Your thoughts on Ivan Barbashev, so far

[Renard]

I'm wondering what others think about Barbashev so far.

When he was in the AHL, I read a number of reports from fans to the effect that the would have good shifts now and then, but then disappear.

I've only seen him in person twice, and really didn't focus on him. He didn't stand out for good or bad. When I did notice him, he looked fast but small (maybe fast only in comparison to Berglund and Lehtera).But the coaching staff seems to prefer him over our new acquisition, Zachary Sandford.

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[KingBran]

Seems like a lot of prospects the Blues have had lately, great AHL / non NHL numbers but having a hard time at the NHL level. Not writing him off or saying he is a bust, he does some things good. Just nothing to write home about.... yet.

 

[Dbrownss]

Looks like he holds his own and makes smart plays. The offensive spark isnt there but that applies to the whole team 90% of the time. Id confidently say he's an NHL 2/3c

 

[PiggySmalls]

Yeo has put a good bit of faith in him the past few games. He is on the PP and is taking defensive zone FO. I was never expecting him to be an offensive juggernaut. So his performance is near my expectations were.

 

[bleedblue1223]

He's looked as I would expect, doing the small things right. There's not much to really dislike apart from his production, but I never really think that should be expected from the start, especially when on the 3rd and 4th lines. We'll have to see how he takes his next steps next season and the season after.

Right now, we just don't have all the information to make a proper valuation.

 

[ManyIdeas]

Solid positioning, better stick/hands when it comes to defense than expected, faceoffs are good from what I've seen.

His shot is average, passing is fine.

Overall he seems like he's going to develop very well and be a good contributor

 

[MortiestOfMortys]

It doesn't seem like he's "playing" yet, he's still just trying to not screw up out there, which is totally fine and unsurprising for a guy like him. He's handling his duties very well so far. Once he gets used to the speed, physicality, and goaltending in the NHL, the offense will follow. Right now his passes are soft, and he's a little late to his spots sometimes. But he's shown physicality, his faceoff #s aren't shabby (and working with Stastny in practice should help), and he's handled being put in tough/demanding situations very well. He's still only playing ~10minutes a night, and starting 2/3rds of his shifts outside the offensive zone. He's going to be just fine, and I envision him being part of the team well into the future, although I'm not sure what his ceiling is at this point.

 

[nicholas89alex]

The little bit ive watched it seems he's been unnoticeable, which is often a good thing. I could see him being similar to stasney in the future as a guy who puts up 50 points while not standing out.

Overall he's been doing small things right and hopefully as he gets used to the speed and physicality of the NHL the points will come.

 

[Bluesguru]

I like the guy. I think the pre-draft line on him was accurate. A Russian who plays a Canadian style game.

I think the guys got potential to be a 30-40 point player as a 3rd line center.

He adds physicality to this team so I'm keeping my fingers crossed he's in the lineup come playoff time.

 

[TheDizee]

better than lehtera

 

[Oberyn]

better than lehtera

This is not exactly a difficult feat

 

[Stealth JD]

He seems to have good hockey sense and defensive ability, so that's a plus. I haven't seen much high-end skill to think he'll ever become a top-6 forward, but that's not to say he can't. He hasn't really been given much of an opportunity in that role yet. When he has been on the ice he hasn't hurt the club, so he's better than guys like Rattie, Yakupov or Lehtera. I'd like to see him contribute, and if it means developing for another year in Chicago, I'd be fine with that. He's in no way a danger to displace Berglund, Perron or even Jaskin at this point though.

 

[Oberyn]

What stands out to me is his size, he looks quite small when he's on the ice. I'd like to see him bulk up over the summer.

I'm not seeing the high end skill either but he also looks like he's trying to make the safe play as much as possible. Chip and chase, cycle it down low, etc. Once he gets a little more accustomed to the NHL I'd like to see how his offensive game develops.

 

[Brian39]

He looks like an NHL player. Right now he doesn't look like anything special as an NHL player, but we really shouldn't expect him to as a 21 year old 2nd round pick. I don't think he is near his full potential yet and I still think he could very well develop into a very good #2C. From what I have seen, I don't think there is any reason to send him back to the AHL. I'd like to see a little more on the score sheet, but I have a hard time drawing conclusions from such a limited sample size. He's only played 16 games and has played under 13 minutes in 14 of those games.

