Line Combos: Who survives final roster cuts?

[Stealth JD]

This will stay open for 10 days, so you can hold off until we're further into training camp if you'd like. Or you can change your votes as more data becomes available.

Vote whether you believe the Blues will comprise their roster of 13-forwards & 8-defensemen or 14-forwards & 7 defensemen, (assuming Husso/Johnson/Allen doesn't become a thing)...then select your roster. Maximum of 21 selections.

Seems there will be ~ 10 forwards fighting for what may be 3 or 4 roster spots up-front...which will depend on what the Blues do with the defense situation. If Gunnarmeester are both healthy, there are going to be some tough decisions. So, who you got?


Edit: Thanks for the mod-fix in the poll options!!

Click to read more...

 

[Stupendous Yappi]

I think the first question is whether the staff would entertain cutting Thorburn. He is what he is, and they deliberately signed him for that role. Armstrong in an interview at the time acknowledged that the league is moving away from it (when he was trading Reeves), but that he wasn’t ready to run without a guy in that role. Reviewing last year, it’s hard to argue that Thorburn was a difference maker. Has Armstrong’s view on this changed?

If we knew the answer to that, we’d know how many slots there really are. I don’t see how his camp performance really changes things for Thorburn. The other factor is that he won’t really mesh with a more skilled version of a 4th line.

The second question is whether they’ll carry 8 defensemen.

I’m not ready to make predictions at this point, but it’s pretty clear that there must be a trade or they’ll definitely risk a player on waivers that we’d rather keep for depth.

 

[Novacain]

I feel like Kyrou makes the team, Blais does not but is first injury call up. I see us carrying 8 defensemen till we sort that shit out because we don't have the depth on the right hand side to risk losing Schmaltz.

 

[Stealth JD]

Maroon-ROR-Tarasenko
Schwartz-Schenn-Perron
Steen-Bozak-Fabbri
Blais-Thomas-Kyrou
Soshnikov-Sundqvist-Jaskin
Barbashev-Sanford-Nolan/Thorburn

Eddy-Petro
Dunn-Parayko
Gunnar-Bort
Bouw-Schmaltz
Mikkola-Reinke
Butler-Walman

Bolded are what I expect as of today...but i'd really like to see Blais and Kyrou both beat someone out, and make the Blues decide on who to keep between Jaskin & Soshnikov. I think Barby, Thorburn, Nolan, Sundqvist are all waiver-fodder...with Barby (and possibly Jaskin or Sosh) getting claimed.

 

[Brian39]

I'm going to hold off voting, because I think that it will be a bit of a moot point by the end of camp. I think it is very, very likely that one of J-Bo, Gunnar, Allen, or some other currently healthy player starts the year on IR and gives us more time to figure things out before making a hard roster decision.

If we are 100% healthy to start the year, I think Kyrou starts in the AHL with an eye towards getting him up quickly after an injury or resolving the 8 NHL D log jam.

 

[542365]

I voted for who I think will make the team, not who I want to make the team. As such my bubble forwards making the team are Thorburn and Soshnikov(and Thomas I guess if you think there's a chance he'd get sent back to Hamilton, which I don't). I would much rather have Kyrou and/or Blais than Thorburn, but I still think there might be something there with Soshnikov. It's so easy just to send Blais and Kyrou down and they won't be harmed by playing big minutes in a good league until there's the inevitable injury situation.

On Defense I have the usuals minus Gunnar adding Schmaltz. I think Gunnar gets moved before they think about sending Schmaltz through waivers.

 

[Beauterham]

Maroon - O'Reilly - Tarasenko
Schwartz - Schenn - Perron
Steen - Bozak - Fabbri
Soshnikov - Thomas - Jaskin
Barbashev

Edmundson - Pietrangelo
Bouwmeester - Parayko
Dunn - Bortuzzo
Gunnarsson - Schmaltz

Allen
Johnson


Blais and Kyrou should be in this team, but aren't because they can be send down without losing them. Sanford will also be send down to the Rampage.
Nolan, Sundqvist, Thorburn will be waived and will probably clear to play for San Antonio.


Personally I hope that Gunnarsson will be traded so we can keep one of Blais or Kyrou with the mainroster. If Kyrou AND Blais make it and Gunnarsson isn't traded, 2 more players out of Sosh/Jaskin/Schmaltz/Barbashev need to be traded.

 

[Stupendous Yappi]

Do you guys know something about Soshnikov that I don’t know? He’s out with a concussion right? Even if he can return before the end of camp, he’s lost valuable time. I was already writing him off the 23 man roster for the start of the year. Is he expected to return sooner?

 

[tfriede2]

I guess I'm the lone person who thinks Thomas won't make the cut (I have Kyrou and Blais making it).

