SB Nation - Brad Winchester

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?

The New Jersey Devils' Power Play Makes the Comeback in Ottawa, Devils beat Senators 3-2

John Fischer — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 03:42:16 -0000

by Adrian Wyld - AP

Zach Parise scores the first of three Devils' power play goals. This one was the most important in that ultimately turned around the game, starting the comeback by New Jersey in the second period (AP Photo/The Canadian Press,Adrian Wyld)

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The New Jersey Devils kept both their general winning streak and the road winning streak alive with a very surprising comeback win in Ottawa tonight. After going down 2-0 in the first half of the game, the New Jersey Devils scored on their next three power plays to turn the score 3-2 and held off the Ottawa Senators with aplomb to win. The NHL.com recap along with the full box score and additional starts are up and live.

I swear I'm not making this up. The New Jersey Devils that we all know and love scored three power play goals. Against one of the best penalty killing teams in the league in the Ottawa Senators. On the road. After doing absolutely miserable on the the first three power plays the Senators allowed. Until Peter Regin's hooking call in the second period, you could argue the Senators could stop the Devils dead just by forcing them to take power plays. They weren't setting anything up, any shots taken were missed, passes were ill-advised, and the aggressive Ottawa penalty killers jumped at every chance to go forward if only to kill more clock and put on more pressure.

And then the Devils finally not only set themselves up in Ottawa's zone, they got shots on net. They made passes around the zone. They got pucks on Pascal Leclaire and got rebounds and then Zach Parise finally gave the Devils a jolt with a goal on one of those rebounds past a stickless-Leclaire. I highlight this here because it was the true turning point of the game.

Up until then, the game was not at all pretty. Yet, from then on, the Devils went from strength to strength as Ottawa's discipline inexplicably kept taking calls in the third period. And the Devils power play, of all units, actually burned a team. Read on for what lessons should be learned from the game, as well as some video from NHL.com. Read Silver Seven later on to see what a Senators-based perspective of tonight's game would look like. I can't imagine it'll be positive.

The first big lesson is that one should never count out of the Devils on the road. For the first 35 minutes of the game, while the Devils may have outshot Ottawa, it was clear that the Senators were the better team. All four of their lines loved to forecheck, loved to hustle, and gave the Devils problems. In the first period, the best chance the Devils had was an early play off the rush where Dainius Zubrus hit the post. Yet, Ottawa kept swarming and eventually, they caught the Devils' skaters a step behind near the 14 minute mark in the first. Martin Brodeur was brave on the first three shots, but a screen and a lost stick was all Milan Michalek needed to open up the scoring. While the Devils didn't give up another that period, the Senators looked poised and great at winning back possession. On the other hand, the Devils looked like a team that loved not getting clean shots (19 blocked shots and 10 missed shots in total) on Pascal Leclaire.

And while the Senators conceded two near-consecutive power plays in the second period, the Senators penalty killers prevented the Devils from doing anything and so the Devils started to look out of sorts. Not much from the power play, not much on even strength, and even Martin Brodeur let in a heart breaker in the second. Brian Lee just threw a glancing shot from long range that Brodeur's left pad got. Only the shot was hard enough and spun the right way to slide underneath and get over the goal line before Marty's glove could throw it out. A bad goal given up and the Devils had very little to show in response. I was starting to feel gloomy about the game's prospects and why not? Pascal Leclaire was solid, the Senators' defense was as stingy as I learned from Peter R of Silver Seven, and the Senators just kept forechecking and pushing up as much as possible. Nothing wrong with 7-1-0 on the road, right?

And then that power play happened in the second period and the Devils got a much-needed spark. The game became a game again. Devils' spirits were lifted. Confidence grew into the team. Brodeur made saves like the Lee goal never happened. The defense started asserting itself more often. And Ottawa kept feeding the Devils' spark more and more electricity in the third.