I'll be more than a little annoyed if we can't move Lehtera in the summer and a center group of Stastny/Berglund/Lehtera forces him out of the lineup and/or back to the AHL next season.

 

[carter333167]

Better than Lehtera...and far cheaper.

He should be playing over Lehtera at this point.

 

[BlueDream]

Hasn't produced a whole lot offensively lately but still showing enough of an all-around game that I'm hoping after a good summer and camp, he can contribute some on the 3rd line next season.

 

[simon IC]

I'm both surprised and impressed with him so far, in particular his defensive play. He reads the play well and isn't afraid to get involved while still being careful. As another pointed out, I would like to see him put on some more muscle. He looks slender to me both on the ice and in off ice interviews. If anything, this might help protect him from injuries.

 

[Robb_K]

For a rookie in his first 16 NHL games, Barbashev has looked fine. He's thin, and not as strong as he'll be next season. But, he looks like he belongs in The NHL, and can handle the speed and doesn't shy away from contact. In fact, he initiates it a good bit of the time. He seems to read plays fairly well on both offence and defence. His positions himself well, and is a decent skater, able to give himself some operating room. I, too think that the scoring will come. Right now, he's adjusting to The NHL game. After more experience, and gaining more bulk, and a lot more strength, I think he'll be a solid 3rd Line NHL centre late next season. I don't see any reason for him to return to The AHL.

It's hard to tell what his upside potential is, but I think his potential range is high 3rd Line centre to mid 2nd Line, IF he bulks up quite a bit, and gets a lot stronger, andworks hard on technique, including faceoffs.

 

[izzy]

hes good

will get better

 

[ChicagoBlues]

It doesn't seem like he's "playing" yet, he's still just trying to not screw up out there, which is totally fine and unsurprising for a guy like him. He's handling his duties very well so far. Once he gets used to the speed, physicality, and goaltending in the NHL, the offense will follow. Right now his passes are soft, and he's a little late to his spots sometimes. But he's shown physicality, his faceoff #s aren't shabby (and working with Stastny in practice should help), and he's handled being put in tough/demanding situations very well. He's still only playing ~10minutes a night, and starting 2/3rds of his shifts outside the offensive zone. He's going to be just fine, and I envision him being part of the team well into the future, although I'm not sure what his ceiling is at this point.

That is exactly what bothered me with Barbashev's game last season. His reactions were delayed, which made him seem slow and disinterested.

 

[Stealth JD]

I think he'd benefit from another year of solid coaching in the AHL.

 

[STL BLUES]

Coach Yeo seems to like Barb's. Yeo trusts him enough to play him in key roles. Barb's has responded very nicely to Yeo's requests. Better then some of our other 1099'ers.

For a 21 year old he has a couple of weaknesses to work on. Sure he has a tendency to delay his reaction, but, his reads are usually correct. That will only get better with more NHL experience. I like his Compete. His Compete was contagious last night. Kinda like Fabb's Compete is contagious.

 

[STL fan in MN]

He's been better than I expected. He was incredibly inconsistent for the Wolves last season but way better for the Wolves this season. Still, he's come up to the NHL and performed better than I expected. I hope he makes the team out of camp next season and think it's likely he will.

I didn't think that 2 months ago.

 

[Lakewood]

Good comments. Getting double shifted in the 3rd in Anaheim and playing with extreme confidence may be one of those turning points in his development. I believe morties comments about him playing it safe are accurate. This is one of the good stories of yeo coaching. He's putting together lines hitch wouldn't and changing things up.

 

[Quaz]

I think he has been better than expected so far. Much better defensively than I was expecting and his compete level has been pretty consistent so far. I was surprised to read that he was considering signing in the KHL in the off season. Unfortunately if he is sent to the AHL next season I think he would sign in the KHL. Lucky for the Blues that he has looked very good so far. I would think they could definitely afford to move Lehtera to make room for him (Expansion Draft/Buyout/Trade). I could see them going with: Stastny - Berglund - Barbashev - Brodziak down the middle next season.