Edit: I should clarify that I do think Thomas will get the 9 game trial, but will be sent back to juniors...so, I do think he'll make the cut...they'll keep Thomas, put down one of Kyrou/Blais and bring them back up when Thomas gets sent to juniors...bah.

 

[Majorityof1]

I guess I'm the lone person who thinks Thomas won't make the cut (I have Kyrou and Blais making it).

Edit: I should clarify that I do think Thomas will get the 9 game trial, but will be sent back to juniors...so, I do think he'll make the cut...they'll keep Thomas, put down one of Kyrou/Blais and bring them back up when Thomas gets sent to juniors...bah.

I am still waiting to see. I think there is a strong possibility he goes back to juniors. He is being outplayed by Kyrou, and maybe even Blais. If it is close between him and Barbashev/Jaskin/Soshnikov, why would we lose one to waivers. Thomas will have to earn his spot over those guys. He absolutely has not done so yet. However, there is a ton of pre-season left to play. All those guys should stick around to final cuts and get a few more games each.

 

[The Note in MI]

Without having seen any actual game footage I cannot with any conscience say Thomas will or will not be on the roster. I think that him going to juniors would be an extreme disappointment because we know he can be a great player. I would like to see him make a mark the next several opportunities and hopefully we can get some game footage soon to get a real valuation.

 

[Stupendous Yappi]

I am still waiting to see. I think there is a strong possibility he goes back to juniors. He is being outplayed by Kyrou, and maybe even Blais. If it is close between him and Barbashev/Jaskin/Soshnikov, why would we lose one to waivers. Thomas will have to earn his spot over those guys. He absolutely has not done so yet. However, there is a ton of pre-season left to play. All those guys should stick around to final cuts and get a few more games each.

I’d the team would commit to keep Fabbri to play into form, would they not do the same with Thomas (rather than basically wasting a year in a junior system where he can profit little, or have little opportunity to play at a higher level)? In other words, might he not still get a spot even if outplayed by a small margin?

I’m less convinced he has been outplayed. There are the preseason games (which we have LISTENED to) and the practices some of which were closed to the public. I’d say we have too small of a view to know who is doing better. The games are good to pay attention to, but there is more than that.

 

[Beauterham]

Without having seen any actual game footage I cannot with any conscience say Thomas will or will not be on the roster. I think that him going to juniors would be an extreme disappointment because we know he can be a great player. I would like to see him make a mark the next several opportunities and hopefully we can get some game footage soon to get a real valuation.

Completely agree.

Plus, I've said it a while back: Thomas is like a diesel engine. He needs some time to get going, but when he does, he is amazing. At the start of last year he needed 10-ish games with London before he hit beastmode. After being traded to Hamilton he needed another 10-ish games. So it's no surprise he isn't playing lights out, especially considering he had an ankle injury. Give him a couple of games, he will improve. I expect the coachingstaff will take this into consideration, well... they should at least.

 

[kimzey59]

Most of the lineup is easy to predict.
The real questions are the final 4 forwards and the bottom 3/4 D men.
-I don’t see us carrying 8 D men. It sucks for Schmaltz, but barring a trade I see him starting in SA.
- I do see Thomas and Kyrou both making the team. I don’t see either in a top 6/8 role, but I see both starting the year in St Louis.
- People may not like it, but Thorburn is not getting cut. The guy has a specific role and he is very well liked in the locker room. He is going to be the 14th forward.



Schwartz Schenn Perron
Maroon ROR Tarasenko
Steen Bozak Kyrou
Fabbri Thomas Jaskin
Thorburn

Eddy Petro
Dunn Parayko
Bouwmeester Bortuzzo
Gunnarsson

- The final spot is too close to call. It’s between Barbashev, Sanford and Blais; but none of them have really separated themselves just yet. I think Barbashev is the incumbent for the spot. Sanford is the guy that the FO wants to win the spot. And Blais is the one doing the most to try clawing his way into the spot. It’s really going to depend on how objective the FO is going to be in their evaluations. I think Blais is going to be the most deserving, but the spot will end up going to Sanford.

All of this is barring any trades.

 

[PiggySmalls]

Maroon-ROR-Tarasenko
Schwartz-Schenn-Perron
Steen-Bozak-Kyrou
Fabbri-Thomas-Jaskin
Barbashev
Thorburn or Nolan (waived, then recalled after JBow moved to LTIR for cap reasons)

Edmundson-Petro
Dunn-Parayko
Gunnarsson-Bortuzzo
Schmaltz
Bouwmeester (LTIR)

Allen
Johnson

 

[Majorityof1]

I’d the team would commit to keep Fabbri to play into form, would they not do the same with Thomas (rather than basically wasting a year in a junior system where he can profit little, or have little opportunity to play at a higher level)? In other words, might he not still get a spot even if outplayed by a small margin?