After an incredibly dumb elbow thrown by Brad Winchester into Colin White's chest; the Devils were able to equalize in the third thanks to David Clarkson throwing a low shot at a sharp angle that could have threaded needles. The Devils began to skate with more energy from then on and then Ottawa gave another gift when Chris Campoli threw the puck over the glass in his own zone. The response? How about a wrister from Andy Greene? It was pretty and it was too bad Leclaire never saw it, though that's how it really became a goal. Great release by Greene, who has worked so hard in his own end (27:27 tonight) in the past week or so; he has earned a game winning goal to go along with his game preserving defense.

The Devils have seemingly always found a way to win on the road whenever they get behind early and tonight, it was the Devils' power play units actually answered the call. After being so awful for the first three man advantages, the second three were meaningful and important. I just can't get over that the Devils scored three power play goals in one game and that ultimately decided the game. Ottawa played with fire, and the Devils actually burnt them for it. Amazing. Here's the game's highlights from NHL.com so you can see it all for yourselves:

The second big lesson from tonight's game is that constantly giving power plays to any one is never a good strategy. The Senators learned this the hard way. Where was their discipline? These weren't ticky-tack calls; the hook by Regin was obvious, Winchester's elbow couldn't have been more obvious, and Campoli made a bad mistake. The icing on the Senators' failure-of-discipline cake was the Senators also taking two game misconducts in all of this. Jarkko Ruutu earned one as Winchester went to the box for thugging it out with Andrew Peters; and Chris Neil got one after the Campoli gaffe by intentionally knocking over David Clarkson after the whistle. So all that did was drive Ottawa to shorten the bench - something I'm sure Cory Clouston was happy to do after those calls.

Still, if the Senators' played smarter (and maybe did better on their power play, too - theirs was, well, not good) perhaps they come out of this with at least a point or even the win. They let it slip away.

The third lesson is that the Devils can hold their own in a one-goal game when the opposition turns it on regardless of circumstance. Tonight was a physical game, a game right after a close 2-1 win over the Islanders, and the Senators started getting desperate with 10 minutes left. Yet, they managed a whopping 4 shots on net in their more aggressive attacks on net. The defense was well positioned from them making killer pases and taking good shots; and from what few they had, Brodeur was in the right place to stop them stone dead. I would have like to have seen the Devils hit the Senators back on a counter attack; but too often the Senators at least forced enough play late in New Jersey's end to warrant a quick dump-and-change by the Devils. Not that it meant much because the Senators either had the puck in places where the Devils have no problem with them having the puck instead of getting the puck to places where they weren't.

Overall, both teams were quite defensive as the Devils only out shot the Senators 25-21; but it's real surprising that the Senators pulled their goalie for an extra skater and it added absolutely nothing to their attack. Well done Devils defense.

The fourth lesson is that a player can contribute even with limited minutes. Zach Parise had a much better night with a goal, an assist, and 4 shots on net in 22:36 of ice time. Jamie Langenbrunner had 3 shots and 2 assists, good work from the captain. But some of the "lesser" names stood out. Mark Fraser played 15:16 of fairly solid hockey, perhaps he's earning his minutes now. David Clarkson only got 11:52 of even strength time, but he got 6:22 on the power play, three shots, a goal, and 4 hits while looking good along side Matt Halischuk (12:36, 2 shots) and call-up Tim Sestito.

Speaking of, let me just focus on Sestito for a moment. He may have only played 8:53, but he looked real good in that 8:53 he played. He threw three hits, he got two take aways, he set up some of Clarkson's and Halischuk's shots, and he didn't waver at all throughout the game.

Maybe they weren't the best players, but they did something despite limited action.

The fifth lesson is that a team can always do better even if they are 8-0-0 on the road and won their last 5 games. The Devils need to stop giving up the first goal in some of these games. They would do well to set the tempo early and not have to dig deep every time for an equalizer. I'd also like to see the Devils' power play be more consistent. The units have earned goals in each of their last 3 games and perhaps that's a sign that it's getting there. Confidence on the PP should be higher; but the Devils really need to work on their breakouts and setting up on offense more often. Even if they don't score, the Devils will benefit from putting significant offensive pressure more often on the man advantage. And lastly, of course, I'd like the Devils' offense to be more productive so the Devils can take leads and add to them, as opposed to defending a one-goal lead late from a desperate opposition.

