SB Nation - Carlo Colaiacovo

Friday Links: That. Just. Happened. Edition.

averagejoe — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 11:00:25 -0000

More photos » by Paul Sakuma - AP

Hugs for everyone! (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)

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After last night (this morning?), I'm contemplating naming my first-born child Carlo. Boy or girl.

Blues news

The Blues really did win. Seriously. [St. Louis Post-Dispatch]
You stay classy Evgeni Nabokov. The Sharks goalie blames Marc-Edouard Vlasic for not blocking Carlo Colaiacovo's shot. [San Jose Mercury News]
The Blues stopper line is playing a lot, but not more than it should. [St. Louis Post-Dispatch]

Hockey news

Lots of games on Thursday. Here are the results. [Yahoo! Sports]
Friday night will be kinda quiet around the league. [Yahoo! Sports]
Brendan Shanahan will be joining the NHL front office. [National Post]
It's official: the Blackhawks have signed Toews, Kane and Keith. [ESPN]
The Second City guys reflect on the Big 3 signings. [Second City Hockey]
Jonas Gustavsson has heart surgery. [ESPN]
Matt Moulson gets his first career hat trick. [TSN]
Preparation for the Winter Classic is underway. [TSN]
Jiri Tlusty, famous for showing his dong on the internet, has been dealt to the Hurricanes. [TSN]

Other links

Can you believe that people tried to use comic books to sell shit to kids? OH YEAH! they did. [Cracked.com]
Here is a Web site devoted to single-purpose Web sites. Need the Price is Right sound? Go here. [Urlesque]
Christmas light we can all appreciate. [Tosh.0]
The guy who writes Comcast descriptions enjoys his job. [WTF Comcast]
What did Craig do before his massive list-site? [Users]
Chruch signs are sometimes funny. Mostly because of vandals. [Manofest]

Video

This video may not be for everyone and it's very NSFW (language) but it made me laugh.

This video, is for everyone. Enjoy.

Poor College Student has the weekend shift. gametimelinks(at)gmail.com

That's Colaiacovo. As In ColaiacOh No He Didn't!

gallagher — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 06:30:20 -0000

I was stomping around my living room cursing decision-making. "It's a two-on-one and you pass to Jackman? You never pass to Jackman on a two-on-one!"

Well, shit. At least I had a reason to drink tonight all gift-wrapped for me. And then this happened:

Carlo Cokiacockvono, you are one beautiful, sick bitch. A spin-o-rama blast to tie up the game with eight seconds left that forced the OT/SO, got the Blues two points and shut that building of wine-drinking, tofu-eating, "Let's Go Shar-arks" chanters up.

The Sharks are the best team in the league. They sit atop the standings and it's easy to see why. They are talented, deep and frighteningly confident. And the Blues outplayed them virtually all night. This is what we've been waiting for. Hopefully it's what they've been waiting for too.

Some other observations from the couch:

I like the lines the ol Coach put together for this game. The Oshie-Backes-Kariya line was great, the Boyes-McDonald-Perron line was good (though Perron was pretty absent until late), the Schnoz-Silent-Beej line was as effective as ever (I liked hearing that they took the goal against as motivation), and the Berglund-Tkachuk-Winchester line seems to be good for IceBerg, who showed us a little bit of that TechnoViking swagger that has been missing all year.
Ty Conklin is my kind of back-up. The guy made some huge saves tonight, did everything required to win and seems to have no problem being the No. 2 guy.
Erik Johnson is getting better every single game. What would he be like right now if that golf cart hadn't swept the knee and taken him out all of last year?
This team played tonight like they played most of the end of last year when no one wanted to play them. They were relentless, they were physical, they were skilled and they were dangerous.
T.J. Oshie found a new shootout move. His go-to move last year was silly, but this is the NHL and the rest of the league's goalies caught up to it. Nabokov looked positively whipped on Teej's sweet game-winner.

Saturday matinee in Los Angeles. Far as I can tell, we owe those bastards a little pay-back too. Hopefully some of that San Jose karma I mentioned pre-game is left over for some other California teams.

The Trading Block: Who The Blues Could Move

gallagher — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 17:30:12 -0000

More photos » by Gerry Broome - AP

The trade of Lee Stempniak signaled to the Blues that it wouldn't be Andy Murray that would be held accountable for their slow start. Who could be this year's Stempniak?

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On Nov. 23 last year the Blues were 8-8-2 and 13th in the Western Conference, dead-last in the Central Division. They'd suffered some odd injuries, including an emergency appendectomy to one of their players. Fans were grumbling about the coaching of Andy Murray and the lack of team scoring (just 55 goals in 18 games to that point).

The next day the team traded Lee Stempniak, considered by most followers of the team to be one of the franchise's youthful building blocks, to Toronto for Alex Steen and Carlo Colaiacovo. The deal was a classic sell-high, buy-low for the Blues, as Stempniak had a bit of a point streak going at the time (he had three goals and 10 assists in 14 games to that point) and had been a 27-goal scorer once before in his short career. Meanwhile, both Colaiacovo and Steen had long since worn out their welcome in the Center Of The Hockey Universe as underperforming former first round picks.

But the trade was more than a "let's get two-for-one" deal for the Blues; this was a direct message to the players that Murray would be staying and if their performance continued to be mediocre, it was they that would be a-going.

The team continued to struggle along through November and December before going 6-4-1 in January and then, of course, going on The Run that ended with the Blues in the sixth seed in the West.

With the exception of waiving Manny Legace on Feb. 6, the Blues made no other roster moves after the Stempniak deal. Considering the similar state of the team today and the recent comments made by team owner David Checketts that the time to move forward is now, if the team doesn't start to climb the standings soon, another move will be made to shake up the roster. For the sake of this argument, we're going to assume that Andy Murray will not be fired and that the team will deal with first quarter doldrums in the same manner that they did last year and trade someone.

But who fits the bill to be traded this year? Last year's trade of Stempniak was unforeseen and shocking to fans, media and presumably, the players. If a trade is to be made this year, it'd likely be designed to shake up the players who remain behind. The problem is identifying a player who is shocking to see leave and sends the message, but not be the type of player that goes on to make you regret his departure.

Similarly, the roster is full of players that fans might want to see traded, but simply cannot be moved for one reason or another.

We'll analyze the current roster to see who is tradeable and who is not, leaving the minor leaguers and prospects out of the discussion as we're not talking about specific packages or team needs at this point. In the end, we'll give our most likely candidates to be moved if the Blues decide to dangle one of their players.

