Yeo said he wanted to keep things the same for a few games and that has included the same lineup. Yeo told media the other day that every player had a clean slate but that he was only human and of course would have a few feelings on certain players based on his time here so far. We'll see everybody at some point.
It was Army's decision, but in consultation with ownership.
Yeo said he wouldn't announce it until Saturday morning, but Allen was off the ice early and I wouldn't be able to comprehend not sticking with Allen. I understand Hutton just shut them out but Allen needs to string together some success.
I'm not saying they don't respect Hitch. I'm saying that I believe there was some friction. Stastny was offered $28 million to play here and had never played for Hitch. Tarasenko was a star in the making and offered $60 million and Steen signed knowing that Hitch was in his last year.
And do it at the expense of missing the playoffs? They're in a wildcard spot, not eight points back.
I don't know who exactly has spoken with Hitch and who hasn't. Pietrangelo was the only who confirmed that he did talk to him.
I don't see any sign of a drill sergeant. Based on what I've heard from people in Minnesota and what I've witnessed here, mainly as an assistant, he's closer to a player's coach than a dictator. Certainly we may see a different side of him now that he's in charge. I know he wants to tighten up the reins a little bit more in St. Louis, compared to the way things were in Minnesota. I've heard one of his downfalls there was giving some veteran stars maybe too much rope. I think we're going to see a demanding guy who's got a friendly demeanor.
If they had proven to be better over the first four months of the season, and were in a better spot in the standings, perhaps Armstrong would think about making an upgrade here or there. But that's simply not the case. It doesn't mean you can't win or surprise people, but you've got to be realistic when deciding what moves to make. Even a homer has to understand that you're hurting your franchise if you're trading future assets for established, rental-type help this year.
Uh no. He's got a three-year deal.
I noticed he was wearing something new, but I didn't get a good look. Was there an up-close look on Fox Sports last night?
There were some subtle changes, particularly in the D zone, but the biggest thing reason it looked better last night was because guys played with a purpose, helped each other and had a lot of energy.
Armstrong is going to have to figure out something. Lehtera is not helping on the ice and his contract is going to prevent this team from upgrading the position.
Shaw and Muller left because they were offered only one-year extensions and yes there was friction, too, between them and Hitchcock. In their minds, it was not worth it to them to come back for one year under Hitch. My guess is, yes, Shaw would have taken the Blues' job if offered, but as far as I know that was never under consideration. Shaw coached the D and the PK, and Muller coached the forwards and the PP. Yes, they have the same duties in Columbus and Montreal, respectively.
This is the NHL, which stands for ... nevermind, I can't think of anything clever. I tried to work "L"ehtera into my response, which was going to be funny, but I'm not funny. But my point was going to be that this is the big leagues and the Blues will do whatever they have to do, regardless of whose feelings it hurts.
I did yesterday. This was his response: Tarasenko "There is no time to be sad. We have a game today. There is no reason to talk about it more."
No dots there. Perron might not have been the best fit back then, but the Blues needed to clear money for Pietrangelo. Perron had nothing to do with Hitch's firing.
We'll have to see ourselves. I can't imagine that with a new coach we're going to see many games in the near future where the team goes down without a fight. Again, I'll be putting more stock in everything when the honeymoon period ends and Yeo has get on their backs a bit.
Dunn is having a good season and has played 10 or so more games than Schmaltz this year. Schmaltz missed some time early, so that probably has something to do with it. If the Blues had to call one of those two up today, my guess is that it would be Schmaltz, but again, Dunn is having a good season.
The Knights won't be able to trade for players on 2016-17 rosters, but they'll be able to deal for draft picks, unsigned prospects, etc, after the March 1 deadline.
Reaves is an energy guy. He doesn't log enough ice time to be a huge factor, but he that doesn't stop him from being a valuable member of the team. He handles his role well.
Sure he's feeling pressure, but as I've said I think he has the support of ownership and I think we'll eventually see a contract extension for him. I could be wrong, but if I had to bet, that would be my bet. I don't think Armstrong's press conference was one where he threw people under the bus. He ripped into the team a bit, and that's what he had to do. A majority of his comments were praising Hitchcock, which to me just showed his respect for the coach. If that meant something more, such as this call came from above him, then I'm missing it.
Yeo said he wanted to keep things the same for a few games and that has included the same lineup. Yeo told media the other day that every player had a clean slate but that he was only human and of course would have a few feelings on certain players based on his time here so far. We'll see everybody at some point.