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Join Blues beat writer Tom Timmermann for his live chat at 1 p.m. Wednesday

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3rd & 7 37yd

I asked this to JT last week, and he answered negatively. Given Wainwright and Molena's fandom for the Blues, and Pujols attended a game last year, have you interacted with any of them, and if so do you have anything to share?

by D Matt 9/14/2022 7:45:29 PM
I have interacted with them multiple times when I've covered the Cardinals -- Wainwright is the Cardinals' equivalent of O'Reilly -- but never interacted with them at Enterprise Center or in ways pertinent to the Blues or asked them about it. When they go to games, they're seated in a suite somewhere and just not someplace that's easily accessible when you're covering a game. Their schedules just don't allow them to get to that many games so the chances for interaction are limited.

by ttimmermann 9/14/2022 7:48:03 PM
I didn't even mention Tarasenko in my earlier question because I assumed it was a given that he was gone. Any reason to think I am wrong about that?

by Matt L. 9/14/2022 7:48:20 PM
No, I see no reason to think Tarasenko will re-sign with the Blues. Again, every twist and turn of this has been surprising to me though.

by ttimmermann 9/14/2022 7:48:56 PM
It sure looks to me as if the blues are entering a phase of declining talent rather than rising talent. Should they have started the rebuild this year rather than waiting until next year to pull the chute?

by Scott Stewart 9/14/2022 7:49:47 PM
The Blues, like the Cardinals, pride themselves on being a playoff team every season. For the Blues, in a small market, they need the ticket revenue, and wouldn't do well if attendance drops. So they want to be as good as they can every season, which is not easy to do in the NHL. The Blues' extended success has been tough to match in the past decade. So rebuilding, stripping the team down and starting from scratch, isn't their style.
The next few seasons could get tricky, but if the cap starts going up in bigger pieces, that will be a big help to the Blues. They are betting on that. There's a case to be made that the real tough seasons are going to be when the final seasons of those Faulk, Krug and Parayko contracts. Right now, those guys are still close to their prime, so the team isn't that bad off. In three seasons, when those guys and Schenn are in their mid-30s, that could be a real problem. The Blues' window looks to still be open this season.

by ttimmermann 9/14/2022 7:56:05 PM
How do you expect the work load between Binner and Greiss to be split up? For the sake of the question, let's assume both play reasonably well relative to their ability.

by Matt L. 9/14/2022 7:56:17 PM
I think if they're both healthy and playing well, it would be Binnington getting 2 out of 3 or 3 out of 4 games, which would mean him playing 55-60 games. Any less would mean Binnington is having a bad season or Greiss is having a great season. And if Binnington is having a great season, that number could creep up a bit, but not too far past 65.

by ttimmermann 9/14/2022 7:58:31 PM
Is a Scandella buyout or trad3 a possibility? Any bottom feeders needing help getting to the salary minimum?

by Alan in Springfield 9/14/2022 7:59:13 PM
Scandella has always been a trade possibility, but the demand hasn't been there. I think he's more likely to be traded after this season; if you're a GM it's easier to take on a contract like that for one season rather than two. Arizona, alas, may start getting good soon, eliminating a situation that has delighted opposing GMs for years. The salary cap floor this season is $61 million. Everyone is now over that.
Scandella is not a buyout candidate because Armstrong has never bought someone out and I don't see him starting now.

by ttimmermann 9/14/2022 8:02:37 PM
Speaking of Backes, Schenn is a $6.5M cap hit for the next 6 years. And he's 31

by Toe Blake Eddie Shore 9/14/2022 8:02:47 PM
That is an inherent risk with 8 year contracts, though Thomas and Kyrou will still be in their early 30s when theirs run out.

by ttimmermann 9/14/2022 8:04:44 PM
What's the chances of having someone from the Blues join you or JT on the chat one week? Maybe a player or coach or owner???

by D Matt 9/14/2022 8:04:52 PM
Would be great if we could do it, though the logistics are tough. Though I remember John Mozeliak doing one about the Cardinals and almost every question, if answered honestly, would have brought the team open to charges of tampering.

by ttimmermann 9/14/2022 8:06:11 PM
Way overpaid both kids..... one good year and Army gives them the money for a 5 years perennial all-star! This will not end good for the Blues and Army! his cap management is the worst!

by Qman16 9/14/2022 8:06:27 PM
Armstrong has made his choice on where to spend the teams money. After witnessing how an older Perron was treated, O'Reilly can't be too thrilled about his future with the Blues. Maybe it's best if Armstrong goes all-in and moves him soon, freeing up cap space and actually getting something in return instead of another asset walking away for nothing.

by Toe Blake Eddie Shore 9/14/2022 8:09:55 PM
I keep forgetting to push the publish button. Here's the answer to the previous question. Sorry to keep messing this up.
The team's success in recent years suggests otherwise as to Armstrong's cap management, though the future might be a different thing. As Armstrong said on one of those defensemen signings, yes, it might be bad in the final years, but that's a problem for the next GM, not me. (Though I think there's a pretty good chance he's still around when the Faulk and Krug contracts run out.)

by ttimmermann 9/14/2022 8:10:22 PM
Now on to the next O'Reilly question.

by ttimmermann 9/14/2022 8:10:36 PM
If the Blues are not a playoff contender at the trade deadline, then Tarasenko and O'Reilly will be heading out the door. If they are a contender, then the math will likely say they have a better chance of doing well with O'Reilly than without, and they may also know at that time if there's any possibility of re-signing them. Armstrong has traded away key players in their final year, but he's also been willing to keep them rather than trade for someone whose contract is running out somewhere else. Why not stick with your own loaner?