I’m less convinced he has been outplayed. There are the preseason games (which we have LISTENED to) and the practices some of which were closed to the public. I’d say we have too small of a view to know who is doing better. The games are good to pay attention to, but there is more than that.

I don't know what the team's brass is willing to do if Thomas is outplayed/or barely outplays a waiver candidate. There are a number of factors involved, so it depends on which players would get waived and how much they think Thomas would waste in juniors. I don't think it would be a completely wasted year in juniors for Thomas. He wouldn't get a ton out of it, but he could still work on consistency and strength. I completely agree that we don't have enough info, not seeing all the practices or even games. That is part of the reason I want to see more. But it is not outside the realm of possibility that he is being outplayed, continues to be outplayed and gets sent down. Not because he is a bad prospect, but because he is a 19 year old. He is competing with more experienced players are fighting for their careers. Sanford, Barbashev, Soshnikov (if he comes back) and Blais are 22-25 years old and within a year to a couple years of being labeled as career AHL/tweeners if they don't carve a role for themselves soon. They should be hungry.

 

[Brian39]

I guess I'm the lone person who thinks Thomas won't make the cut (I have Kyrou and Blais making it).

Edit: I should clarify that I do think Thomas will get the 9 game trial, but will be sent back to juniors...so, I do think he'll make the cut...they'll keep Thomas, put down one of Kyrou/Blais and bring them back up when Thomas gets sent to juniors...bah.

I think Thomas is a borderline lock to get a 9 game tryout. I think he needs to get vastly outplayed in camp in order for the Blues to ignore how much he appeared to have outgrown the OHL by the end of last year. If we're just talking about who is on the opening night 23 man roster, I'm putting Thomas in that group without much hesitation. But if we're talking about the 23 man roster in January, then the jury is still out.

I have no idea whether he will stick beyond his 9 games and my opinion hasn't swayed either way based on 2 games with almost no video footage.

 

[Majorityof1]

I don't like making predictions or saying what can happen this early. But there are guys in certain tiers that their pre-season performance may matter from not at all to a very great extent. Assuming everyone is healthy...

Forwards
Locks: Tarasenko, Schwartz, Schenn, O'Reily, Steen, Bozak, Perron, Maroon. 8/13-14
Close to locks: Fabbri and Jaskin 10/13-14
Presumptive locks (their spot to lose): Thomas 11/13-14
In the fight for last spots: Barbashev, Soshnikov, Kyrou, Blias, Sanford, Thorburn, Sundqvist. 7 guys for 2-3 spots
Long shots: MacEachern, Foley, Kostin, Nolan

Defense
Locks: Pietrangelo, Edmundson, Parayko 3/7-8
Close to locks: Bouwmeester, Bortuzzo, and Dunn 6/7-8
In fight for last spots: Gunnarsson and Schmaltz 2 guys for 1-2 spots
Long Shots: Walman, Mikkola, Reinke

 

[EastonBlues22]

Most of the lineup is easy to predict.
The real questions are the final 4 forwards and the bottom 3/4 D men.
-I don’t see us carrying 8 D men. It sucks for Schmaltz, but barring a trade I see him starting in SA.
- I do see Thomas and Kyrou both making the team. I don’t see either in a top 6/8 role, but I see both starting the year in St Louis.
- People may not like it, but Thorburn is not getting cut. The guy has a specific role and he is very well liked in the locker room. He is going to be the 14th forward.



Schwartz Schenn Perron
Maroon ROR Tarasenko
Steen Bozak Kyrou
Fabbri Thomas Jaskin
Thorburn

Eddy Petro
Dunn Parayko
Bouwmeester Bortuzzo
Gunnarsson

- The final spot is too close to call. It’s between Barbashev, Sanford and Blais; but none of them have really separated themselves just yet. I think Barbashev is the incumbent for the spot. Sanford is the guy that the FO wants to win the spot. And Blais is the one doing the most to try clawing his way into the spot. It’s really going to depend on how objective the FO is going to be in their evaluations. I think Blais is going to be the most deserving, but the spot will end up going to Sanford.

All of this is barring any trades.

I'd wager a lot against Schmaltz starting the season in SA. He's subject to waivers if he doesn't make the team and I'm pretty sure someone would claim him, meaning he's very likely starting this year in the NHL, one way or the other.

 

[TheBluePenguin]

Really surprised to see 3 people left off Jaskin, he is going to be on this team. No reason for him not to be. Yeah the kids look like they will be better players but Jaskin knows how to play the bottom 6 mins which is sometimes hard for star prospects that are used to being the man.

 

[EastonBlues22]

I don't like making predictions or saying what can happen this early. But there are guys in certain tiers that their pre-season performance may matter from not at all to a very great extent. Assuming everyone is healthy...