David Backes

#42 / Right Wing / St. Louis Blues

Height: 6-3

Weight: 216

Born: May 01, 1984

G A P +/- PIM

2009 - David Backes 4 6 10 1 38

David Backes, RW: The Blues thought highly enough of Backes to match Vancouver's RFA offer to him before last season, agreeing to overpay him to the tune of $2.5 million a year. Backes paid back the Blues in spades last year with his 31-goal effort and his nightly physical domination. He became known as Chuck Norris around these parts and it was justly deserved.

But is he tradeable today? Backes' slow start made him an early candidate for consideration in a shake up trade, but his six points in his last four games has made him an even more potent trading piece. If the Blues were to trade Backes it would definitely shake up the roster and send the message that no one here is untouchable, but giving up on the 25-year-old could end up being seriously short-sighted. The return might be great, but what of the loss? Have we seen the top of Backes' game or is he just getting started?

Patrik Berglund

#21 / Center / St. Louis Blues

Height: 6-4

Weight: 187

Born: Jun 02, 1988

G A P +/- PIM

2009 - Patrik Berglund 3 2 5 -4 2

Patrik Berglund, C: The former first rounder from 2006 enjoyed a great rookie season, becoming coveted around the league for his 21 goals and 47 points in 76 games, despite playing in twice as many games as he ever had in a season previously. This season, however, has been the epitome of the sophomore slump for the young TechnoViking. He is on pace for just 11 goals and 18 points. His minus-4 stands out when compared to his solid plus-19 from last year.

Is he tradeable? Certainly. Would it be shocking? Absolutely. Would it be giving up on a talent who has not reached his final height yet? Probably. Depending on the return that could be gotten back, Berglund could find himself the target of a "needs a change of scenery" trade.

Brad Boyes

#22 / Right Wing / St. Louis Blues

Height: 6-0

Weight: 195

Born: Apr 17, 1982

	G	A	P	+/-	PIM
2009 - Brad Boyes	6	9	15	-5	2

Brad Boyes, C/RW: In his short NHL career, Boyes has bounced from Toronto to San Jose to Boston to St. Louis. His talent is evident as he has scored 43 and 33 goals over the last two seasons, but his streaky nature and perceived lack of hard work has kept him on the move. He is on pace for 29 goals this year, despite a recent streak of nine points in his last 10 games. At just 27 years old, he is still an NHL commodity and would surely find suitors if he were on the Blues' trade block.

But can the Blues trade a guy who one could argue is the only real sniper on the team? The last person to score 33 goals in the Bluenote was Tkachuk in 2003-04. The last to score 43 was Brett Hull in 1995-96. Yes, Brett Hull. In 1996. He'd likely draw some talent back to the team, but scoring, even if it is streaky, is not a strength from which the Blues have a deep well to deal.

Eric Brewer

#4 / Defenseman / St. Louis Blues

Height: 6-3

Weight: 222

Born: Apr 17, 1979

	G	A	P	+/-	PIM
2009 - Eric Brewer	1	2	3	-8	11

Eric Brewer, D: Calm down, boo-birds. Yes, Brewer might find himself atop many fans' Trade Now lists, but the Robot Captain seems to still be respected within the organization. His statistics continue to track along his career normal, in that area around 20-29 points, but his glaring minus-8 will keep the fans letting him know, "Brewer You Suck!"

If he hadn't missed a calendar year of hockey with various knee and back surgeries and if he wasn't currently on the shelf with another 'lower body' injury, Brewer might have some value. But add to those red flags his current contract of $4.5 million for this year and next and it's unlikely Brewer is going anywhere anytime soon.

Carlo Colaiacovo

#28 / Defenseman / St. Louis Blues

Height: 6-1

Weight: 200

Born: Jan 27, 1983

	G	A	P	+/-	PIM
2009 - Carlo Colaiacovo	2	7	9	0	17

Carlo Colaiacovo, D: The beneficiary of last year's "change of scenery" trade, Colaiacovo has revived his career in St. Louis. The offensive defenseman, who never put up more than 24 points in an NHL season before, finished last year with 30 and is on pace for even more points this season, his contract year. He remains haunted by the injury bug, though he managed to play a career-high 73 games last season.

If the Blues think he can be re-signed and continue to be productive in a leading role for the team (he is only 26 now), he won't be traded. If they think he'll be squeezed out by upcoming defenders, Colaiacovo could be a prime trading piece.

Ty Conklin

#29 / Goalie / St. Louis Blues

Height: 6-0

Weight: 184

Born: Mar 30, 1976

	GP	MIN	W	L	T	EGA	GA	GAA	SA	SV	SV%	SO
2009 - Ty Conklin	7	386	3	2			15	2.33	204	189	.926	1

Ty Conklin, G: Conklin has only been with the team for this season and played only seven games. he's been solid and (most importantly for a goalie) uncontroversial in the back-up goal. He fills a serious need for the team and he's paid appropraitely for this year and next.

There's no shock value to shake up the roster by trading Conklin and any trade involving him immediately opens a hole that has to be filled.

B.J. Crombeen

#26 / Right Wing / St. Louis Blues

Height: 6-2

Weight: 212

Born: Jul 10, 1985

	G	A	P	+/-	PIM
2009 - B.J. Crombeen	1	3	4	2	63

B.J. Crombeen, RW: The Beej has a very specific role on this team and depending on the night, he either plays it well by hitting and checking and making life a nightmare for the opposition, or he decides he's needed on the ice and puts himself on the ice for a too-many-men penalty. Basically, he's a role player who can chip in some points and allow older fans to boast that they remember when his dad played here.

Trading B.J. wouldn't be much of a blow to the team. Some might say that it sucks, but not too many fans or players would choke on the trade if it were made. There wouldn't be much of a return on a B.J. trade either because most people would see him as a starter, not the main event in any exchange.

Barret Jackman

#5 / Defenseman / St. Louis Blues

Height: 6-0

Weight: 203

Born: Mar 05, 1981

	G	A	P	+/-	PIM
2009 - Barret Jackman	0	4	4	5	13

Barret Jackman, D: The World's Angriest Defender (TM), owner of the best You're An Idiot (R) look in the NHL, Jackman is an original Blue, drafted in the first round back in 1999. He has had to re-learn the game as a defensive defenseman after the new rules were implemented after the lockout. Despite his inexplicable role as "the guy we hate when Brewer is out of the lineup", Jackman plays a steady if unspectacular game and while he has seen time on the power play during the less-offesnive days, he clearly doesn't relish the offensive role and is happier defending his own net.