by ttimmermann 9/14/2022 8:13:32 PM
What is your favorite stadium outside of STL?

by Jiffy Jeff 9/14/2022 8:13:53 PM
There are a bunch I like more than St. Louis. I haven't made the Western Canada trip in a while, but Canadian arenas are generally nice. Winnipeg is intimate. And in the States, Minnesota has a good feel to it. My favorites are the ones I don't get lost in. Anaheim drives me nuts. I can never figure out where I'm going.

by ttimmermann 9/14/2022 8:16:17 PM
With the number of Blue's national TV games. What does that do to our local broadcast TV team? Is Pang back this season?

by hockey grandpa 9/14/2022 8:16:53 PM
The Blues will have 14 national TV games this season, which I think is the limit (or if not close to it). For John Kelly, it means a night off, generally not to his liking. For Pang, if it's a TNT game, it's probably him anyway. If it's on ESPN, then he's probably golfing. As far as I know, there are no changes in the TV teams planned.

by ttimmermann 9/14/2022 8:19:53 PM
If you had to pick today, who is the second best team in the West? Even after this offseason, I think the Blues have a reasonable claim to that spot.

by Matt L. 9/14/2022 8:21:08 PM
Lots of candidates for that, including the Blues. I'll go with Edmonton.

by ttimmermann 9/14/2022 8:22:01 PM
How is possible that Armstrong doesn't know if Binnington had knee surgery in the off-season? If he did, that suggests strongly the players don't trust the Blues' medical staff.

by GoThunder 9/14/2022 8:22:14 PM
That was an interesting answer on Armstrong's part this morning. It's possible he was being cagey. Binnington told Jim a few hours ago he did not have surgery.

by ttimmermann 9/14/2022 8:23:24 PM
Army said he prioritized defense over Forwards. So he let Perron go and resigned Leddy. Why didn't you ask him why Leddy over Husso then? GOALIE is the most important defensive position without question!!! No one asked Army that how come?

by Roy Hobbs 9/14/2022 8:23:47 PM
Well, we asked him about trading Husso. He said: “At the end of the day we weren’t going to be able to sign him."

by ttimmermann 9/14/2022 8:24:46 PM
Hi Tom, good to read you again. What are the chances of extending RO'R again? How much might he need? Years? Money? How much salary/who would they have to dump to make it? How much to keep O'R and Vladi? Keep up the good work and keep the paper informing us about Traverse City. Thanks.

by Easy Ed fan from Day One 9/14/2022 8:24:52 PM
As the payroll is currently structured, it won't be easy. If the Blues want to sign him, they'll need to move some bodies. Scandella is the perpetual choice, but that alone likely won't be enough unless O'Reilly's price plummets, in which case, you have to consider if it's worth signing him. To make him fit, they probably need to move Krug or Faulk or Parayko. That's about the only ones that make sense. If Perunovich goes the full season without getting hurt, maybe that makes one of those deals feasible. What his price is next season will be determined by how he plays this season. If he plays like he did at the end of the season, he could be in the $6 million window. If he plays like he did at the start of the season, maybe less. At his age, he's probably looking at a four-year deal tops, at least from the Blues point of view.
Keeping O'Reilly and Tarasenko is almost a mathematical impossibility. There would have to be some major assets going out the door at that point.

by ttimmermann 9/14/2022 8:31:58 PM
Are you aware of any upgrades or new features that have been added to Enterprise over the offseason?

by Matt L. 9/14/2022 8:32:24 PM
If they did, I hope it involves the elevators.

by ttimmermann 9/14/2022 8:33:30 PM
Personally I think veterans on defense have a history of being more productive then young D men. That's what Srmy thinks obviously. But then the Rangers had a very good young defense.And there's Makar right? Used to be a good defenseman was in his early 30's correct? NHL is changing in every aspect it seems like. The game is going to look like the NHL video game in 5 years everyone flying up and down the ice.

by Roy Hobbs 9/14/2022 8:34:00 PM
I think Armstrong likes the thought of Faulk and Krug at 32 a lot more than he likes the thought of Faulk and Krug at 35. But he probably would have liked them even more at 28.
The most fun games I watched all last season involved Florida, flying up and down the ice. I mean, you're playing the game on ice skates. Shouldn't it be fast?

by ttimmermann 9/14/2022 8:36:55 PM
OK, I'm caught up on questions, and it seems like we've touched all the relevant topics, so I'll call it a day and start writing my story for tomorrow (and for online in a bit). Unlike the Blues, Jim is not yet in Traverse City, but he'll be there tomorrow for the start of action as the Blues' prospects start off the NHL season. And next week when we do this, we'll be on the eve of training camp, and then have to wait two whole days before we get a preseason game. (And you know the Blues are brining that A-team to Wichita for that first game.)

by ttimmermann 9/14/2022 8:40:13 PM
I haven't looked at the schedule as to whether you get me or Jim next week, but you'll get one of us. And you get Gordo on Friday to ask again about all of my answers that you didn't like. Until next week, or the week after, depending on schedules, thanks for your participation and welcome back to still another Blues season. They just keep coming. Take care.

by ttimmermann 9/14/2022 8:41:32 PM
Does the upcoming budget crunch and possible loss of forwards almost force the Blues into seeing what Brown and Kostin offer?

by sctdog 9/14/2022 8:42:00 PM
Kostin will get the chance until Toropchenko comes back, which may not be as far off as first thought. Brown still projects as the 13th forward, but he's going to have to play and he's a guy that probably is better the more he plays.

by ttimmermann 9/14/2022 8:43:24 PM