That said, the Devils' showed guts in pulling off another comeback win. The Devils will get 3 days off before hosting Anaheim on Wednesday. In terms of injuries, Bryce Salvador nearly was added to the list. He only played 10:26 tonight off of 16 shifts. Per Gulitti, it was an ankle injury - but Salvador said he'll be OK for Wednesday. Which is great because as the Devils get healthier, they can address these issues further and become an even better team. Something that should frighten opponents across the league, if you think about it.

At least I think you would if you did. I'm still trying to process what I just saw: the New Jersey Devils scored three power play goals to come from behind and win the game.

Blues One Act Theater: It's Time For A Wake Up Call

gallagher — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:30:35 -0000

A figure enters the Blues locker room....

I am Gunnery Sergeant Hartman, your new senior drill instructor. I am your new mother. I am your new father. I am your whole goddamn world from now on.

If you ladies survive my training, if you go on to play again for the Blues, you will be a weapon. You will be a Minister of Death praying for war with another NHL team. But until that day, you are pukes. You are the lowest form of life on earth. You are not even human fucking beings! You are nothing but unorganized grabasstic pieces of amphibian shit!

Because I am hard, you will not like me, but the more you hate me, the more you will learn. I am hard, but I am fair.

There is no bigotry here. I do not look down on Frogs...

Wha?

...idiots...

Huzzah?

...pussies...

(Meep.)

...head cases...

Uh.. what?

...robots...

0010011010001.

...mutes...

that seems fair, I mean sometimes i might be somewhat.....

...or girls with frosted-tip hair.

That just happened naturally. It's not my fault the ladies love it.

You are all equally worthless in my eyes. My job here is to weed out all non-hackers who do not deserve to wear my beloved Note. Do you maggots understand that? What's your name, scumbag?

Paul. Paul Kariya, sir.

Paul? Paul Kariya? That sounds like royalty. Are you royalty, Paulie?

Royalty? Well, no. But you see, I am pretty good, so I do get treated a little...

Bullshit, Kariya! You look to me like the kind of little softie who deserves his own little chamber and his own little room and his own little man-servant! Kariya, the first time I see you take a hit to make a play this year will be the first time I have ever seen you take a hit to make a play! Be a man, boy!

You had best square your ass away and start making some goddamn plays or I will fuck you up! You're making $6 million a year and you're playing like Gary Suter is still looking to take your head off. It's a man's game! Start playing like you're one of them!

Is this you, John deWaynes? Is dis me?

Who said that? Who the fuck said that? Who's the communistic, twinkle-toes, Red Wing-wannabe pussy who just signed his own death warrant? Was it you?

Was dis who?

Well. No shit. What have we got here? A fucking comedian. Mister Joker. Hell, I like you. You can come over to my house and fuck my sister.

Oh, Really?

No! Not really! Listen here you little scumbag, I got your name, I got your ass! You will not laugh! You will not cry! You will learn by the numbers, I will teach you! You will become a killer! You will have no mercy! You will not take shifts off! You will become a top-line player!

You. What's your excuse?

Excuse for what?

Excuse for walking around here like you're Chuck fucking Norris and putting up miserable totals in the meantime. How tall are you, Invisible Giant?

Sir, six-foot-three, sir.

Six-foot-three? I didn't know they stacked shit that high. It looks to me like the best part of you ran down the crack of your momma's ass and wound up as a brown stain on the mattress! You're big and nasty and you should be the kind of guy out on the ice to fuck a goalie in the ass and not even show the common courtesy to give him a reach-around! Do you understand me?

I... uh... wait, what?

AAAHHHH! Time to be better, son! Time to be way, way better! You are a nightmare! You are a killer! Start being a fucking nightmare!

Listen up, all of you. You had best unfuck yourselves, or I will unscrew your heads and shit down your necks! Why did you sissies want to be hockey players?

