SB Nation - Alexander Steen

Retribution It Is; Blues Score Touchdown In Edmonton.

gallagher — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 05:00:26 -0000

by John Ulan - AP

"Oh no, get ready for the hard hugger."

The annoucers tonight spent a good amount of time talking about how play like tonight is "how you get into the playoffs" and about how great it must be for management to see this when they showed such patience with the current lineup and about how "some" have been questioning coach Andy Murray's tenure with the team and how it's great to see his team respond.

Slow down.

The Blues just beat the 10th place team in the West (Vancouver) and the 15th place team in the West (Edmonton). I'm as excited as any Blues fan, but seriously, let's not declare the inconsistent efforts to be a thing of the past just yet.

That said, Wah-fucking-hoo! It sure was nice to see the Blues score goal after goal (after goal) against the Oilers, especially after I had to watch in person as the Oilers whipped the shit out of our boys on home ice 10 days ago. It was especially satisfying to watch their fans sitting in quiet frustration as the Blues celebrated after each score and to hear them booing their team off the ice.

Comes around, goes around, ya'heard?

Some random notes for your discussion:

We've spoken before about Alexander Steen and the flashes of skill we see from him. When he gets a little space to wind it up, the guy has a lazer of a shot and he knows how to put it under the bar. You can see why he was drafted in the first round when he unleashes that thing. It also now makes sense why he's seeing time on the power play. On the point, he has the room to operate and set that thing up. A goal and three assists tonight? That dude nose how to score. (You're welcome.)
Yet another example tonight of a guy (Ethan Moreau) overreacting to a perfectly legal hit by going after a guy and trying to start a fight. Yes, I know the Blues do it to, I just don't understand it. Why not just line the guy up later and give it right back? I liked seeing T.J. Oshie, victim of the attack, telling one of his teammates to not go after the guy. He knew they got the power play called and knew it was simple baiting.
Chris Mason: another one amazing save/one soft goal given up night. I'll leave it at that tonight, but seriously, it's an issue when the Blues are scoring their normal two or three goals and not putting up seven.
People are starting to get on Erik Johnson for his play and I can see some of that, he is not a sacred cow, of course, but I'm willing to let a lot of that go. Persoanlly, I like seeing him being creative and going where he needs to go to make plays. He gets back to cover for the most part, but the big benefit is that unpredictability offers offensive chances - it throws off the opposition when they don't know what he's going to do.
Thank you, Ladislav Smid. Thank you very much.
Nice to see the TechnoViking looking confident again. Welcome to Flashback City, Population: Us. Let's hope the IceBerg can keep it going and earn back some more of that playing time. I liked his line tonight with David Perron and B.J. Crombeen, as it gives them some playmaking, some shooting and some grit out there at the same time. Can we see that together a little longer, Coach? Please?
Speaking of lines, also a fan of Paul Kariya playing with T.J. Oshie and David Backes as they did to start the game. Kariya and Frosted Tips have a similar passing ability and their chemistry is apparent. Coach? Hmm? Please?
I've been a big fan of Silent Jay McClement for some time now and watching him score is always a bonus. He strikes me as the kind of guy who can hang around St. Louis his whole career, play a solid, neutralizing game for year after year and never really get a ton of attention. Then, when his career is all about over, everyone is gonna go, "Damn, that guy was really good, wasn't he?"

The Blues are back at it on Wednesday against Calgary, a team that (as I like to say), has like three good players. They're seveth in the Western Conference, but have struggled lately, going 4-5-1 in their last 10. Can the Save And Murray Tour continue to succeed?

Finally, a celebration for a nice night from Patrik Berglund:

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?

Browse more photos »

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?

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

Your Toronto Maple Leafs: How Did We Get Here?

mf37 — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:32:36 -0000

An anonymous comment over at my blog Bitter Leaf Fan raised the question of how exactly the Leafs arrived in their current mess.

There’s not a single cause or easy explantion.

This franchise has gone through three, maybe even four, different phases since 2000, however; with the exception of one small window, all of these phases have focused on the short-term, sacrificing picks and prospects for a supposed fix.

