Join Blues beat writer Jim Thomas for his live chat 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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I'm not. I can't say that I've seen him give up a soft goal this season. At first I thought maybe that last goal against LA - prior to him getting pulled - would qualify because he didn't hug the post. But after looking at the replay, you could see it deflected off Faulk's stick.
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How much do you attribute the Blues struggles to a lack of "chemistry" amongst linemates thus far? For example, it seems (without scientific evidence) that O'Reilly has historically thrived with Perron on his line and struggled without him. Seems he and Kyrou are just not "clicking", along with any other line at this point. My point is I'm hoping you can give us hope that at some point things will click as teammates/linemates get used to playing with each other.
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I would say a lot. Obviously, it's most notable with the O'Reilly-Kyrou tandem. But you look at how the season unfolded. The Blues were forced to change lines after one - 1 - game after Buchnevich's injury. And then Saad went down. Regardless of the combinations, there just hasn't been much time to develop any kind of chemistry.You can tell Berube is still looking for answers, because he's still mixing lines.For the Islanders on Thursday, here's what it looks like:Schenn-O'Reilly-AcciariBuchnevich-Barbashev-TarasenkoNeighbours-Thomas-KyrouToropchenko-Brown-Pitlick(I would say it's a pretty radical move to promote Acciari all the way from the fourth line to the top line.)
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Jimmy the season is unfolding as I have FORESEEN!! I realize you're the Blues beat writer and your a big fan and you should be. But I recall you writing on more then one occasion that the Blues didn't look better this year. So true. Sunny, Perron, Husso were actually very important pieces of our puzzle. Army did not replace Perron and Husso so how could they be better? Sad to say a long season with a retool looks more probable to me then anything else.
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Ten days ago, after the Blues defeated Edmonton 2-0 in Edmonton, and Leddy shined defending McDavid, I would've answered not much.Since then, I'd say a lot. Perron was the type of player who would drag the team into a fight. He didn't take losing lightly, to say the least. And I think that aspect of his game - in particular - is missed.
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Oh, I think there are still teams that would take a Tarasenko or Barbashev or whoever it was. You just might not be selling high, as they say. And here's another thing to take into consideration. Once the Blues have told Armstrong - by their play - that it's time for the rebuilding/retooling mode, Armstrong seemingly would be much more amenable to trading established players for picks or prospects. In other words players who won't necessarily help you right away. Before, like say at the start of the free agency/trade period, Armstrong was looking to make the so-called "hockey" trade - trading an established player(s) for an established player(s) because he was trying to improve the team immediately. Those trades are tough to make for teams that are at the cap, because not only are you trading player for player but you're trading dollar for dollar.That no longer is an impediment when you're trading established players for younger, cheaper talent.
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Just my 2 cents. Army is right this is not a Chief problem. (no matter what the Tortorella fanboy thinks) I don't think our problems are the goalies or not having DP57. It's not like he scored on every power play or put up 99 like numbers. Our Defense is a shambles and that includes the forwards. If Army wanted a defenseman he it should've been Chychrun or bust. Husso is not the answer. He lost his job in the playoffs. (sorry Roy the truth is the truth) I wonder if the uncertainty of where ROR and 91 will play next year is weighing in on their minds. If Kyrou is feeling pressure now with his new contract just think of the pressure he'll feel when it kicks in. This problem can be fixed by everyone looking in the mirror and seeing who's there. Thanks for letting me ramble.
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You make some good points. But I don't necessarily think Chychrun would have been a cure-all. (The entire fascination with Chychrun by some continues to be strange for me.)But it's certainly not just one thing with the team. It's the defense, the top nine, the veterans - just about everything.
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For sure, it's ridiculously early in the season. Eight games out of 82. But the Blues aren't used to losing five in row - it hasn't happened (in terms of regulation losses) since the 2017-18 seasons. When you see the GM addressing the team and the owner showing up to practice - among other things - you know upper-management wants a course correction ASAP.
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I'm sure he's pressing. I think we all know what a perfectionist he is, and when things aren't going right he's the first to blame himself. You factor that in with the contract situation, the absence of Perron and the fact that Thomas is getting more ice time, and yeah, there's probably a lot going on in his head right now.
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I assume that you cannot leave with the crowd, since you have to file your story......any concerns about your safety on the way to your car, in lieu of the recent Deputy Sheriff Carjacking?
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I've never felt nervous or been in anything resembling danger - or even an uncomfortable situation - when leaving the stadium. If I'm writing the game story, I'm usually out about 11:30 a.m. to midnight. If I'm not writing the game story that night, I'm out about a half hour, 45 minutes earlier.
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