To win?

To win.

You wanna win, I gotta see some sort of war face. Let me see your war face!

aaaaaahhhhhh?

Bullshit! I said, Let me see your war face!

aaaaaaahhhhhhhhhHHHHHHHH?

That's fucking terrible. Work on it.

(departs)

Holy shit, Walts. What the fucks was dis?

Are you kidding me, Frenchie? I'm the one who asked him to come here.

Stars Stay Strong on Road by Beating Blues 4-1

Art_M — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 03:36:19 -0000

More photos » by Bill Boyce - AP

Browse more photos »

That was about as complete a road game as you'll see an NHL team play. Your Dallas Stars played a pretty even first period led by solid goaltending by Marty Turco. They took advantage of some undisciplined Blues play - and admittedly some possible questionable calls by the refs - to jump out to a 2-0 lead in a little over a two minute span in the middle of the second period. In the third period the Stars again played smart, took advantage of some breakdowns in the St. Louis defensive zone and ended up coasting to a 4-1 win over the Blues.

Marty Turco stopped 27 of 28 shots and looked very good in goal. In fact if it was not for his play in the first period and stopping some great chances the Blues had, this game could have had a much different result. His shutout bid was snapped with a late tip-in goal by Blues rookie Alex Pietrangelo, but Turco made at least five very difficult saves in the game that would have given the Blues some life but instead kept the St. Louis crowd and the Blues themselves out of it emotionally for the most part.

Stars fans also found out how much of a difference a healthy Steve Ott and a healthy Brad Richards make for this team. Richards had two assists and played well all game. He along with Loui Eriksson have started to really pick up where they left off last season chemistry wise.

Ott however was the much bigger story on the night causing all kinds of headaches for the Blues. He had an assist on Tom Wandell's third period goal, but more importantly he was hitting almost everything in sight including a beautiful hip check on St. Louis defenseman Carlo Colaiacovo that caused a huge scrum at center ice. Unfortunately he also was involved in a knee-on-knee incident late in the third with former Dallas Star BJ Crombeen. It didn't appear that Ott tried to stick his leg out any distance to hit Crombeen, but he also didn't make any effort to get his leg out of the way of an oncoming hit either. It should be very interesting to see how the league handles it with Ott having been a repeat offender.

Outside of the questionable hit, there really wasn't much of anything in the way of negatives coming out of this game. All four lines played well and at different points in the game were able to put pressure on the Blues offensively. Not one forward had a bad game - which in fact includes Fabian Brunnstrom who had an assist in the game and looked a little strong on the puck - and a special mention also has to go to Brian Sutherby who was very active on the forecheck and though he only had a little over six minutes of ice time in the game, he made the most of it by dropping the gloves with Brad Winchester in the first period (and we'll say he won the fight by decision for the fun of it) and then in the third period picked Winchester's pocket after Brad decided to be slow and lazy with the puck on his own blue line (a move we saw too many times when he was with Dallas) then Sutherby skated in on a breakaway and beat Blues goalie Ty Conklin high to the glove side for the final dagger in the game and a 4-0 Stars lead at that point.

The Stars defense played as well as we've seen so far this season, limiting the second chances the Blues would get on goal, doing a very solid job of puck support and clearing the puck out and of course going a perfect 5 for 5 on the penalty kill is also a huge boost.

The Stars power play went 1 for 7 which isn't good at all and maybe if you're nitpicking you could say it's an area that still needs work. More to the point, the Stars just aren't active enough on the powerplay - especially when faced with a five on three chance like they had in the second period. Players didn't move around, the puck moving wasn't as quick as it should have been and really didn't look threatening at all.

With the winless Maple Leafs in Dallas on Wednesday followed by the just about as woeful Florida Panthers on Friday, it's possible for the Stars to go on a bit of a run if they can keep having great efforts like they did tonight against the Blues.