After the jump, a look at the Leafs' propensity to deal away the future and the pile of pocket lint, loose change and used gum wrappers they got in return.

Pre-Lockout

The Pat Quinn teams of the early 2000s were powerful clubs. Each made the playoffs and several flirted with 100 point seasons. They combined a nice mix of talent and flair (Sundin, Mogilny) with grit (Roberts, Tucker) and solid goaltending (Cujo, Belfour).

These teams were often legitimate threats to go deep in the post season and on more than one occasion it was widely thought they could challenge for a cup. As a result, these teams made a number of trades where the future was sacrificed for the present. There was a small window of success and the Leafs went for it, selling off the future in the hopes of a big pay-day.

In 2003, the Leafs trade Brad Boyes (2000 1st round pick), Alyn McCauley and a 1st round pick for Owen Nolan

In 2004, the Leafs trade two prospects, a 1st and 2nd round pick for Brian Leetch.

In addition to dealing away those three first round picks, the Leafs also had some bad luck when their 1999 first round selection (and WJC 1st team all-star) Luca Cereda had to hang up his skates due to health complications with his heart.

From 1999 to 2004, the Leafs emerged with just two first round draft picks: Carlo Colaiacovo and Alexander Steen. Both would later be traded to St. Louis for Lee Stempniak.

The Missing Years

John Ferguson Junior’s tenure was like a ship lost at sea…or maybe it was a ship that kept running into ice bergs…or a lost ship, on fire, that kept hitting ice bergs. Choose your own nautical disaster metaphor and, in keeping with JFJ’s reign of error, the more apocalyptic and dire your selection the more accurate it will be.

Ferguson was GM from the 2004 to 2007 drafts.

Out of those five drafts, he managed to hold on to his first round pick in just once – giving the franchise Jiri Tlusty and a whole lotta NSFW jokes.

Unable to shake-off the "win now!" edict from the MLSE board, in just two years Ferguson sacrificed two first, a second and a fourth round pick in an effort to shore-up the team’s goaltending. Some four years later, goaltending remains a position of weakness that hasn’t been adequately addressed.

JFJ's draft day magic:

The 2005 first round pick (Tukka Rask) dealt for Andrew Raycroft.
The 2006 first round pick was Jiri Tlusty.
The 2007 first round and second round picks (along with a 2009 4th) to San Jose for Vesa Toskala.
The 2008 second round pick to Phoenix for Yannic Perreault.

Draft Schmaft Redux?

In 2008, Cliff Fletcher was brought in to try to move out the NTCs/NMCs on the club and start the, ahem, rebuilding process.

Given the need to get more talent into the system, he made some, shall we say, curious moves:

A swap of first round picks, 2008 3rd round pick, 2009 2nd round pick for Luke Schenn
2008 3rd round pick for Jamal Mayers
2008 4th round pick to get rid of Bryan McCabe
2008 5th round pick for Ryan Hollwegg
2010 2nd round pick for Mikhail Grabovski

In fairness to Fletcher, he also acquired a small parcel of picks:

2008 2nd round pick and a 2009 5th round pick for Hal Gill
2008 3rd round pick for Chad Kilger
2008 5th round pick for Wade Belak

An Eye for Talent? Um. Not really...

If you’re going to trade away picks and prospects, the returning players better pan out.

Clearly that has not been the case for the Leafs.

By my math, the Leafs traded five first round and three second round picks for the following return:

69 games from Owen Nolan.
28 games of Brian Leetch.
91 games (and 268 goals against) of Andrew Raycroft (plus a multi-year buyout)
17 games of Yanic Perreault
127 games (and counting) from Vesa Toskala

Stop and marvel at that return.

Five first and three third round picks for 332 games played (plus Toskala's starts until the end of the season).

I'll spare the Leaf defenders from doing the math - Brad Boyes, one of the former first rounders traded away, has played 347 NHL games, 15 more than this motley collection managed for the Leafs.

What's worse is that every single one of these players left the Leafs without a single asset coming back in return.

I'll wait while you drink it all in.