Jackman's trade would definitely shake up the team and the fanbase, though the return would not be terribly flashy due to his unflashy role and large contract ($4.5 million this year and next, $3.5 million in 2011-12).

Cam Janssen

#55 / Right Wing / St. Louis Blues

Height: 6-0

Weight: 210

Born: Apr 15, 1984

	G	A	P	+/-	PIM
2009 - Cam Janssen	0	0	0	-1	50

Cam Janssen, RW: It's almost superfluous to put Janssen's position in this description as all it does is designate where he lines up on face-offs. The local boy gone pro, Cam Smash, King of Eureka, spends his entire shift running around the rink looking for someone to run into or to punch. St. Louisans love their home-town products and Janssen is no exception. He plays a specific role and with his better skating and durability than heavyweight fighter D.J. King, Janssen has been useful to the team. Also, did we mention that the fans love him?

While his game has gotten better since he arrived here in February 2008, Janssen could be traded. The return would be low and the biggest shake up it would cause would be down I-55 south of 44, where they still need every body they can get to fill sandbags come spring.

Erik Johnson

#6 / Defenseman / St. Louis Blues

Height: 6-4

Weight: 219

Born: Mar 21, 1988

	G	A	P	+/-	PIM
2009 - Erik Johnson	4	14	18	6	16

Erik Johnson, D: Despite missing all of last year to a golf cart jousting incident (allegedly), the Eeeej leads the team in scoring, changes the way teams have to prepare for the Blues' attack, does a mean Napoleon Dynamite impression, isn't afraid to get down with your girlfriend in your car in Al MacInnis' driveway (allegedly) and is likely going to stage some sweet raid on Oshie's condo at some point to get his Elmo hat back.

How do you spell 'franchise'? Not sure, but it definitely has an E and a J in it. This kid isn't going anywhere anytime soon.

Paul Kariya

#9 / Left Wing / St. Louis Blues

Height: 5-10

Weight: 180

Born: Oct 16, 1974

	G	A	P	+/-	PIM
2009 - Paul Kariya	6	5	11	4	12

Paul Kariya, LW: We owe Paul Kariya a bit of an apology. earlier this year we said something to the effect of, "The next time Paul Kariya takes a hit to make a play with be the first." Since that time, Kariya, who must have heard our admonishment through cyberspace, has been offering up his tiny, waif-like body to make plays. And, thankyouverymuch, it has resulted in Kariya's point totals rising, with points in each of the last three games.

Kariya is still on pace for a terrible offensive year, but that isn't the only reason that trading Kariya is a tough task. In fact there are 6 million reasons that other teams don't want to deal for Kariya. That hefty price tag, small offensive output and the final months of a contract owed to a notorious mercenary when it comes to free agency (just ask Anaheim, Colorado and Nashville) combine for a perfect storm of "hell no, we don't have interest in Kariya" among the rest of the NHL teams.

Chris Mason

#50 / Goalie / St. Louis Blues

Height: 6-0

Weight: 195

Born: Apr 20, 1976

	GP	MIN	W	L	T	EGA	GA	GAA	SA	SV	SV%	SO
2009 - Chris Mason	19	1129	7	8			43	2.29	557	514	.923	0

Chris Mason, G: Mason is the goalie. He's not winning enough games because he's not getting enough help from the rest of the team. His personal stats are great (eighth in GAA and seventh in save percentage) and that's tough to do on a struggling team.

Trading Mason would happen if only one of two things were happening: 1. Tha Canucks called and said, "How about Luongo for that Mason fella straight up?" or 2. The Blues called a press conference and announced, "Screw this year, we love drafting high."

Jay McClement

#18 / Center / St. Louis Blues

Height: 6-1

Weight: 201

Born: Mar 02, 1983

	G	A	P	+/-	PIM
2009 - Jay McClement	4	4	8	0	6

Jay McClement, C: Silent Jay, one of the original members of the Blues' post-lockout Kid Line (along with the traded Stempniak), has developed into a legitimate Selke candidate right before our eyes. His even plus/minus is all the more impressive when considering that he sees most of his minutes against other team's top lines. McClement is also locked up for two years after this season to a reasonable contract ($1.45 million per). Plus, his stock photo looks like he has a skelton's grin, which is awesome.

McClement's trade would shock the locker room more than the fans, especially casual fans who too often overlook his quiet, workmanlike contributions to team success. His contract, work ethic and skill set make him a perfect add for an opposing team. His trade wouldn't bring back the intangibles he adds. It could happen, but it would likely be shortsighted.

Andy McDonald

#10 / Center / St. Louis Blues

Height: 5-11

Weight: 183

Born: Aug 25, 1977

	G	A	P	+/-	PIM
2009 - Andy McDonald	6	8	14	-2	2

Andy McDonald, C: McDonald is struggling offensively this year but everyone has seen what he can do with the puck when he starts running hot. Plus, the Blues just locked him up for another three years after this year at an average of $4.7 million a year.

Trading McDonald would be the Blues saying that they made a mistake with a big contract and are having buyers' remorse. Which would put them on the 'sell low' end of the negotiations, the bad end to be on. The trade wouldn't shock fans or the locker room and the return would be less than impressive.

T.J. Oshie

#74 / Center / St. Louis Blues

Height: 5-11

Weight: 170

Born: Dec 23, 1986

	G	A	P	+/-	PIM
2009 - T.J. Oshie	4	9	13	1	10

T.J. Oshie, C/W: Oshie only seems like he's in a the throes of a sophomore slump because his rookie season took the city by storm. Young Mister Furnace Face scored the NHL.com goal of the year, blew up Rick Nash so badly (twice) that the fans coined the phrase "Oshied", got voted by someone to be his or her mayor in an actual election and had his name chanted by over 19,000 people on multiple occasions last year. By comparison, a second season where he only tallies 50 points would seem like a let down.

Last year, even suggesting that Oshie be traded would be reason enough to go into Salman Rushdie-like hiding for a writer. This year, it would be like suggesting that Anheuser-Busch is better off being owned by a foreign company like Inbev. It's still fighting words in most places, but in others, well, whatever, they just drink Schlafly anyway. Which isn't to say that Oshie's trade wouldn't shock the team and the fans, beacause it certainly would. The problem is that Oshie can score, but his intangibles are worth at least as much as his points, so the return on him wouldn't match what the team would give up.