Your DBD three Stars for tonight's game:

3rd star: Brian Sutherby (1 goal, 5 for 7 in faceoffs and made the most of his playing time)

2nd star: Loui Eriksson (1 goal, 1 assist and really you could put in Richards or James Neal in here as well as that entire line looked great!)

1st star: Marty Turco (27 saves and held the Stars in the game in the first half when the Blues did have some really good chances to score.)

The Hockey Prof: New Season's Resolutions

Rich of GASL — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 17:50:48 -0000

I've never been a big fan of New Year's resolutions. I've never really figured out why hitting January 1st should mean anything to anybody. OK, fine, we have to buy a new calendar, but why should I re-evaluate my entire life just because I bought another set of 12 Far Side cartoons?

Besides, I've always been wary of New Year's resolutions because I suspected the people pushing us to make them were the same Catholic bastards that made New Year's a holy day of obligation. Oh, yeah, like I'm so fucking sure it was totally coincidental that I was being forced to go to church after a night dedicated to heavy drinking. Sorry, bishops, but I ain't buying it for a minute.

However, the start of the hockey season is something that has special meaning to me. Life is noticeably different once the Blues are skating for real. So it makes sense, to me at least, for this to be the time of year where I decide to make changes to what is important to me. Now, it isn't my fault that, because it is this time of year, my resolutions will all be about hockey. If you don't like it Mr. Bishop I suggest you go read a golf blog or something. (Sit down Ben, I'm not talking to you!)

Resolution #1 - This season I resolve to cut Brad Winchester some fucking slack.

Resolution #2 - If I'm watching a Blues/Red Wings game and the Note goes down by two goals, I resolve to no longer threaten to slash my wrists, nor will I any longer promise to "take out" anyone who tries to console me.

Resolution #3 - I resolve to finally make it to the Excel to see the Blues play the Wild, even if I have to pay some scumbag scalper out the wazoo for the privilege.

Resolution #4 - I resolve to drink more on game nights.

Resolution #5 - No matter where the Blues sit in the standings at any given date, I resolve to wait until the end of the season before I speculate on whether Coach Murray's parents were ever married.

I think that is about all the self-improvement I can stand at a single sitting. But, if you have any resolutions you would like to announce I think this is the place to do it.

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.

Thursday links: Where Manny Legace is selling his house

averagejoe — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 11:00:28 -0000

I'm still recovering from reading Gallagher's rant. Holy shit.

Blues news

Erik Johnson is no longer injured. Just in time for the Blues playoff run ... wait wasn't he supposed to be back for that. That was like two months ago. [Stltoday.com]
Attention Carnie: Manny Legace is on the move. Side note: Dude has a $2.3 millie house? Damn. [Blockshopper]
The Blues are hosting a Youth Camp and the kids are getting tips from guys like Brad Winchester, Cam Janssen, Ben Bishop, EJ and David Backes. [Blues]
Jeremy Rutherford will be chatting today from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. [Stltoday.com]

Hockey news

MAKE IT STOP! Jim Balsillie is back in play. [TSN]
Puck Daddy, as usual, has the low down on the Coyotes latest setback to stay in Phoenix/Glendale. [Puck Daddy]
Mr. Plank weighs in on the Sharks potentially getting Dany Heatley. [Fear the Fin]
The Oilers have too many bodies. [The Copper and Blue]
Roberto Luongo and the Canucks are "philosophically" close to a deal. What does that really mean? [TSN]
Want to know about the future of the Islanders? LH Hockey has you covered. [Lighthouse Hockey]
Fired by the Avs, Tony Granato is moving to Pittsburgh to be an assistant with the Penguins. [TSN]
I don't want ads on jerseys. The reebok logo is enough. [Puck Daddy]
Brendan Shanahan will be back with the Devils. He had 14 points in 34 games last year so to say the 41-year-old still has it ... well, that would be a lie. [TSN]
From DanGNR: This is why I hate Dany Heatley. [Bleacher Report]

Other links

Winnie the Pooh is fucking crazy now. [BannedinHollywood]
The Top 10 sports movie pep talks. [Askmen.com]
I know some people here who may like this site. [Fuck This Website]
Here are some images that aren't photoshopped. [Cracked.com]
Homer Simpson sure does like some odd things. "Shoe goes on, shoe goes off. Shoe goes on, shoe goes off ..." [Best Week Ever]
From the Hockey Prof.: Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. [Houston Chronicle]

Video

Carnie sends another good video.

gametimelinks(at)gmail.com. Toodles friends.