I don’t know about you, but I don't think there’s an adjective that can adequately summarize this. One could argue that only Bernie Madoff has done a worse job of asset management - and even that might be a stretch.

Making Mistakes Beyond the Draft

Even more painfully, that poor return only reflects the draft side of the equation.

The Leafs have not excelled in the free agency department (Blake, Finger), have made poor decisions in awarding NMCs and NTCs, and have made a series of poor decisions on talent retention – signing McCabe, Tucker and others to long-term deals rather than trading them at peak value. But I’ll save that rant/analysis for another day…

For now, in a nutshell, this is a good first step toward building a franchise that’s on target for a 50 point season and has limited options at hand.

Blues' Morning Skate... text, pictures and... a video!

FanFromEurope — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 12:34:51 -0000

After interviewing the Blues' Andy McDonald

View full size photo »

Good afternoon from Sweden!

Reporting about the Morning Skate! In two parts, and here's the first... part 2 in a couple of hours...

Now let me start by saying that last night once again it became obvious that British and Australians are really good at drinking... ‘Good’ as in fast. And much. They can drink. Un-be-lieve-able…But I survived. And it was fun.
Anyway, let’s go on to what you came here for in the first place: reading our reports about the Blues in Stockholm.

I’ll split it up, so you have two nice things to read in the coming hours, leading up to the game tonight.

Part 1: about the morning skate

Part 2: Interview with John Davidson (he's on crutches btw!), Chris Kerber and Andy McDonald about the Blues in Sweden and… also about YOU (yes, you are reading it correctly, I asked them about the fans and Game Time).

So, here we go!…Part 1: the morning skate (and some pics and a video to give you a behind the scenes look)

Read on, my friends.

They looked sharp. They looked fresh. They looked happy.

There you have it, the Blues’ morning skate captured in three short sentences.

Detroit had its morning skate first, at 11 am. At noon it was St. Louis’ turn. Coach Andy Murray and his staff were serious about this morning skate, the players as well. Some nice moves, some nice practice drills.

It was a good morning (also a goodmorning!) skate – not that I have seen many of those before ofcourse. But it seemed to me like the players were having a good practice and a good time…. Mind you, the Globe Arena is a spectacular sight… Too bad all the seats are in red though…. ;)

It was good to see a great team spirit on the ice in this morning skate. Players were having fun with one another. There was laughter, there was joking around. For instance at the end, when Brad Boyes, Andy McDonald, TJ Oshie, Alexander Steen and David Perron were shooting pucks or deking at Ty Conklin in a kind of shootout-practice. It’s only one example of many from which you could see that the Blues are really enjoying themselves.

And more importantly: that they seem to be full of confidence for the matchups against Detroit...

Here is a video I uploaded....! And here are some pics as well….ENJOY and come back in a couple of hours for part 2...!

Remember, like I said.... more to come later...! In Part 2.... Bye for now, from Stockholm.

You Write The Caption Friday

gallagher — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 16:40:38 -0000

More photos » by Jim Mone - AP

"What do you mean, 'new guy'? I've been here for a long time. Steen. Alex Steen. I sit next to you in the locker room."

Browse more photos »

Alex Steen scored against the Wilds last night and was properly congratulated by his linemates Silent Jay McClement and The Beej, B.J. Crombeen.

But for some reason that we can't quite sniff out, it looks like these guys are saying something to each other a little different than the normal post-goal niceties of

great shot
nice pass
did you see that chick behind the net with the rack, err, Dippin' Dots?
you look like you smell like piss

And the like.

We've got our own guesses, but what do YOU think they're all saying to each other? Let us know in the comments.

Blues' Training Camp Roster

gallagher — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 14:00:27 -0000

Camp opens today with some basic on-ice work starting at 11 am at the rink at The Mills. The whole schedule can be viewed at the Blues' site and if past experiences are any indicator, expect all of these open practices to be packed to the rafters. The team has invited 58 players to the camp and that number will likely be culled very quickly as the first pre-season game is Tuesday and the regular season team will be jetting off to Sweden in just a couple weeks.

