Chat all things Blues with Jim Thomas at 1 p.m. Wednesday
Get your questions ready and join in at 1 p.m. Wednesday for our weekly Blues chat.
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Hi Jim
I have several thoughts/questions:
1. Can the Blues put Tarasenko on LTIR before the season starts and get enough relief that Dunn can sign before season starts and do Steen after the start of the season & keep his entire cap hit available? Seems like the route I would try but I did not know if this was possible.
2. It seems like we have 3 of a similar type of player right now with Dunn, Faulk & Krug, all very accomplished offensive defensemen but I wonder if they would be better off trading one of them (Dunn) for a more solid stay at home defender or even bring in a guy like Hamonic.
3. The other route that may make sense at this point for the Blues is to clear/save as much cap as possible and go after that big trade target near the trade deadline that fill our biggest need. Right now I'm not sure if that is back-up goalie, additional scoring or a lock down defender.
Thoghts on any or all of the above? -
1.) That's a great point. Maybe you should get into the salary cap business. But remember, you've got to put the Tarasenko $7.5 million back on the book once he returns. And that makes it complicated.2.) I don't think you can have enough "offensive" defensemen in today's hockey. And remember, you just lost a perennial 10-to-15 goal defender in Pietrangelo. I never put anything past Armstrong when it comes to potential trades, so I don't just want to categorially dismiss this question. But I think Faulk is better defensively than some think. And although it certainly didn't show in the playoffs, I think Dunn was improving defensively as the regular season progressed last season. Also, I think you have a young stay-at-home type waiting in the wings in Mikkola.3.) Again, a lot of this depends on how they handle the LTIR designations for Steen and Tarasenko. Ideally, you'd like to have some cap room available in-season _ just in case. -
i'm excited that hockey games are going to be played, but i'm tempering expectations on the blues this year. that is a lot of turnover, losing your captain and best defensemen, you're biggest leader in the locker room and bringing in new players. i'd be disappointed if they missed the playoffs, but wouldn't be surprised if it took this time some time to gel, which could be a problem in a 56 game season. no time for a worst to first this year.
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You're right about that. If the Blues start like they did during the Cup year _ well, forget about it. But I think they're in the playoffs this year, and once you're in _ anything can happen. Like most observers, I have the Blues finishing third in the division behind Colorado and Vegas. Even more than not having Pietrangelo, the goaltending will be key. As much Husso as the No. 2, as Binnington.
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I was watching the Steen press conference. I got emotional watching him fight thru his emotions. It made me even more annoyed at the people online who were criticizing him for not announcing this sooner so they could’ve used his money to keep Petro. You could see how hard of a decision it was Steen to make (besides the fact that as long as someone was willing to give the NMC & bonus $, Petro wasn’t going to stay)
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Mr. Thomas,
I'm with you- I don't see how the Blues could fit Hoffman in the budget. Andreas Athanasiou is still available, and I think he would be relatively inexpensive. Great speed and a 30 goal season two years ago. I wouldn't count on that many goals, but the speed would be a nice addition. What do you think? -
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Mr. Thomas,
I voted "Other" in the helmet ad poll- other as in no ads on the lids. I understand the need, especially this year, for extra revenue, but I think it's a slippery slope. How long before NHL sweaters look like Euro sweaters where there isn't even room for the team logo on account of the advertisements? -
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There will be a taxi squad _ kind of like the "practice squad" in the NFL. Teams can have four-to-six taxi squad members practicing with the team, attending team meetings. They can even travel with the team, but they can't play in games. It's my understanding that the Blues plan to use the full six members for their taxi squad _ one of which will be a third goalie. The taxi squad will be pretty important this year. They're the short list of the players the Blues will consider as callups.