David Perron

#57 / Left Wing / St. Louis Blues

Height: 6-0

Weight: 180

Born: May 28, 1988

	G	A	P	+/-	PIM
2009 - David Perron	9	7	16	-1	14

David Perron, LW: Perron leads the team in goals, works his poutine-loving ass off on every shift (doing a great rookie Oshie impression) and has an early nod for selection for this year's NHL.com goal of the year. Despite what has happened between Perron and the coach in the past, he is newly mature and coming into his own. And he's only 21.

Despite the fact that he's coming into a contract year and will certainly be looking for a huge pay increase this summer, the day a competing general manager picks up his phone to learn that the Blues are calling to offer Perron in a trade is that GM's best day ever. David Perron is untradeable at this point, no matter the return (sort of insanity, which can happen in the NHL) because of his ceiling.

Alex Pietrangelo

#27 / Defenseman / St. Louis Blues

Height: 6-3

Weight: 206

Born: Jan 18, 1990

	G	A	P	+/-	PIM
2009 - Alex Pietrangelo	1	1	2	-9	6

Alex Pietrangelo, D: There's a rule in hockey that goes something like this: goalies hit their stride and their prime later than any other position. Defensemen hit their stride and their prime earlier than goalies, but still not until later in their careers. Forwards can be thrown into the league earliest at all because creativity, speed and their shot can compensate for other factors.

Pietrangelo isn't playing enough in the NHL for most observers and he's got nothing left to learn in junior, but that hardly makes him prime trade bait. The fourth overall selection from just last year going on the trade block would garner a ton of calls from around the league, but the fact is that the offers would almost always be "you take our busting project for your young defenseman who isn't playing anyway".

Roman Polak

#46 / Defenseman / St. Louis Blues

Height: 6-1

Weight: 227

Born: Apr 28, 1986

	G	A	P	+/-	PIM
2009 - Roman Polak	2	4	6	6	22

Roman Polak, D: He's 23, he's locked up for this year and next for a little over a million bucks each, plays solid defense, can contribute offensively and is fast enough to rush the puck and get back to protect his own zone. He's quiet and unheralded and he's the Jay McClement of the defense. Plus, his fake Twitter account is awesome. As is farting in teammate's helmets.

The shock value is high, his replacement is fairly easy considering the Pietrangelo, Junland, Rundblad, Cole pipeline and the return on him would likely be comparable, if not exactly earth-shattering.

Alexander Steen

#20 / Left Wing / St. Louis Blues

Height: 6-1

Weight: 205

Born: Mar 01, 1984

	G	A	P	+/-	PIM
2009 - Alexander Steen	1	1	2	-1	6

Alexander Steen, LW: Steen has been a staple on the McClement line almost since his arrival in St. Louis and he has also shown flashes of the offense that caused him to be drafted in the first round by Toronto back in 2002. But unlike his trade-mate Colaiacovo, Steen hasn't exactly made himself a more desired commodity around the NHL. he plays an important role for the team, but his role can be filled by plenty of similar players in Peoria who would love the opportunity.

No one nose what value Steen might have around the NHL, but we smell a boring trade if he's the tip of any deal because he's at the end of his contract and has likely reached his beak.

Darryl Sydor

#44 / Defenseman / St. Louis Blues

Height: 6-1

Weight: 211

Born: May 13, 1972

	G	A	P	+/-	PIM
2009 - Darryl Sydor	0	4	4	6	10

Darryl Sydor, D: Sydor's best days are well behind him. He's lucky that he happens to have a skill set that allows him to be paid premium dollars (a cool million for this season) to act as 'mentor' and not really be expected produce much offensively. Sydor's only value in trade would be at the deadline as a depth/veteran presence guy. As for shock value in trading Sydor at this point, it's unlikely there would be much shake up in the locker room after the initial "I couldn't believe he took Pronger's number in the first place" discussion.

Keith Tkachuk

#7 / Center / St. Louis Blues

Height: 6-2

Weight: 232

Born: Mar 28, 1972

G A P +/- PIM

2009 - Keith Tkachuk 5 8 13 -3 22

Keith Tkachuk, LW/C: The days of trading Tkachuk for a big return are probably long gone. If the trade deadline were looming, there might be a ~~sucker~~ general manager or two out there who might still fall for the siren song of "big body, proven goal scorer, veteran presence" for their playoff run, but as for a trade today, there won't be many takers around the NHL.

Tkachuk is on a short, NHL-cheap contract and does have a strong locker room presence... which is exactly why the Blues want him and will be unlikely to trade him. It'd shake up the roster, but the return at this point wouldn't be worth the exchange.

Mike Weaver

#43 / Defenseman / St. Louis Blues

Height: 5-9

Weight: 182

Born: May 02, 1978

	G	A	P	+/-	PIM
2009 - Mike Weaver	0	1	1	5	8

Mike Weaver, D: Small but steady, Weaver doesn't get mentioned much because he is a defensive defenseman who does his job effectively. Not being mentioned much is a compliment for defensive defenseman.

As for trade value, Weaver has virtually none. There'd be little shock value to the team due to his journeyman status and zero shock value to the fans (have you ever seen a Weaver 43 jersey worn by a fan?) and the return would be the definition of infinitesimal.

Brad Winchester

#15 / Left Wing / St. Louis Blues

Height: 6-5

Weight: 228

Born: Mar 01, 1981

	G	A	P	+/-	PIM
2009 - Brad Winchester	0	2	2	1	24

Brad Winchester, LW: It's hard to believe that a guy who stands 6'5 tall and weighs nearly 230 pounds could ever be described as invisible, but Winchester has done just that and in the process has proven how a guy who is taken 35th overall in the NHL draft (2000) can muster only 200 NHL games and 36 points in the following nine years.

Yeah, this is about trade value and shake up of the roster, neither of which describe Winchester.

***************************************

So where does that leave the Blues if they are looking to make a trade? Here are our best guesses, by category.

Untradeable Due To Value:

These guys aren't going anywhere because they are too important to the team now and/or in the future.

Erik Johnson. If the trade documents came to the NHL offices, even those numbskulls would void it based on sheer stupidity. Wayne Gretzky got traded, sure, but not when he was 21 and the best player on his team.
Chris Mason. What do you need the second you trade Chris Mason? A top-10 ranked starting netminder. Whoops!
Jay McClement. Much like Mason, if you trade McClement, you suddenly need a guy just like McClement.
T.J. Oshie. Oshie's intangibles outweigh anything the team would get for him unless some other GM was eating peyote and then firing up the Blackberry to offer up some ridiculous package for the kid. The P.R. hit alone would making trading the Teej a huge mistake.
David Perron. The kid will be worth three first round draft picks to some RFA-contract-offering idiot this summer, so if the Blues are willing to lose an emerging talent like Frenchie, they should wait until then to do it.