We'll update this list as players are released, returned to their junior squads or sent to Peoria.

Centers:

Derek Armstrong: Recently signed after six seasons in Los Angeles, the Andy Murray-favorite is playing for an NHL job.

Patrik Berglund: Clearly has a spot on the team, he'll be playing to determine his role on the top two lines and power play unit.

Nicholas Drazenovic: The 22-year-old Blues draft pick is trying to break through the AHL/NHL bubble.

Lars Eller: The former first rounder is hoping to make the NHL team

Jay McClement: Silent Jay has locked down the title of "Franchise Checking Center" and the job is his to lose for the forseeable future.

Andy McDonald: NHLer who has the top line job unless he fails to impress.

Philip McRae: Blues second rounder looking to impress for the future.

Cam Paddock: A 26-year-old AHLer who got a cup of coffee here last year and is looking to make sure his name is considered for call-up if the need arrives.

Brett Sonne: High-profile draftee who is looking to impress.

Yan Stastny: Riding the AHL/NHL bubble, Stastny needs to break out of the pack of similar players on the roster if he wants to get out of Peoria.

Julian Talbot: The 24-year-old AHLer will be trying to turn heads for a possible call-up.

Keith Tkachuk: NHLer who we still can't believe is lining up at center after only 16 years as an NHL left wing.

Number of NHL jobs available at center: Zero (McDonald, Berglund, McClement, Tkachuk). Position changes will be necessary for someone else to make the roster.

Potential to upset the list: Armstrong, a noted Murray favorite. Eller, if not for recently-diagnosed mononucleosis, would have had a shot.

Right Wings:

David Backes: David Backes is all that is man. After his breakout 31-goal campaign, he's playing for top-line consideration.

Brad Boyes: Will we hear again this year that Boyes' goal is to hit the net more rather than trying to pick corners and missing the goal completely? Because that's what we really want to hear. Again.

Adam Cracknell: The 24-year-old free agent signee has bounced around the AHL and ECHL since being drafted in the 9th round by Cal and Gary back in 2004.

B.J. Crombeen: The Beej is playing to determine his role; would have to pass through waivers to go to Peoria.

Cam Janssen: NHLer whose role probably needs to be better defined. Is he competing with DJ King or will they both stay on the roster?

James Livingston: 2008 draftee (3rd round) who has no more junior eligibility and is playing to make the Rivermen.

Aaron Palushaj: 2007 second rounder who has impressed at every turn and is playing to put his name in the mouths of the NHL coaching staff.

Ryan Reaves: 2005 fifth rounder is playing for a job in Peoria.

Tyler Shattock: Fourth rounder from this summer in his first camp with the Blues, he's likely on the ECHL/AHL bubble.

Number of NHL jobs available at right wing: Zero (Backes, Boyes, Crombeen, Janssen). Position changes will be necessary for someone else to make the roster.

Potential to upset the list: Palushaj. Likely a Peoria stud this year, he has excelled at every level since being drafted, including the recent Prospect Tournament in Traverse City.

Left Wings:

Paul Kariya: On the roster.

D.J. King: The question is what roles he and Cam Janssen will be given. Will they fight for one job? Can both make the team?

Mitch Love: Undrafted 25-year-old AHL/ECHL veteran on a tryout with the team.

T.J. Oshie: Just a question of what line the Teej is playing on come opening day. Will he get power play time? Penalty kill?

Anthony Peluso: 2007 sixth rounder playing for the first time on a professional team. Will it be in Alaska or Peoria?

David Perron: NHLer playing to determine his role. Likely to get power play time this year as well.

Chris Porter: The 25-year-old got six games in a Bluenote last year and will be looking to impress for consideration for call-up from the AHL if needed.

Alexander Steen: NHLer who is either a great checking line forward or who still has potential to become a scoring line winger (though that would likely have to be on another team).

Barry Tallackson: Former Golden Gopher with 20 NHL games on his resume, recently-signed Tallackson is likely Peoria-bound.

Brad Winchester: Recently re-signed, a spot on the NHL team his his to lose.

