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.
-
Jim -- One other thing from me. You mentioned Berube's demeanor. I know you've been around sports a long time, not just hockey. Do you think coaches keep a more even keel publicly now than 20 or 30 years ago because the camera is always on and and video spreads like wildfire due to social media? It seems like we don't see the legendary meltdowns anymore. On a separate note, have you been around Berube when he's really been upset? I could see where that would be intimidating. The guy still looks like could could break your arm with his pinky. -
Well, the cameras have always been there - at least in the press conference settings. It's away from the stadium or the arena where things have changed because everyone can get video on their cellphone. So I don't know if it's any different in that respect - i.e., coaches while on the job.As for Berube, sure there have been instances when it looks like his head is about to explode. But I don't know why it should be intimidating. It's not like he's going to throw a punch at you. (Although I have had people I was interviewing threatening to do something like that to me in the past.)And yes, Berube is still in good shape for someone in his 50s. He lifts weights rides the exercise bike, etc., regularly. -
Kyrou and Jason Robertson were second round picks. Klim Kostin drafted ahead of both of them. So the Blues plan should be to get as many draft picks as possible in rounds 1-4. We need to throw a lot of mud on the wall when it comes to the dicey draft. Many of the first rounders won't even make the league!
-
-
-
-
Jim, good point on the complete re-tool. St. Louis is a good sports town but this isn't Toronto. Attendance would plummet if they did something similar to what Chicago is doing now. I'm often suspicious of management but I can see why Stillman and others would want to avoid that. Just my two cents.
-
-
-
-
-
-
I definitely think that's a factor. O'Reilly and Tarasenko are both proud men, and I'm sure even if it's just in the back of their heads they were wondering - What about me? - when Thomas and Kyrou signed their contracts. But there is only so much pie to slice up, and if the Blues had signed O'Reilly and Tarasenko to contracts it likely would've meant they couldn't re-sign Kyrou and Thomas. The latter two obviously were the priorities for Armstrong.Also, O'Reilly and Tarasenko have been around long enough to realize that if you're in your walk year and remained unsigned the odds aren't good that you'll be back under Armstrong.
-
Who was on the ice for the short handed goal last night? Also, when Thomas got boarded there was a Blues player just behind the guy that made Thomas eat wood. I think it was Parako? The guy did NOTHING to have Thomas' back. It seems like teams are treating the Blues like punks.
-
The Blues had 36 hits to 11 for the Maple Leafs, so I don't think they were treated like punks. According to the official NHL stats for the game, Thomas, Kyrou, Barbashev, Parayko and Tarasenko were on the ice for the shorty.I asked Berube about the play today, and he said he liked Parayko's work on the play. But he said the forwards all basically left the area instead of sticking around to help.
-
-
Nothing personal, but I normally don't even look at the "names" of those asking the questions. Sometimes I recognize Barry from Orlando and Roy Hobbs in terms of mentioning their names in part because I've met them in person in the past. And I recognize the style of how they ask questions.
-
-
-
-
Okay, I’ve read all the “what have you done for me lately” crowd, but I for one do not want to go through a rebuilding for the next five or so years. Besides Buffalo, look at the Oilers. Yeah they’ve made the playoffs recently, but with the almighty McDavid, and all the other top ten picks they’ve had over the years, what have they done to win a Stanley Cup? They haven’t done squat!
-
-
I have said that since the beginning of the year that the contracts to Kyrou and Thomas basically show 91 and 90 the door. They knew there was no offer coming and so they are biding their time. On the player cards at The Athletic 90 has a value in the $3.5 million range. I don't think he will take that kind of cut. 91 still has value on the cards. Its somewhat a kick in the teeth to both 90 & 91 for bringing a cup to St. Louis but the team is moving on and we as fans don't get a say
-
-
Regarding whether fans would still show up to watch a team rebuild: I've made the case many times that they wouldn't, and my usual argument is fans with limited dollars to spend on entertainment would not waste them to watch something that...well, doesn't actually provide entertainment. That said, I'm a child of Buffalo and still have family there; despite the utter trainwreck the Sabres organization has been for the last decade, the fans have still shown up throughout (at least according to attendance figures from HockeyDB). Keep in mind, for at least the last few years those same Buffalo fans have also enjoyed a successful NFL franchise which directly competes for local sports fans' dollars. My point is, there's a lot of similarity between the Buffalo and St. Louis markets, but the latter doesn't have a direct seasonal pro sports competitor like the former. I'm still not convinced St. Louis would continue to support a 50-point Blues team through a long-term rebuild, but with the Buffalo comparison in mind, I'm no longer certain that they wouldn't.
-
I have a lot of respect for the Buffalo market - many trips up there for football and hockey. But I thought there were more empty seats than usual when the Blues played there in November. I could be wrong.In football, the Rams fans still came out 50,000 or more strong in St. Louis, even through 10 consecutive non-winning seasons and a five-game stretch of 15 wins and 65 losses - the worst five-year stretch of losing in NFL history at the time.
-
-
-
-
-
It was a joke, JT. Roy and I have gone at each other time and again in the comment section for countless P-D articles about the Blues. We rarely see eye-to-eye, but I like the guy and, from time to time, he actually writes something thoughtful to remind me that I don't in fact know everything.
-
Yeah, I know. I was just using your comment as a way to explain how I go through the list of questions.And speaking of questions, we're done for the day. I've actually gone past the allotted time a little bit.I've got a say, this is one of the best list of questions I've had on the Blues chats. Most very thoughtful. Happy New Year. Until next time. . . .