Untradeable Due To Lack Of Value:

These guys aren't going anywhere because the return is too small.

Eric Brewer. The Robot is too broken and expensive to warrant interest from another team.
Paul Kariya. It isn't 1996 anymore. Kariya costs too much, is too close to unrestricted free agency and is producing far too few points to be of any interest to any but the drunkest of general managers.
Andy McDonald. We have no doubt that McDonald will be valuable again one day, but right now he too closely resembles the guy who was easily required for a virtually worthless Doug Weight two seasons ago.

Untradeable Due To Role:

Unless these guys are a problem in the locker room, and there's no reason to think they are, no possible advantage can be gained from trading them.

Ty Conklin. This guy gets traded and has to immediately be replaced by a guy who plays like him, gets paid like him and has the same demeanor as him.
Cam Janssen. Add in the hometown bump you get for having this guy in the lineup, the team would have to get something special to let go of the P.R. advantage Janssen brings. No GM in the league is about to overpay for Janssen.

Could Be Traded For Low Impact:

These guys could get traded, but the return will be small and the shock to the team won't likely be enough to cause significant change.

B.J. Crombeen. Swapping a role player for a mid-to-late pick or another role player isn't going to have the impact the team is looking to get. Plus, why ruin a whole season of blow job jokes if you don't have to?
Alex Steen. The worst thing that can happen to a player is to get injured and then have someone step into your role and make everyone forget you were gone. Steen has played 11 games this year. Seems high, doesn't it?
Darryl Sydor. "Oh no! They traded a 37-year-old depth defenseman they brought in for one year and would have been gone in six months anyway! I guess they are serious; anyone can be traded!"
Mike Weaver. Seriously, how many people really know Mike Weaver is on the team right now anyway? Impact of trading him: all of his immediate family have to update their mailing address for him. As if anyone mails anything anymore.
Brad Winchester: "So we have an offer for 228 pounds worth of hockey pucks. We lose maybe one more fight but we do save about $200 in souvenir costs."

Are You Kidding Me? Seriously. Are You Kidding Me?:

You want shock value? You want some return on your exchange? These are the guys the management and staff are going to argue about trading and the guys who, if traded, would make you call your friends liars when they told you about the trade.

David Backes. Sure, he's struggling. Sure he gets paid a lot for a guy his age. Sure it's been a long time since anyone here has vehemently compared him to Chuck Norris. But general managers in the NHL aren't as easily freaked out by slow starts as fans are. If Backes were made available, the list of teams with nice offers in hand would be long. Trading Backes shakes up the team, nets a good return and lets everyone know that no one is safe. The downside is that he almost certainly becomes a monster and regularly returns to haunt his former team.
Brad Boyes. Most fantasy hockey guys will tell you that the second you trade a great player you immediatley make yourself believe he was never on your team. Boyes can be streaky and frustrating and may always leave you wanting more, but when he's on your team he's a guy that can change a game. Trading him likely brings a nice return, scares the other players into focus and makes all of us go fantasy GM and pretend he never played here, because he's got at least a couple more great scoring seasons ahead of him.
Patrik Berglund. In five years we'll know what we had in Patrik Berglund. He's no Peter Forsberg, but is he going to become the shifty Swedish version of Pavel Datsyuk? Or is he on the fast track to becoming our next Jim Campbell? If he gets traded and blossoms into the slick playmaker with a nasty power play one-timer that we saw in glimpses next year, we'll be tasting our own vomit for the next 10-15 years. If he becomes the next great suburban Mite coach, we'll be applauding his trade like we used to talk about the Christer Olsson for Pavol Demitra deal.
Alex Pietrangelo. Classic giving up too early trade. The kid is 19-years-old and if not for a bout of mono in his draft year could have been drafted before Drew Doughty and Zach Begosian. If he goes away the Blues are counting on Jonas Junland or David Rundblad, both high-risk, power play specialist type of players, to round out their game and fill his spot as they swap him for a slumping scorer of comparable value like Columbus' Nikita Filatov.

On The Block:

These are the guys whose age, reputation, contracts and shake up value to the current roster make them the most likely players to become 'former Blues' should the team decide to go that way.

Carlo Colaiacovo. The guy is young and stepping into his game, but the crunch on the blueline, his contract status and injury history makes him a prime candidate to get dangled out there. His ceiling is probably ahead of him, but he's expendable from a P.R. standpoint, a talent standpoint and in terms of return.
Barret Jackman. This would be even more shocking than the trade of Stempniak last year, but his contract and the depth of the Blues' defensive pipeline makes this a 'head' move more than a 'heart' move. The return would likely be good, too, as Jackman's reputation around the league is excellent.
Roman Polak. How different is Roman Polak today from Dennis Wideman back when he was traded for Brad Boyes? When considering the current and future depth on the blueline, if the Blues could trade Polak today for another streaky sniper do you think they'd do it? Yeah, us too.
Keith Tkachuk. He's the vet with the good story because his family lives here and everyone sees him around town, but he's been rumored to be in the middle of more than one split locker room in his time as a pro. Sending Tkachuk away shocks the Blues' system, forces a younger guy to step up and likely results in a decent return. Short of a no-trade clause we don't know about, it could happen.

******************************

Trade rumors are always a risky proposition and the saying goes that when a team is struggling it's easier to change out one guy (the coach) than a whole team, the Blues have proved in the past that they're willing to change out one player to shake up the others.

Will this year be any different?

Tuesday Links: Who is R.J. Umberger and how did he score three goals edition

averagejoe — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 11:00:26 -0000

In my mind, the Blues should never lose to the Blue Jackets. Ever.