Number of NHL jobs available at left wing: Two less than zero (Kariya, King, Oshie, Perron, Steen, Winchester).

Potential to upset the list: None.

Defense:

Brendan Bell: Recently signed free agent with 101 NHL games played, he'll be playing for one of the available NHL jobs on the blueline.

Eric Brewer: Captain Roboto is not ready to play due to his knee and back surgeries. His absence leaves a a job opening.

Carlo Colaiacovo: An NHL job is his to lose, as is his spot on the power play.

Mark Cundari: Playing for his first professional job, though that's likely either in Peoria or Alaska.

T.J. Fast: 2005 second rounder will likely be back in Peoria this year.

Justin Fletcher: At 26, an AHL mainstay.

Alexander Hellstrom: Dancing the ECHL/AHL line.

Barret Jackman: NHLer who will likely, thankfully, lose his power play time this year.

Erik Johnson: NHLer with something to prove. Let's see him prove it.

Jonas Junland: has an outside shot at an NHL job, but would have to really impress.

Bryce Lampman: Welcome to the AHL, Bryce. At least it's not the KHL like last year, right? Free agent signee, the 27-year-old has 10 NHL games, zero points and a minus-5.

Alex Pietrangelo: Due to his juniors-or-NHL-only situation, he'll get a very long look to make the Blues.

Roman Polak: NHLer who will be battling for time on the power play and penalty kill.

Brett Ponich: Second rounder from this summer who was a big off-the-board pick is on the ECHL/AHL bubble.

Danny Richmond: 2003 second rounder of the Blackhawks, the window is closing on Richmond's NHL dream. A perfect camp will be required to avoid going to Peoria.

Tyson Strachan: Fairly impressive in limited NHL service last year, Strachan has an outside chance at one of the available jobs on the Blues' defensive corps.

Darryl Sydor: Cup-winner (Lightning, Stars) veteran of 17 NHL seasons, Sydor is in camp on a tryout and likely has a good chance at winning a job due to Brewer's injury. Unsigned, however, means he could receive an offer from any other team at any time.

Ryan Turek: 2006 fourth rounder, Turek is on the Alaska/Peoria bubble.

Adrian Veideman: A 26-year-old on a tryout who is so far off the grid that not even TSN's exhaustive list has info on him. At first, we thought the Blues had invited the World's Smartest Man to camp. Which would be cool, except that we'd rather have Rorschach on the roster than that fucking prima donna Ozymandias.

Steve Wagner: Look, we're big fans of Dancin' Stevie Wagner, but he's definitely on the outside looking in on the battle for an open spot on the pro roster. He'll likely be a late cut, sent back to Peoria.

Mike Weaver: The journeyman NHLer is nonetheless, an NHLer. A solid depth defenseman who is remarkably effective on the penalty kill, Monkey Arms is on the Blues roster unless he inexplicably implodes during camp.

Number of NHL jobs available on defense: Two (Colaiacovo, Jackman, Johnson, Polak, Weaver; with Brewer on IR).

Most likely to win the jobs (in order of likelihood): Sydor, Pietrangelo, Bell.

Outside shots: Strachan, Junland, Fast.

Goaltenders:

Jake Allen: The latest goalie in the Blues' system to carry the mantle of "The Future In Net," Allen will have to wait for the future to take the ice in St. Louis.

Ben Bishop: It's all but official that Bishop will be the starter in Peoria, gaining minutes, experience and training under the bleary, semi-watchful eyes of new goaltending consultant Eddie Belfour. A man, not insignificantly, who was probably serenaded by a younger Ben Bishop in a chorus of "Beeeelllllllll-Fooooooouuuuuuur!" chants. Weird.

Ty Conklin: The summer signee de facto backup NHLer. Will he be content to be the designated door-opener or is he going to push for the starter's job? You know, like last year's back-up, Weird Beard Mason, did to last year's starter Manny Legace....

Sebastian Dahm: On a tryout, we hope Dahm does a sweet Sebastian Bach impression. There are jobs available in the organization and this Dane would probably like one of them.

