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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How we doing out there? I'm at the United Center. Had some technical issues filing my Game Day blog. So sorry for the delay. But hope you're well. Since I've got a game tonight, I'm going to have to go short on the chat today--maybe 1 1/2 to 2 hours. So get your questions in now! -
No one can win 'em all. Yet, considering how seriously Armstrong seemed to take the losing streak, and his indirect warning to players (stating that they would show him whether or not they wanted this team in tact by their play), how much slack do they have with regard to losing over this next stretch of games. A rivalry is emotional and the Caps seem to be losing steam. Would a loss to each or both signal anything? Or would they be judged on the games after as a set? -
Are you talking about the Chicago and Washington games as a tandem? If so, I don't think those two games are going to be the deciding factor in anything Armstrong does or doesn't do. He's trying to be patient on this and doesn't want to make an emotional decision he regrets later. So sit tight. The meter is running.
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Hi Jimmy! Hope you're well! Make sure you walk your dogs every day! I'm trying to figure out the Blues philosophy. They would like to make the playoffs and go as far as they can. That's best financially apparently. So trading Vladi and ROR and whoever else (Barbie) for younger players and draft picks is not good financially because fans might stop coming the way they do? I don't think we have a playoff team much less a cup contender. I don't think the fans would stop supporting their beloved Blues for one rebuilding year. Just 1--right ? Best draft in many years apparently. To me I'm not getting a thrill out of just making the playoffs and getting bounced. I could be way off and the Blues contend? That seems unlikely. Is it wise to try and contend and keep ROR, Vladi, Barbie for the entire season in their walk year--and get zero for them? Tough decisions but we're not contending without a trade right? I'm getting a headache now trying to figure this out!!!
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Just don't have the time to walk the dogs every day. And I occasionally feel guilty about it. Meanwhile, you may have decided on where the Blues are headed - what a surprise! But 14 games in, Armstrong is still trying to figure out what this club is. If he thinks the window is open to contend for a Cup, he'll stand pat. If he doesn't, he'll make moves. So it's not all that complicated. But the decision doesn't have to be made on Nov. 14.I don't think the fans will stay away in droves if the team is not a competitor, and Armstrong trades some players this season. But an extended rebuild period - say four, five or more years - will put a stress financially on the team.
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I mean if you listen to Gordzonga he claims the Blues have very little financial margin. So the Blues owners are paranoid about the gate receipts going down? Can't finish in the bottom five to get a great young player? That's to financially risky? The Blues cannot handle one bad year financially? That doesn't seem right we have great fans and diehards.
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You don't know my schedule. For one thing, I'm on the road half the time during hockey season.As for Petro, yeah, I really didn't notice him much in Saturday's game either.But he's leading Vegas in ice time (23:32) and he's leading them in assists - and among the league leaders among defensemen - with 13.
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I am not a long time hockey fan, and am still puzzled about lineup and strategy decisions. But it looks to me like the other teams better defensemen have little trouble stripping the puck away from Tarensenko when he is trying to carry it around the ice. Do the statistics support that? Seems like such a momentum killer ... no matter how good his set shot is. ??????
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A couple of notes from the morning skate. Parayko wasn't out there and his status is uncertain for tonight's game with Chicago. Has some kind of undisclosed ailment.Tyler Tucker will make his NHL debut if Parayko can't go.Binnington is in goal again tonight.Leivo was getting some work on the power play.
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What a difference a week makes! Calle Rosen for team MVP? (wink)
Last week, I was ready to scream about terrible passes and clear lanes for opponent passes and shots. Suddenly, the Blues are passing tape to tape -- like the Kyrou PP goal ... WOW! -- and dropping their bodies in the lanes to keep opponents from getting clear shots OR passes. Whatever the reason, be it Leivo, the 4th line, Schenn/Kyrou chemistry, please keep it up.
JT -- how would you rate Faulk's play so far? What I see so far looks like he's a half step slow, with his passes a foot off the mark. Is he battling some nagging injuries? -
It has been a very bizarre start to be sure. In the first 3 games and these last 3 games the Blues played about how I thought they would this season.Namely, not quite as much firepower as last year but a little better defensively.In between - during the 8-game losing streak - they were simple horrible for the most part.So we'll see what the future brings.As for Faulk, after a very strong start, yeah, his play has tailed off the last couple, three games. And he does look a little out of sync. Not just with his skating, but with some of his passing. I do not if he's ailing.