Blues news

Some dude named R.J. Umberger, whose name I can't hear without thinking of the Pink Panther saying Hamburger thanks to Brad Lee, scored a hat trick. [St. Louis Post-Dispatch]
The Blues didn't win last night, but they did injure someone. [Associated Press]
Killa Cam Janssen is not a fan of linesman breaking up fights. [Vancouver Sun]
The Blues explain why Jonas Junland, and not Alex Pietrangelo got the call with Carlo Colaiacovo on the shelf. [St. Louis Post-Dispatch]
Speaking of Pietrangelo, there is a good chance he's going to play in the World Juniors. [CBC]
While the Blues are still not playing like they did last year, they have been playing better since Dave Checketts went off. [Belleville News-Democrat]
Andy Murray is on the hot seat. [Fanhouse]

Hockey news

Lots of action on Monday. [Yahoo! Sports]
Just four games for Tuesday. [Yahoo! Sports]
Ketih Ballard: Moron. Don't hit you own goalie with a baseball swing. [Puck Daddy]
Alex Ovechkin is, yet again, involved in a questionable play. Does he become the new Chris Pronger — the star who still gets disciplined? [Puck Daddy]
The Hockey Commissioners' Association will host the Ice Breaker Tournament in Oct. 2010. [Sports Illustrated]
Long live Jean-Sebatian Giguere. [Anaheim Calling]
A look at the Brian Burke Era after year No. 1. [TSN]

Other links

From NatetheGreat.: Hungry? Here's where you should go eat. [Consumerist]
It's Christmas Flash Games! [FHM]
Finally, Poor College Student comes through with the eBay find of the ~~day~~ month: A Blues Frankenjersey. I remember seeing this in stores. Ghastly. [eBay]

Video

Cam Janssen likes to fight. D.J. King, when he's not hurt likes to fight. What happens when they fight each other?

gametimelinks(at)gmail.com

Game 26 Preview: The Jackets take on the Blues

Mike MacLean — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 19:15:00 -0000

by Paul Vernon - AP

View full size photo »

This is a tale of two teams going in seperate directions. The Jackets are in a five-game tailspin, and the Blues have earned points in five of their last six games, including four wins in that span. The Blues have absolutely had their way with the Jackets in recent times, so this will be a tough one. It's a battle of the Masons in net, and the only lineup adjustment from last game is the insertion of Kris Russell into the lineup for Methot.

What the Jackets need to do tonight is match the physicality of the Blues, and Mason needs to continue to get better. The killer instinct has to be there for the entire game, this season has had many instances where Columbus has sat on leads playing the "prevent defence" and it has bit them in the ass.

I'd personally like to see Nasher level T.J. Oshie, not because I don't like the guy, but because Oshie showed last year that he is one of the few guys that can knock Nasher down. Rick's ability to drag defenders on his back is one of his specialties, but Oshie levelled the captain on a few different occassions. I'm sure Nash wants to show the kid that he won't be pushed around.

Fearless Prediction: Nash levels Oshie, Jackts stop the losing streak.

Game Time: 7:00pm ET

Opponent's Blog: St. Louis Game Time

Game Page: Blues vs Blue Jackets Coverage

TSN Preview: Blues vs Blue Jackets Preview

TV: FSN Ohio

Radio: WBNS-AM (1460); WWCD-FM (101.1)

More after the jump...

From the Columbus Dispatch:

Can the Blue Jackets stand up to the Blues physically? Last season, St. Louis ran roughshod over the Jackets, winning five of the six games. The Blue Jackets are 2-9-1 vs. the Blues since Nov. 4, 2007, including three straight losses. The Blues are 4-1-1 in their last six games, including a 4-3 shootout loss vs. Detroit on Saturday.

Jackets Links:

Columbus Blue Jackets / Columbus Blue Jackets Schedule

Columbus Blue Jackets Roster / Columbus Blue Jackets Stats

Here are the lineups for tonight's tilt:

Columbus Blue Jackets

Raffi Torres	Antoine Vermette	Rick Nash
Kristian Huselius	Derick Brassard	R.J. Umberger
Jason Chimera	Samuel Pahlsson	Jakub Voracek
Michael Blunden	Derek MacKenzie	Jared Boll

Fedor Tyutin	Anton Stralman
Rostislav Klesla	Jan Hejda
Kris Russell	Mike Commodore

Steve Mason

Mathieu Garon

EXTRA: Kris Russell, Alexandre Picard

INJURED: Fredrik Modin, Andrew Murray, Derek Dorsett

St. Louis Blues

David Perron	Andy MacDonald	Brad Boyes
Paul Kariya	David Backes	T.J. Oshie
Patrik Berglund	Jay McClement	B.J. Crombeen
Alexander Steen	Keith Tkachuk	Cam Janssen

Carlo Colaiacovo	Erik Johnson
Roman Polak	Barret Jackman
Eric Brewer	Mike Weaver

Chris Mason

Ty Conklin

Monday Links: Where I still want to know why a piece of clothing is a good name for a sports team edition

averagejoe — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 11:00:13 -0000

Just got finished eating a delayed Thanksgiving dinner. Mmmm turkey ...

Blues news

The Blues take on the Blue Jackets in Columbus. [Blues]
For Blue Jackets news, visit The Cannon. [The Cannon]
That's about it for today. Anything important breaks, I'll edit this.

Hockey news

Last night's results plus tomorrow's schedule. [TSN]
Here are your standings. We're No. 12! [TSN]
Milan Lucic is getting a little Carlo Colaiacovo syndrome. [ESPN]
Who had Nov. 29 in the Martin Havlat injury pool? Please claim your prize. [ESPN]
Ales Hemsky is done for the season. [ESPN]
Patrick Kaleta is suspended for two games. Seriously, the NHL's suspension policy is the most convoluted thing. [ESPN]
Ryan Miller: He's good. [Die by the Blade]
David Jones was having a breakout season. And then his ACL went snap. [Mile High Hockey]
Team Russia general manager Vladislav Tretiak says his team will be half NHLers and half KHL players. [CTV Olympics]
Speaking of the KHL, another soft Russian is heading to the league. Viktor Tikhonov has left the Coyotes farm club. [TSN]

Other links

Twitter billboard gets some folks in hot water. [Florida News Center]
The most awesome things on the internet. [Urlesque]
I could use a new sleeping bag. Anyone want to get me the bear one ... or the bag suit. [The Toy Zone]
I love The Simpson's, but I never thought I'd see a Web site devoted to Bart writing on a chalkboard. [Bart's Blackboard]

Video

So on Saturday I went to a local watering hole, some may call it a "townie bar." The bar had live music that was ungodly loud (get off my lawn!). But, at one point, the band brought a 14-year-old kid up to drum. In a bar. At midnight on a Saturday. The kid jammed out to some Rush and it's been stuck in my head ever since. Enjoy.

Game Day Thread tonight. Be there. gametimelinks(at)gmail.com

Sharp-dressed Preds lose to St. Louis 3-1, win streak snapped at 7

Dirk Hoag — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 04:14:26 -0000

More photos » by Mark Humphrey - AP

19 days ago: Nashville Predators defenseman Shea Weber (6) flips as he tries to block a shot by St. Louis Blues left wing Keith Tkachuk (7) in the second period of an NHL hockey game on, Friday, Nov. 27, 2009, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

Browse more photos »

Despite the excitement of playing in their new 3rd jerseys for the first time, the Nashville Predators offense ran dry against the St. Louis Blues tonight in a 3-1 loss. Former Pred Chris Mason was the difference-maker in goal for the Blues, as he stopped 37 of 38 Nashville shots.