Chris Mason: The Starter. Is he going to be as unreal as he was down the stretch last year or will he start looking over his shoulder with Conklin in the fold?

Hannu Toivonen: Not a typo. When Ears exploded a couple years ago and fled to Europe we all figured that would be the last we'd see of the Finn. But he's back and he's hoping to re-start his NHL career. At just 25 years of age, we suppose it's possible. But we're skeptical. And gunshy.

Number of NHL jobs available in goal: Zero (Mason, Conklin). Bishop will be the starter in peoria and the guy called up if injuries occur.

Potential to upset the list: None. Too much money is invested in the top two guys and too much icetime will be given to Bishop and Allen at their respective levels to change this list.

If you're going to the practices and looking for a more statistical breakdown, print out the official Blues roster of the event.

The Canadiens At The Draft Table: Myth Or Myopia?

Robert L — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 12:44:24 -0000

I've always said that drafting is an inexact science, in explictly complicating terms, and a crapshoot at best in everyman terms.

When it comes to gauging talent, there is no foolproof method. Hockey clubs - the best of them - dispense a great deal of time, effort and money to get things down right. Some scouts will see certain players play over one hundred times and still mess up.

Each summer - I'm just like you - I get acquainted with 30 possible first round picks, most of whom I didn't know much of one month ago, and hope the Habs get a good one. Back when the OHL Cornwall Royals were still in town, I'd get to watch things such who would back down from Owen Nolan and such. In 2007, when the Canadiens drafted Ryan McDonagh, my knowledge of him was limited to what was read in The Hockey News or from online sources.

When it comes to drafts, the fan becomes somewhat of a prognosticator, moreso than the expert they claim to be. On the subject of the Canadiens, just about every single draft selection gets ragged on because of a better one that came later. Hindsight makes experts out prognosticators like you and I. In the end, it doesn't take much to look at any draft five or six years later and criticize it illogically.

Canadiens fans excel at this. According to many of them, no one team drafts worse than the Habs.

Given, the Canadiens had crapped quite a bit in the first round of the crapshoot between 1990 and 1999, in recent seasons they have gotten much better results after putting in a more concise and concentrated effort in scouting excursions.

Today, there is quite a myth to the Habs bad drafting habits, and it overlooks all complexities of the draft through its round in comparison to other teams. Simply put - it's nonsensical.

When it comes to Detroit and Pittsburgh for comparison sake, are they better at it that Montreal? The proverbial blind squirrel couldn't have missed high first rounders Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Jordan Staal and Marc - Andre Fleury, and maybe it would have stumbled on late round gems like Niclas Lidstrom, Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg.

Critics will say Detroit is all suckage in round one, and Pittsburgh rarely grabs talent past the second round. There will aways be angles to assess failure. The people who go looking down this route don't realize all that it says about them.

It's awful safer to find balance and truth in fact, because there will always be questions why Toronto takes an Alexander Steen right ahead of Cam Ward, or how could Marcel Hossa at 18 be superior to Brooks Orpik, Brad Boyes or Steve Ott. The questions cannot be answered with hindsight.

Unless you're a fan, and the answer is the people drafting are uneducated morons.

Imagine for a second, an NHL world in which more players who played in the 2008-09 season were drafted by Montreal than any other club. Imagine also that those players have tallied more points than any group of players drafted by other team.

Sounds like pretty convoluted notion, right?

Not so, reveals Topham at Lions in Winter. The author of an interesting and revealing piece did some scoping, scraping, addition and division - a scout like effort, I may add - and came up with some very interesting findings.

That imaginary NHL world mentioned above is not so unreal - its actually fact.

And where better to find balance in thinking when looking at a draft - in hindsight or in the present?

Read Topham's piece, it might come in handy next time you're angered thinking of David Fischer over Claude Giroux or Simeon Varlamov.

Game One Aftermath: Discipline Gentlemen, Discipline

Yankee Canuck — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 13:33:05 -0000

More photos » by Darryl Dyck - AP

Yup. Get used to that. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Darryl Dyck)

Browse more photos »

That'll do.