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It’s all about timing isn’t Jim? Last week we were all on the doom and gloom train and here we sit this week with an impressive three game winning streak.
Question: How much different is it being a reporter today than it was say 15 years ago? Guess you had to physically deliver your stories to the editor desk. Now electronically submitted and websites with every stat under the sun. Plus the social media aspect of your job. Please no yeah it’s different response please -
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OK, just kidding. The internet has changed everything. When I first started writing for the Post-Dispatch, I was writing stories on a typewriter.There are still deadlines, but it's become more a 24/7 operation because the Internet never shuts down.The plus side is, you can post your stories immediately. The downside is, there's a lot of bad information on the internet that sometimes bog you down.And this all started around the turn of the millennium. So it's been around for a while.
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Jim, I’m sure I’m in the minority on this but, it’s probably time to start looking towards the future. Every team has to retool at some point. The Blues haven’t had a top 10 pick since 2008 when they drafted Pietrangelo #4. Before that it was 2006 with Eric Johnson #1 overall. I’m not a Parayko fan. He looks like Tarzan, plays like Jane. Ottawa needs defenseman. The Blues could easily get a first-round pick and a high-level prospect. Same goes for Barbashev, Tarasenko, O’Reilly and even Binnington. Gather as many 1st round picks and maybe parlay them into acquiring young high-end talent. It’s not personal, it’s just business.
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Only 8 points separate the last place Blues from the first place Stars in the Central, so the Note has time to recover from their early season slump. JT, do you think the Central remains a crowded division this year, or will teams like the Blackhawks and Coyotes start to regress back to their expected 70 point pace?
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It looks like the Blackhawks are starting that regression. They've won only two of their last nine games and have scored only four goals in their last four games. I think the Arizona Coyotes will fall back from the pack in time as well.But in the short-term, young, hungry players can give more talented players trouble.But the rest of the division certainly is more balanced than it has been in the past. Winnipeg is better. Dallas looks to e a little better. I think Nashville will stick in the playoff race. Colorado and Minnesota are not quite as good as they were last year.
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Jim, I've been a Blues fan since their inception in 1967. The first few years they had the old barn rocking. When they would play "When the Blues Come Marching In" the hair on the back of your neck would stand up. I'm not nearly as excited about this team. There isn't a marquee player to rally around. The young talent now doesn't seem to move the needle for me. Thomas is very good, Kyrou, you could knock him off the puck with a feather. Army is going to regret throwing that much money at him down the road, I fear.
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For the last decade-plus, the Blues haven't been about the marquee player. Under Armstrong, they've been about having a collection of good to really good players. With the sum of the part being greater than the individuals.And I think it's too early to give up on Kyrou. Despite all his issues, he's still on a 27, 28-goal pace.
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Hi Jim,
Thanks for doing this.
Alexandrov looked a bit lost out there on Monday. I thought Walker might get the call tonight, especially with his mother in the seats. The Chief isn’t Mike Keenan or Scotty Bowman in the cold-heart department, but he also isn’t a sentimentalist, it seems. -
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Hi Jim,
Thanks for doing this.
Injuries were always going to be the problem this year, as the Blues have marginal depth. Now Parayko may be out at least tonight after his best game of the season.
Still, this team has shown it can compete with anyone when it commits to strong team defense. The victories over Edmonton and Colorado were both first-rate.
My feeling is that no matter what happens, Army will wait until very close to the trade deadline before deciding on making any significant moves. As 2019 showed, a team can make its move up the standings as late as mid-January. Your thoughts? -
Here's a couple of things I've heard:1.) During the losing streak, Armstrong was getting a lot of calls from teams around the league. So even during a slump, while the team was doing poorly, there apparently was significant interest in several players.2.) Armstrong doesn't want to make a rash decision. One that he might regret later. He's trying to be patient.So I think your instincts are good on this. I think he'll wait as long as he can before deciding to make moves.
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I'm not a big analytics guy. For one, I'm not smart enough to figure out what they all mean. For another, I like to trust my eyes - what I see.So you may have to wait for TomT's next spin on the chat to ask him about Acciari's numbers.But what I see is a guy who plays hard hockey. He easily leads the team in hits. He does the dirty work along the walls. Not a bad passer. And I think he's capable of scoring a goal every now and then. Been a good pickup for sure.
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