Forwards
Locks: Tarasenko, Schwartz, Schenn, O'Reily, Steen, Bozak, Perron, Maroon. 8/13-14
Close to locks: Fabbri and Jaskin 10/13-14
Presumptive locks (their spot to lose): Thomas 11/13-14
In the fight for last spots: Barbashev, Soshnikov, Kyrou, Blias, Sanford, Thorburn. 6 guys for 2-3 spots
Long shots: MacEachern, Foley, Kostin, Nolan

Defense
Locks: Pietrangelo, Edmundson, Parayko 3/7-8
Close to locks: Bouwmeester, Bortuzzo, and Dunn 6/7-8
In fight for last spots: Gunnarsson and Schmaltz 2 guys for 1-2 spots
Long Shots: Walman, Mikkola, Reinke

You're missing Sundqvist, but I think that's a good breakdown overall.

I agree that Thomas likely has a spot unless he just absolutely bombs camp. I'd say Barbashev, Jaskin, and Soshnikov have an inside track for jobs, but they're going to need to look credible to retain those spots.

If none of those guys screws up horribly, that leaves six or so guys fighting for the last two slots...Schmaltz, Kyrou (w), Blais (w), Sanford (w), Sundqvist, Thorburn, and Nolan. The last three guys all probably clear waivers without a problem, and the three with "w" behind their names are still waiver exempt.

If Schmaltz looks good, I think it's him and one forward fighting for the last two spots. If he doesn't, I hope he's traded because we'll never see him again, anyway.

 

[kimzey59]

I'd wager a lot against Schmaltz starting the season in SA. He's subject to waivers if he doesn't make the team and I'm pretty sure someone would claim him, meaning he's very likely starting this year in the NHL, one way or the other.

If we weren’t so deep up front I could agree.
But IMO we just have too many forwards that are NHL ready.

Don’t get me wrong, I definitely see a trade in our immediate future(Gunnar and one of the fringe Forwards). Probably not an overly big move like Stone, but a 2 for 1 type deal that brings in a real PK specialist to slot with Thomas/Fabbri on the 4th line. But I don’t see us starting with 8 D men and that is the only way Schmaltz makes the team IMO. I get the waiver issue, but we have the same problem up front and I think Army values the forward depth more than our defensive depth right now.

 

[TheBluePenguin]

I'd wager a lot against Schmaltz starting the season in SA. He's subject to waivers if he doesn't make the team and I'm pretty sure someone would claim him, meaning he's very likely starting this year in the NHL, one way or the other.

I forgot about loosing Schmaltz, ..... we really need to trade a D man. I think he has earned a legit shot here and would hate to see him get picked up and thrive for another team. Well let me rephrase that, I wish him the best wherever he plays but I would like to see the success here.

 

[Majorityof1]

You're missing Sundqvist, but I think that's a good breakdown overall.

I agree that Thomas likely has a spot unless he just absolutely bombs camp. I'd say Barbashev, Jaskin, and Soshnikov have an inside track for jobs, but they're going to need to look credible to retain those spots.

If none of those guys screws up horribly, that leaves six or so guys fighting for the last two slots...Schmaltz, Kyrou (w), Blais (w), Sanford (w), Sundqvist, Thorburn, and Nolan. The last three guys all probably clear waivers without a problem, and the three with "w" behind their names are still waiver exempt.

If Schmaltz looks good, I think it's him and one forward fighting for the last two spots. If he doesn't, I hope he's traded because we'll never see him again, anyway.

Ah, my bad on Sundqvist. We have too many guys to keep track of and I felt I was missing someone. I added him above to "fighting for spot" category. He is doubtful to me to earn a spot, but he is in the fight.

I completely agree on Schmaltz. I'd say Schmaltz, Barbashev and Jaskin would all be claimed if waived.

 

[EastonBlues22]

If we weren’t so deep up front I could agree.
But IMO we just have too many forwards that are NHL ready.

Don’t get me wrong, I definitely see a trade in our immediate future(Gunnar and one of the fringe Forwards). Probably not an overly big move like Stone, but a 2 for 1 type deal that brings in a real PK specialist to slot with Thomas/Fabbri on the 4th line. But I don’t see us starting with 8 D men and that is the only way Schmaltz makes the team IMO. I get the waiver issue, but we have the same problem up front and I think Army values the forward depth more than our defensive depth right now.

Oh, I think it's quite possible he doesn't make the cut. I just think he's in the NHL for much of this year, whether it's with the Blues or someone else, as opposed to SA (or anywhere in the AHL, for that matter).

There's too many teams that need defense. He's cheap, he looks credible enough as is, and he still has some upside. He'll almost certainly be claimed if he's exposed, and I don't see him being re-waived anytime soon.