Both teams played strong last night, but the Canucks stole the Blues' special teams work ethic: one goal when the man was pulled for the pending power play, one PPG blast from the point and successfully killing off 1:42 of a 5-on-3 in the first period. An all around great effort from the Vancouver special teams, coupled with Luongo's 25 saves, gave their packed house its first playoff win since the game seven victory over the Stars in 2007. (Aw, Trevor, where art thou?)

Some random thoughts:

- The Blues started stronger in the early going (shots were 5-1 in the opening minutes) and curiously some of the Vancouver players looked lost. But they settled in and definitely ended stronger, winning ten straight faceoffs and, at one point, outshooting the Blues 14-2.

- Talk about a game where everyone learns to hate the refs. It took until the third for any semblance of an even strength flow for either team to take hold. They could have easily tossed out a pair of calls per side. Vigneault was "confused" while Burrows said it was "cheesy".

- The officiating aside, the Canucks still marched to the box far too often. The Sedin hooking call that lead to Boyes' power play goal is precisely the type of crap that has to stop. They can't give a top ten power play unit seven chances on the PP because eventually they'll pop one.

- Vancouver pounded every Note within reach. They were far more physical and, for the most part, composed. Blackout's final minute and Balls clotheslining a Blues player is funny in hindsight, but again, see above.

- The Unemployment Line, still without Pyatt, was rock solid. The Holy Bernier was throwing his body around and even Pudge got into the act, pasting Perron to the boards in the third. Bernier was also screening Mason on Salo's winning goal.

- The Sedins were buzzing all night, so they're doing their best to shake that "non playoff player" tag they've been saddled with. Demo as well; not only was he playing physical, but his fake shot that froze Steen and lead to the slap pass goal showed great patience.

- On the other hand, I'd give you Sundin stats, but besides face-offs where he was second best at 53% (Pudge had 58%), there isn't anything to say. Perhaps that's why the Sun wants you to "take it on faith he's contributing." Whatever.

- If you count the regular season, Vancouver is now 31-0-3 when going into the third period with the lead.

- Anyone know why Berglund only played 8:41, third fewest on the team? Blackout played a massive 2:24 for Vancouver, but was charged with that misconduct for half of the second.

Heading into Friday both teams will need to adjust. Game one played very much to Vancouver's strengths (low scoring and physical) but they'll need to tighten up both of those and hope they can continue to overpower and outlast St. Louis. The Blues were sloppy too and it didn't "feel" like the Blues team that ran from 15th to 6th so you should expect a better effort, especially from their energy guys like Backes and Oshie.

Plenty of series left and the lines have been drawn. Friday should be more of the same.

Know Your Enemy: The St. Louis Offense

Yankee Canuck — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 19:33:54 -0000

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One day left and one section left to examine.

We've seen the blueline and the netminders (and you're insane if you think I'm going to bother comparing the coaches) so let's hit up the offensive ranks:

St. Louis Offensive Pairings (based on EV stats from the last three games)

Brad Boyes - David Backes - Andy McDonald
David Perron - T.J. Oshie - Patrik Berglund
Brad Winchester - Jay McClement - Keith Tkachuk
B.J. Crombeen - Dan Hinote - Alex Steen

I've been using Frozenpool.com to help compile a bunch of these stats and they have different lines for the Blues then I have found elsewhere on the interwebs, especially having Steen and Winchester change slots with each other. Also I know Backes has moved to center even though he's listed everywhere else as a winger.

So I did my best but these may be slightly off. If so just sound off in the comments and I'll adjust.

Let's take a closer look:

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2008 - Brad Boyes	82	33	39	72	-20	26	16	0	11	0	220	15.0

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2008 - David Backes	82	31	23	54	-3	165	6	2	1	2	208	14.9

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2008 - Andy McDonald	46	15	29	44	-13	24	6	1	1	1	128	11.7

The #1 line of the Blues has old RFA friend Backes alongside Boyes and the glandular McDonald. You've got two 30 goal scorers in Boyes (33) and Backes (31) and McDonald's 44 points is admirable considering he missed damn near half the season. Boyes lead the Blues with 16 PPGs and was tied for the team lead in PPAs (19). Boyes and Backes are also having career years in terms of points and Backes leads the team in PIMs. All three are 2-1-3 against Vancouver this year, making this a pretty damn potent line at both even strength and on special teams. Curiously, note the +/- of these three as well.