Follow after the jump for the recap and video highlights...

The combination of strong goaltending by Mason, with the lack of finishing ability by the Nashville shooters combined to hold the Preds offense in check tonight. As noted in the preview, St. Louis boasts the best save percentage in 5-on-5 hockey in the NHL right now, while Nashville has the coldest shooters in 5-on-5, so it was no surprise to see Mason turn aside 29 of 30 even-strength shots tonight.

The game was typically tight and intense until the final moments; St. Louis didn't get the initial score until 1:25 left in the second period, when Brad Boyes lifted a shot that deflected off Pekka Rinne into the Nashville net, catching Rinne leaning a little bit off the short-side post. Fans at the game were frustrated to see a couple of pucks end up in the Blues net, but only after a whistle had blown to stop play; neither was even close to being in the "intent to blow" zone of uncertainty.

While Dave Scatchard scored his first goal as a Predator to bring Nashville within 2-1 (as he stormed the net and knocked the puck in as Mason was trying to glove it), he didn't have time to celebrate, as Blues defenseman Carlo Colaiacovo prompted a fight immediately after the score. It took St. Louis just under two minutes to answer back on the scoreboard - former Pred Paul Kariya was left wide open in front of the net wire he fired a centering pass by Rinne for the two-goal lead that iced the game.

The Predators get right back into action tomorrow night against the Florida Panthers and another former goaltender, Tomas Vokoun. They will also wear the new 3rd jerseys in that game.

For discounted tickets to any Nashville Predators home game, you can follow this link and use the special offer code "PREDS".

Poll

Who is your Predator of the Game?

Patric Hornqvist, 5 shots in 8:09 TOI

2 votes

David Legwand, 6 shots in 19:44 TOI

1 votes

Pekka Rinne, 35 saves

10 votes

Dave Scatchard, 1st goal as a Predator

10 votes

23 votes | Poll has closed

Gameday Preview: St. Louis Blues @ Dallas Stars (7:05p)

Brandon Worley — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 12:10:34 -0000

Next Game

St. Louis Blues (8-9-4. 13th in West)
@ Dallas Stars (11-6-6, 5th in West)

Wednesday, Nov 25, 2009, 7:05 PM CST
American Airlines Center

TV: VERSUS
Radio: KTCK 1310 The Ticket

Opponent's Blog: St. Louis Game Time

Complete Coverage >

Note:The last time these two teams met there was some emotional debating between DBD readers and those from St. Louis Game Time, mostly stemming from the Steve Ott hit and suspension. Expect there to be a high level of vitriol directed towards Ott and the Stars tonight as well. If you are inclined to travel over to SLGT, be warned that you are on their territory and they play by a different set of rules; represent DBD with intelligence and respect, no matter what you might read on their site. Remember, that is their home and they are free to present whatever feelings they desire. The same goes for visiting Blues fans; anyone is welcome here at Defending Big D, but you must follow OUR community guidelines. I will not tolerate anything less. End Note.

Don't look now, but the Dallas Stars are on a bit of a roll. They are 4-2-0 in their last six and have now beaten Detroit, San Jose and New Jersey are in the past few weeks. There is a lot to like about this team and it's been refreshing to finally see the Stars begin to realize the potential we knew they had going into the season. Marty Turco is top ten in the NHL in both goals-against average (2.26) and save percentage (.919), and had been perhaps the only reason the Stars have been able to survive their inconsistent performances of the past month.

It's way too early in the season for any substantial predictions, but Brad Richards has to be mentioned as a player deserving MVP consideration. He is sixth in the NHL in overall scoring (28 points) and fourth in assists (21), and is on pace to get nearly 100 points this season. At one point early in the year Brad, Brandon, Art and I had a mini debate planned about the most important and indispensable players on the Stars. At this point, there's no question that Brad Richards is integral to this team's success. He has become the player we traded for in 2008, is an unquestioned leader on this team and is downright spectacular on a nightly basis. He's not flashy but as Brad says, "He has a part in nearly every single Dallas Stars goal." If this continues, Richards could have one of the most remarkable seasons in Dallas Stars history.

Also, please remember that the game tonight is on VERSUS. Razor will be on the television broadcast, while friend of Defending Big D Brent Severyn will join Ralph on the radio broadcast on The Ticket.

After the jump, a look at the visiting Blues and we try to determine just what the lines will look like now that James Neal has returned.

The Dallas Stars:

There was a lot of questioning how the Stars would respond offensively with James Neal out of the lineup, but his suspension may have been a blessing in disguise. The absence of Neal forced Marc Crawford to shake the lines up a bit and as it turned out the Stars have found perhaps their most balanced lineup of the season. The question now becomes how will the lines shake out now that Neal has returned and since so many players were off for yesterday's practice, we don't have much of a idea at this point. Expect a better picture after today's skate.

In the meantime, here are my guesses:

Neal - Richards - Eriksson
Ott - Ribeiro - Lehtinen
Morrow - Modano - Benn
Barch - Wandell - Petersen

Also, remember that the Stars have done a bit of shuffling on the roster to make room for injuries to Nicklas Grossman and Karlis Skrastins:

Fabian Brunnstrom to AHL (conditioning)
Warren Peters to AHL
Brian Sutherby to IR
Maxime Fortunus recalled to NHL

If Skrastins is unable to play tonight then Fortunus will be a solid fill in for one night, although the Stars will certainly miss his shot-blocking and penalty killing prowess. Skrastins hasn't been flashy, but if he's out for any length of time Stars fans will certainly realize just how important he's been to this Dallas Stars team.

Andrew's Stars Page has some quotes from Neal on his return:

"You can't slow up your game because you're worried about stuff like that. You've got to keep playing," said Neal. "I've done it my whole life. Never in my life have I got suspended from a game for a hit like that. I didn't mean to hit him from behind."

"There was no malicious intent there. He was just a little reckless. He's served his time and you move on," said Crawford. "He's got to continue to play hard and he will."

The St. Louis Blues:

The Blues find themselves in similar position as last season; struggling early and low in the standings. They pulled out a miracle run in the second half of the season to get into the playoffs and will be looking to do so again. So far this season they've struggled mightily to score and have the worst power play in the NHL.

