They did last year. I don't know why they don't do the same this year.
For sure, for sure. Husso has finally been stringing together a series of quality starts. It looked like he had finally arrived as an NHL goaliie. He was stellar in both the Florida games. I'm sure the Blues hope it's a short-term injury.
Yeah, Philly can be a tough town both in terms of the fans and the media. I remember covering an Eagles NFL game there in the early '90s when the fans booed Santa Claus. But I wish Mike Yeo nothing to the best. He was very helpful, respectful and even patient with me when I started on this beat in 2017.
Salary cap issues. Under the ever-complicated cap rules Hofer's bonus language in his contract would put them over the cap.
I believe they have until early January to decide. I think the train is too far down the tracks and they're going. If it were me, I'd think long and hard about cancelling.
Yeah, I was thinknig 6-1 or something like that, even with Husso playing like he is. We're all used to ups and downs in games. But how do you explain the difference between being outshot 20-5 in one period and then outshooting the opponent 15-8 in the second. You can't. And that's part of the beauty of hockey and sports.
The team's potential iis part of the tease - and they entertainment factor - of this squad. As long as Berube doesn't have a new contract, the questions will persist.
II consider myself one of the world's foremost experts on Berube's agitation level. I would say on a scale of 1 to 10 - with 10 being the most agitated - that Berube was at 7.5.
I don't think the league is making itself a mockery because COVID is so unpredictable. A moving target if you will. But I totally agree with your assertion that some flexibility is needed.
I may have answered this quetsion before - my head is spinning on several levels today. But somehow, the Blues have added a goalie in Jon Glllies. (I'm not exactly sure how, but I'm assuming it's via emergency provision.) Perron reaches 24 days on Dec. 20.
Well, considering the circumstances, I haven't seen anything quite like it. We've all seen great comebacks, amazing individual performances, huge upsets. But nothing quite like it. In terms of strange games, the only thing that might surpass iti would be the Fifth Down Game in college football--Colorado vs. Missouri.
I'm sure he'll take as many wins as he can. But it's still early in the season. I would think he'll let more of it play out.
As I mentioned earlier, the Blues are very aggressive cap-wise under Armstrong with the blessing of ownership. If Armstrong played it more conservatively cap-wise, you wouldn't have Saad or Buchnevich on the roster. And where would you be without those two.
I belieive there's an NHL Board of Governors meeting at the end of this week. And I would think this should come up.
So far, like you mentioned, I'd say better than expected. But it's been just a few games. Sometimies the adrenaline of being in the big leagues levels off after a few games. Let's see if he can keep it up. I would add to your list of assets, at least so far--pretty good passer, willing to go to the net. I think he realizes this is a great opportunity to get a toehold in the NHL. As I've said before, he should treat these games like they're the most important games of his life.
He was a big scorer in juniors and showed 20-goal potential in the AHL. Time will tell if he can sustain it. But he certainly looks, as you say, more confident and aggressive than ever. Being moved up in the lineup has helped him get more minutes with more skilled players around him. Berube has consistently encouraged Barbashev to drive the net and play at the net more, and he's been doing that fairly consistently so far this season. But yeah, in many ways, he looks like a different player this year.
He's definitely in a funk. Doesn't seem to be playing with much confidence. Too passive. I don't think his back is an issue becuase he's still logging heavy minutes. The expectations were pretty high for him very early in his career - and maybe he's just not that player.
I don’t understand why the league doesn’t give cap relief to teams who experience the ravages of Covid like what the Blues have. I would think the NHLPA would be okay with suspending cap rules to allow teams to bring up players to fill roster spots. Please enlighten me.