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2008 - T.J. Oshie	57	14	25	39	16	30	6	1	1	0	101	13.9

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2008 - Patrik Berglund	76	21	26	47	19	16	7	0	1	0	143	14.7

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2008 - David Perron	81	15	35	50	13	50	4	0	3	0	161	9.3

Here's their "Kid Line" (sorry, I'm not calling them OPP because that's just sad). Alongside their outstanding rookie Berglund is Oshie, who had his fan-nominated goal of the year against Luongo last month, and Perron who is the third highest point getter on the team (50). Naturally rookies Berglund and Oshie are having career years and Perron is as well in his sophmore campaign. Against Vancouver this season, Oshie is 2-3-5, Perron is 1-2-3 and Berglund leads all Blues players at 1-5-6. In our last meeting this line tore Vancouver apart. They were quicker, hungrier and just flat out better (two of them made the three stars for that game alone). They won't have their way like that again starting tomorrow, but they're huge threats anytime they jump over the boards.

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2008 - Dan Hinote	51	1	4	5	-7	64	0	0	0	0	24	4.2

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2008 - Keith Tkachuk	79	25	24	49	-11	61	14	0	4	0	185	13.5

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2008 - Brad Winchester	64	13	8	21	-1	89	5	0	3	1	82	15.9

As stated earlier, I may have Winchester on the wrong line here but whatever. Hinote is no stranger since you should hate him already from his Colorado days; good forechecker and agitator. Tkachuk has a decent season, but a far cry from his pre-lockout domination days with STL and Phoenix. Still a big body that'll be tough to move around. Winchester was part of the 2006 Edmonton run at the Cup but was mostly scratched that post season. I do remember watching Winchester in an game this year and he's got a cannon of a shot (though not an accurate one). Winchester is having a career year as well. Against Vancouver this year Tkachuk is 1-3-4 whereas Hinote and Winchester are both scoreless. Again, note the +/- for each.

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2008 - B.J. Crombeen	81	12	10	22	-9	148	0	1	3	0	124	9.7

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2008 - Jay McClement	82	12	14	26	-10	29	0	3	3	1	137	8.8

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2008 - Alexander Steen	81	8	20	28	-10	30	3	1	0	0	148	5.4

Like a lot of fourth lines, you have some big guys here (I can see where Winchester's 6'5'' frame belongs down on this line) but unlike a lot of fourth lines, they can score too (compare McClement's 12 goals with Ryan Johnson's two). Crombeen is your typical fourth line energy guy, McClement is a good two way forward (though not a terribly physical one) and Steen, cast away from Toronto in that November deal, can produce some timely offense to compliment McClement. I suppose we should also mention Cam Janssen and his 131 PIMs could end up down here at some point if Murray thinks he needs more brawn and anger in his lineup. And, yes, again note the +/-.

By The Numbers

2008-09 Shots
STL Forwards - 1788
VAN Forwards - 1644

2008-09 Assists
STL Forwards - 286
VAN Forwards - 292

2008-09 Goals
STL Forwards - 212
VAN Forwards - 206

2008-09 Points*
STL Forwards - 498
VAN Forwards - 498
(* no kidding, double check me if you'd like)

2008-09 Fights
STL Forwards - 51
VAN Forwards - 39

2008-09 PIMs
STL Forwards - 868
VAN Forwards - 723

2008-09 Blocked Shots
STL Forwards - 367
VAN Forwards - 427

2008-09 Giveaways
STL Forwards - 266
VAN Forwards - 318

2008-09 Takeaways
STL Forwards - 355
VAN Forwards - 384

2008-09 Hits*
STL Forwards - 1,102
VAN Forwards - 735
(* for the record, Backes leads the Blues and the Holy Bernier leads Vancouver)