Hildymac from SLGT has these thoughts:

Frankly, I really need to figure out a way to pick a topic that I can do point-counterpoint on better, because this one I'm totally biased in one way, and that is 110% against the dump and chase. That is the system of desperation. You use that system, and the opposing team smells blood in the water, regardless of if they're the Sharks or not. You get the puck, you're not sure what to do, so you dump it all the way down the ice, hoping you get there before the other team. Yeah, that's useful... if you're on a LINE CHANGE. If your team isn't built for speed, and aside from Perron and Kariya, we're really not, you're not going to get there first. Sorry. What this system tells the other team is that you don't have the patience to let players get into position, or you don't have any idea what to do once they do manage to get something established. This is the system of bottom-feeding teams who have coaches that are just trying to get guys to do something, anything, resembling playing hockey. This is not us. Allow me to repeat that for anyone who thinks that this works for teams: no.

Obviously, keep an eye on how the Blues respond to Steve Ott. He was suspended for his hit on Colaiacovo, but I'm sure the team is still pissed for his run at B.J. Crombeen as well. If the Stars go up by a few, this could turn into an ugly game. I'm hopeful it won't and generally, when you expect a bunch of fireworks from either side, you end up with a team and normal game.

Key Injuries:

Dallas: D Karlis Skrastins (upper body) and D Nicklas Grossman (groin) are questionable. C Brian Sutherby (groin) and RW Fabian Brunnstrom (shoulder) are out.

St. Louis: LW D.J. King (hand) is out.

Wednesday Links: Searching for goals and finding nothing but disappointment edition

averagejoe — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 11:00:28 -0000

Judging by my Facebook friends, this week seems just about over for most people. Most people can eat a bag of dicks. I work every day this week plus Saturday. But hey, at least the Blues play tonight.

Blues news

The Blues take on the Dalls Stars tonight. Will Carlo Colaiacovo and Steve Ott exchange pleasantries? [CBS Sports]
The Blues are last in the league in goals. In other news, the lede of this article is pretty damn weak. You can do better, JR. [St. Louis Post-Dispatch]
One of the reasons the Blues offense is so awful? The power play is worst in the league. [Belleville News-Democrat]
Yoda and Louie: A match made in heaven. [Blues]
Jori Lehterä is playing well. [Blues]

Hockey news

Here are today's games. [Yahoo! Sports]
Here are last night's result. Montreal won 5-3. [Yahoo! Sports]
Should've gotten to this yesterday: The Florida Panthers unveiled a new third jersey. As has been said by everyone (including Hildy and myself in the GDT) it looks like the Blues third and the Penguins third mated. Thoughts? [Puck Daddy]
Rick DiPietro is nearing a return, opens mouth. [Lighthouse Hockey]
Hat tip to Mirtle at From the Rink: A quiz. I got 69, or the 92nd percentile. [sporcle]
I haven't seen much of hockey this year thanks to this whole greedy TV deal, but is television trying to show less violence? [Stanley Cup of Chowder]
Daniel Briere is suspended two games. [ESPN]
Marian Hossa will return today. [ESPN]
Get used to hearing this story a lot: Brendan Burke, son of Maple Leafs GM Brain Burke, is openly gay and pursuing a career in the NHL. [ESPN]
Miikka Kiprusoff won't play for Finland unless he's starting. Fact: Before I read this, I had no idea there were that many Fins in net in the NHL. [CTV Olympics]
Vesa Toskala is on the IR. [TSN]
Pascal Leclaire will be out with a fractured cheekbone. [TSN]
Someone new wants to buy the Coyotes. [TSN]

Other links

What do you get when you replace booze with cats? Boozecats, of course. [Boozecats]
Well this is absolutely terrifying. [Craig's List]
Like TV intros? Go here. [TV Intros]
Speaking of TV themes, what if Neil Young sang the "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" theme? Wonder no more. [Warming Glow]

Video

If you don't like this, please leave quietly. (Thanks to Blue Monday and "Jason" for sending me this.)

That's all for me. GDT later. gametimelinks(at)gmail.com

The One Period Blues

gallagher — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 04:42:02 -0000

More photos » by Jeff Roberson - AP

Carlo Colaiacovo's offensive instincts were one of the few Blues highlights tonight.

Browse more photos »

First period shots for the Blues: 16. Second period shots for the Blues: 3. Third period shots for the Blues: 12.

And the Blues actually played better in the second period than they did in the third, which was sloppy, slow-footed and off-target. If the homestand told us anything about this team it's that they are an incredibly inconsistent bunch. No idea what makes them think that 20 minutes of effort is enough for this team, but it isn't the attitude they had at the end of last year. Plenty to pick on tonight:

The Bruins did a great job of clogging the middle of the ice in their own zone. This allowed the Blues to do a good job of firing shots right into them which were quickly turned into a breakout.
That shorthanded goal was a back-breaker. Fans started pouring out of their seats with over 8 minutes to play and for once I didn't blame them. Mistakes happen, but that was a catastrophic breakdown.
T.J. Oshie was great last year because he was in constant motion. He was barreling up and down the ice and showing little hestiation at any point. He has lost that running motor. He had some moments, but he also had plenty of moments tonight where he was flat-footed or not moving towards the puck-carrier who was his responsibility. He's not a premier offensive talent at this level; his heart is what makes him different. He's not showing enough heart lately.
Patrik Berglund is invisible out there. His ice time slipped to less than nine minutes tonight and it looked like he played even less than that. Let's hope this is a sophomore slump and not the norm for what we should expect from him.
David Backes was trying to use his size and physicality tonight, but he's being paid to be a scorer. In over 17 minutes of ice time, he registered one shot on net.
Hit the net. I don't know how many shots missed the net completely tonight and then self-cleared by wrapping around the glass and going out of the zone far side, but it was a lot. Andy McDonald, Brad Boyes, Erik Johnson and others all did it. I understand that at the NHL level you have to make perfect shots to beat good goalies, but sometimes just making the goalie make a save turns into a rebound. Sometimes there's no rebound, but at least the face-off is in the offensive zone. Sometimes those shots even go in. I swear. Try it sometime.
One positive: The trend started with Erik Johnson, but a bunch of the defensemen are jumping up into the play more now. I like it. As long as they're getting back or getting covered by a forward, I think it adds an element of danger and makes the team harder to defend. Worked pretty well for Carlo Colaiacovo tonight.

Games in Dallas Wednesday and against the Predators Friday. Guarantee they'll need to play hard for more than one period if they want to win either of those games.