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3rd & 7 37yd

Is Rosen's ceiling being the 7th defenseman?

by Buster 9/7/2022 8:07:21 PM
With the current makeup of the roster, that sounds high.

by jthomas 9/7/2022 8:08:03 PM
What is Nathan Walker's role on the Blues?

by Buster 9/7/2022 8:09:12 PM
Fourth line. Energy player. Has potentail to kill penalties. Score the occasional goal.

by jthomas 9/7/2022 8:09:56 PM
Who do you see centering the 3rd line? I could see that being Brown, Barby, or Schenn. Personally I like Schenn up on the left wing with O'Reilly, but who knows? Maybe the Chief likes Saad up there. I sure don't.

by AL 9/7/2022 8:10:09 PM
Could be Schenn. Could be Barbashev. I would be surprised if it's Brown. Without Perron, it certainly will be interesting to see how it shakes out.

by jthomas 9/7/2022 8:11:20 PM
Hi Jim.
Welcome back and thanks for doing this.
With Montgomery and Perron gone, the power play feels like a big concern. To me, Kyrou is the guy who has to replace the lion’s share of Perron’s PP production. Others (Saad, Tarasenko, Buchnevich, Schenn) also have to contribute, but Kyrou is the guy with the game-breaking speed and skill to make things happen with the man advantage. Do you think the Blues see it that way?

by Tom 9/7/2022 8:11:36 PM
I think Kyrou is the most logical person to step in. Saad figures to get more time as well, but he seems to be more effective down around the net than on the flank.

by jthomas 9/7/2022 8:13:11 PM
Welcome back. Do you think they sign Vladi or O'Reilly during the season or are they willing to see what numbers they put up before extending a contract?

by LIz 9/7/2022 8:13:23 PM
The sense I get is that Kyrou is the highest priority of the 3, and then O'Reilly. I don't think Armstrong expects Tarasenko back. Given the team's cap situation for 2023-24, it's extremely difficult to see more than two of those three returning - and some money probably has to be moved to make that happen.

by jthomas 9/7/2022 8:16:33 PM
Jim welcome back!
It has been a quieter summer than in years past. Always seemed like the Blues would have some news to share almost weekly to keep SLT hockey in the forefront through the summer. Could the cardinals success this season play into this?
I’m going to provide a projection…The Blues will trade one of their top four defenseman prior to the new year.

by Jerry 9/7/2022 8:16:57 PM
As I mentioned earlier, Armstrong has said on a couple of occasions that it would probably be a quiet offseason, and that's proved to be the case. The cap situation is the reason. The Blues aren't the only team in this predicament
As for that D-man trade, maybe by the trade deadline. Or maybe next offseason.

by jthomas 9/7/2022 8:20:10 PM
I saw wedding photos posted from Schenn's and Bortuzzo's wedding. Surprised me that Ryan Reaves was Bortuzzo's best man but it also made me wonder if there are clique's on a team from who was in the photos. Do you notice such with the Blues?

by LIz 9/7/2022 8:21:36 PM
Yeah, the photo I saw was fun. As for cliques, the Blues always struck me as a team that was relatively clique-free. Perhaps there were some players that for one reason or another couldn't make the wedding.

by jthomas 9/7/2022 8:25:25 PM
Hi Jim- Welcome back from your summer vacation. I hope you got to spend some visit the various kids. It's good to have you back. You and TT make a good TT (tag team). Regarding Perunovich.., I believe unless he just isn't performing at a decent level and/or if his offensive upside just disappears, I think he plays a lot on the third line. He's cost-controlled, has shown a lot of upside as a pro and a former Hobey Baker winner, but injuries have been his bugaboo. The club badly wants him to develop into a top end defenseman. Even if Mikkola kills it in camp and earns a spot in the 3rd pair, Perunovich probably has the other spot, unless, as I said he just doesn't show well at all. Scandella and Bobo give you the depth if neither can step up and they provide the depth in case of injury. 8 D aren't ideal, but it will work out. And I hope it's with Mikkola and Perunovich earning roles in the top 6. My question for you...which forward will produce, percentage-wise, at the highest level above their last year's production and which forward will perform at the lowest level vs.their last year's production? Thanks for hosting!

by dwolfe@ucbc 9/7/2022 8:28:13 PM
I expect O'Reilly to have a bounce-back year. Obviously, he's in a contract year, and that can be highly motivating. But even more than that, of all the Blues that were on the COVID list at one time or another - and it was basically the entire team - he seemed to be affected the most in terms of his play.
As for production dropping, conventional wisdom seems to be that it will be Barbashev because he had never scored more than 14 goals before his breakout year of 26 goals ilast season.

by jthomas 9/7/2022 8:30:43 PM
Letting Husso go will be the Blues undoing this year. No reason to do it we didn't need to sign Leddy. Sorry to say I don't think the Blues have the goaltending. With Husso we were a lock to make the playoffs. I think it's questionable now. No goalie can hold up with the grind of games. If we flounder I think a rebuild is on the way. ROR and Vladi will not be resigned. Army likes to wait and see!

by Roy Hobbs 9/7/2022 8:31:55 PM
What would a Blues chat be without Hobbs signing the praises of Husso. But you could be right. Goaltening certainly could be questionable with Binnington and Greiss. And yes, there's certainly a chance both O'Reilly and Tarasenko will be gone after this year due to the cap situation.

by jthomas 9/7/2022 8:34:47 PM
I think Husso wanted to be the starting goalie and it wasn't going to be here. The money really wasn't the only part of Husso's decision, imo.

by LIz 9/7/2022 8:34:52 PM
Agreed. On paper entering the season, he has a much better chance of greater playing time in Detroit.

by jthomas 9/7/2022 8:35:27 PM
OK, we have a lull in the action. If you have a question, now's your chance.

by jthomas 9/7/2022 8:36:16 PM
That's it for today. Thanks for your interest. Look for a story online later today and in Thursday's Post-Dispatch about the Blues' national TV schedule, some starting time changes to several games, and the Traverse City roster and schedule, which have been announced. Regards. . . .

by jthomas 9/7/2022 8:43:16 PM