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He was slated to play for the Edmonton Oils Kings of the WHL again. But with the WHL delaying the start of its season due to COVID-19, the Blues then loaned him to the Brooks Bandits of the lower-level Alberta Junior Hockey League just to get some games in. But before Neighbours could get a game in their the AJHL suspended its season, and they're still on hold
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Not a question, just a comment- I want to throw a word of support out for the comment made earlier by Bob W regarding the pandemic and fans at games. I work in healthcare, for what that's worth, and have seen plenty of this illness up close and personal. Everyone needs to take this virus as deadly serious, because for many of our fellow human beings, it is. We have to protect ourselves and each other. One day this will be under control, we have to keep our chins up. I think Bob W's comment is spot on. Stay safe and stay healthy, Blues fans.
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Jim- Not sure if there will end up being a question here, but here are two options Army could do with "Steen's Savings" instead of trying to sign a free-agent: 1). Make a pre-season trade and use the "before season LTIR" available $$$ to add a player to the roster OR 2) Use the "in season LTIR" available $$$ to add a player via trade at the trade deadline. Okay here's the question: for those who didn't read your article, would you mind sharing how the complicated before season vs. in season LTIR available $$$ scenarios work? Thanks!
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1,) If the Blues place Steen on LTIR before the start of the regular season, they get the equivalent of Steen's cap hit ($5.750M) minus the amount they're currently over the cap ($1.175M). That gives them about $4.575M to spend. But the catch is, under this scenario, they have to spend the entire $4.75M before the start of the regular season, or they lose it.2.) If the Blues wait until the regular season starts to place Steen on LTIR, they get the entire $5.750M in cap relief and can use it over the course of the entire regular season. The catch here is that they must be cap compliant by the start of the regular season to do so. So how do they make that $1.175M disappear _ you know, they amount that they're currently over the cap? They'd have to trade somebody _ for prospects or draft picks that wouldn't count against the cap. Easier said than done.
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With Bill armstrong adding a new coach/advisor position of goal tending quality control for their organization it started the wheel turning. Do you know if the Blues favor one style of goal tending over another? It has not seemed that way over the past several years but it appears that Bill Armstrong thinks there are advantages of one style over another enough to try to bring in measure of quality control. I am unaware of anyone else ever doing something like this.
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I believe Florida is going this way as well. The Blues have a roving goalie instructor in their organizational system in addition to their goalie coach. But it's my impression that they're not necessarily worried about having the same style of goalie. Keep in mind, it's routine for all of these goalies to have their own personal or private goalie coach _ I know Binnington does this _ so they're getting plenty of coaching.
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Jeff Gordon’s column was good this morning regarding the teams in West Division, but he failed to mention that while AZ hasn’t been a top team recently they have definitely had the blues number. So you can’t take anyone for granted. AZ is my pick for a dark horse in the West
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The Coyotes are 6-2-1 against the Blues in the three years I've been on the beat, and many of those Arizona wins were by lopsided margins. Because their coach is one of Berube's best friends, he knows Berube's style of hockey well. Frequently over the past three seasons, I've felt they've beaten the Blues at their own style of game. So yeah, they will be a handful. I don't think they have enough offensive firepower to win the West, but they certainly have the defense and the goaltending.
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Tarasenko would say otherwise. But I think the Blues have every reason to be concerned. I've stated and written many times. The shoulder is a hard thing to keep healthy once there's ligament, tendon damage, etc. And from talking to doctors on the subject over the years, dating back to my time on the football beat, the more you dislocated a shoulder, the more likely it is to happen again. So we'll see.
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JT, one comment on your response to the taxi squad, even though the players are traveling with the team, if they would normally need to clear waivers to be sent to the minors that still holds true here. So if someone like I believe Jake Walman were called up and then sent back to the taxi squad, he would have to go through waivers on the way back.
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Walman has a two-way contract this year, but is not waivers exempt. So you're correct on him. All of the Blues forwards under contract that are listed as non-roster players are waiver exempt except for Anas, Walker and McKenzie. On defense, Perunovich, Mikkola and Tucker are waiver exempt. Reinke is not.And speaking of Curtis McKenzie, I should have mentioned him, too, as being a camp invite.
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