers is a good example of a righty with inflated trade value.

 

[Renard]

Here are my thoughts on some of the recent topics in this thread:

I don't see Fabbri-Barbashev being another Schwartz-Tarasenko. Fabbri is probably a little more offensively talented than Schwartz but not many can match Schwartz's hockey sense so I would think that Schwartz may stay the more valuable overall player long term between the two. And while Barbs appears to be a great pick for where he was taken in the draft, he has Jaskin, maybe Backes, type of potential. Not to the level of Tarasenko. All appear to be relative steals based on where they were taken in their respective drafts though.

Schmaltz has pretty high potential but it's incredibly unlikely he reaches Petro levels, let alone exceeds them.

I guess you are basing your projection of Schmaltz on his draft position a couple of years ago. Its pretty tough to predict how good an 18 year old will be at 24. Petro has us all drooling because he was very good at such a young age. My problem with him is that he seems to be the same player he was at 20. With Petro at a standstill (in my view), a guy who is coming on (like Schmaltz) could overtake him.

Better yet would be both of them elite defensemen.

 

[taylord22]

I guess you are basing your projection of Schmaltz on his draft position a couple of years ago. Its pretty tough to predict how good an 18 year old will be at 24. Petro has us all drooling because he was very good at such a young age. My problem with him is that he seems to be the same player he was at 20. With Petro at a standstill (in my view), a guy who is coming on (like Schmaltz) could overtake him.

Better yet would be both of them elite defensemen.

Pietrangelo was arguably the best dman in the league the lockout season. I know why EK won and I can't argue, but defensively, Pietrangelo was just on another level in how much possession he was driving from his play.

He had a rough start, but he's been playing at that level again, for the first time since 2012, IMO. Point being -- I would never expect Pietrangelo to take a Shattenkirk type leap, because Petro's A-game is already staggeringly elite. There's just not a ton of room to shoot up. To expect Shattenkirk or any of our prospects to reach his A-game level is setting yourself up for disappointment. It's better to be disappointed with the fact that Petro can't be EK and Weber rolled into one.

 

[Alklha]

I guess you are basing your projection of Schmaltz on his draft position a couple of years ago. Its pretty tough to predict how good an 18 year old will be at 24. Petro has us all drooling because he was very good at such a young age. My problem with him is that he seems to be the same player he was at 20. With Petro at a standstill (in my view), a guy who is coming on (like Schmaltz) could overtake him.

Better yet would be both of them elite defensemen.

I think you are being pretty harsh to say he is the same player he was at 20. He has improved in every area. Even this season, he is being asked to do more with regards to defensive zone starts and he is adjusting to the increased demands as the season goes along.

 

[Oberyn]

I think you are being pretty harsh to say he is the same player he was at 20. He has improved in every area. Even this season, he is being asked to do more with regards to defensive zone starts and he is adjusting to the increased demands as the season goes along.

Except for his accuracy .

 

[Dbrownss]

It's amazing...he can hit some one in full stride with stretch pass, even a long slap pass...but can't hit the damn net from 20ft

 

[c-carp]

Binnington, the Blues have to have a goalie in the system step forward and say I am the man this is my net, next question, problem solved. It has to be either Allen or Binnington

 

[AaronMK]

Maybe in 2 years we don't resign Lehtera and move Fabbri in his spot if he's ready by then and we have a bonafide scary good scoring line with Schwartz and Tarasenko being PPG or near it will really help Fabbri be a game breaker as well.

 

[STL fan in MN]

Maybe in 2 years we don't resign Lehtera and move Fabbri in his spot if he's ready by then and we have a bonafide scary good scoring line with Schwartz and Tarasenko being PPG or near it will really help Fabbri be a game breaker as well.

I recall JR saying during training camp that the Blues project Fabbri as a winger. I suppose that could change at some point in the future but for now, the Blues see Fabbri as a future winger for them, not a future center.

 

[AaronMK]

I recall JR saying during training camp that the Blues project Fabbri as a winger. I suppose that could change at some point in the future but for now, the Blues see Fabbri as a future winger for them, not a future center.

I heard it was going to be a Mark Scheiflle or Sean Monahan situation where we teach him how to be a NHL center as a winger and slowly start to slide him to center.

 

[STL fan in MN]

I heard it was going to be a Mark Scheiflle or Sean Monahan situation where we teach him how to be a NHL center as a winger and slowly start to slide him to center.

Interesting. I hadn't heard anything like that. Do you happen to recall where you heard that from?

 

[MissouriMook]

Interesting. I hadn't heard anything like that. Do you happen to recall where you heard that from?

I don't remember a quote involving the two players mentioned, but I seem to remember a quote from right after camp where Army suggested he was going to ask the Guelph coach to get him some time at wing since that is likely where he would start his pro career. Sorry, but I can't remember the source and have no link.

 

[Oberyn]

I don't remember a quote involving the two players mentioned, but I seem to remember a quote from right after camp where Army suggested he was going to ask the Guelph coach to get him some time at wing since that is likely where he would start his pro career. Sorry, but I can't remember the source and have no link.

I believe it was a series of tweets from Andy Strickland regarding Fabbri playing wing at Guelph. I think Fabbri's played center the whole season though so I guess they didn't listen.

 

[bleedblue1223]

I'd expect Fabbri to be played similarly to how Giroux was used. We are currently deep at center similar to Philly at the time, but at some point in the future, his skill level could dictate a change back to center.

 

[Dbrownss]

Blues love their big centers though. In the end I think itll boil down to where his skills are best used. He's such an offensive threat he may produce the most at wing, but has the skill set and back checking speed to slide into center if need be.

 

[bleedblue1223]

I think the big thing is starting to wear off. Schwartz has been used at center with him and Steen being the emergency top 6 centers and Fabbri is more of a natural center than Schwartz was and we really like Sobotka at center too. The small guys just have to be feisty and aggressive in the defensive end.