July 1 Liveblog: "At My Signal, Unleash Hell"

Yankee Canuck — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 12:56:28 -0000

10:28 PM ET - And thus ends the Havlat flirtation for Vancouver. Via TSN, he's likely heading to the Wild (who have traded one oft-injured winger for another).

9:10 PM ET - Madden lands in Chicago (do they have a cap or are they an exception to the rule?). Chril Neil sticks around in Ottawa on a four year deal.

8:38 PM ET - Labarbera is off to the desert on a two year deal with Phoenix. Gionta inks a five year deal with the Habs (Gainey has certainly picked it up this evening)

8:22 PM ET - There goes Gaborik. Via TSN, five years at $~~5.75~~ 7.5 million a year. Jeeeeeesus...

7:50 PM ET - Some more trickling in. Via TSN, Mathieu Garon joins Columbus on a two year deal and Jason Strudwick re-signs with the Oil. If you check out Lowetide, you'll see how close Edmonton is to the cap, so they can't be done yet.

6:26 PM ET - Via TSN, Pahlsson signs in Columbus for three years $2.65 per. Damn, that's a great price for a good player. Sigh.

6:16 PM ET - Via the TSN Trade Tracker, Steve Sullivan sicks around Nashville on a two year deal.

6:12 PM ET - A few more over the past hour, including some you can scratch off the wishful thinking list: via TSN, Sharks sign Kent Huskins to a two year deal, the Avs add David Koci to a one year deal, Mike Cammalleri to Montreal for five years and $30 million bucks, Minnesota signs Greg Zanon to a three year deal, Vern Fiddler signs in Phoenix for a year and Mike Komisarek to the Leafs in a five year deal.

4:48 PM ET - Via TSN, Bob McKenzie says that Montreal has signed Hal Gill for two years, Pittsburgh inks Mike Rupp for two years and the Flyers sign Ian Laperriere for three years.

4:39 PM ET - Via TSN, Scott Clemmensen signs with Florida. Three years & $3.6 million.

4:05 PM ET - Bob McKenzie just said that Erik Cole is close to a two-year deal with the Hurricanes and that Nikolai Khabibulin has an agreement with the Edmonton Oilers.

3:55 PM ET - Gillis and Luongo are still negotiating so don't expect the extension to be announced today (via TSN).

3:51 PM ET - Via Dreger at TSN, the Boston Globe is reporting Spacek to Mtl. for 3 years, $11.5 million.

3:41 PM ET - Via Sportsnet, Brian Boucher returns to Philly on a two year deal.

3:39 PM ET - Joel Ward resigns in Nashville and old friend Krajicek resigns in Tampa Bay (who's defense I am basically just jealous of at this point...and it has nothing to do with Ohlund).

3:12 PM ET - Here come the experiment players for the Canucks: they've signed defensemen Aaron Rome to a one year deal. His stats are below, don't everyone freak out all at once:

3:08 PM ET - Via TSN, Niedermeyer stays in Anaheim for a year with a $6 million deal.

2:58 PM ET - TSN is updating the Canucks again. Highlights:

Mats Sundin time is over unless he takes a paycut (yippee!)
Kicking the tires on Niedermeyer still
Luongo extension is expected soon, 40 million over 5 years are the numbers
Schneider in play once Luongo re-ups
Hansen is expected to be moved

2:52 PM ET - Andy Strickland is reporting the Capitals have signed Mike Knuble to a 2 yr. deal worth $2.8 per. Nuts I always liked Knuble but he's an American guy who I don't think has ever played outside of the Eastern or Central time zones. Good upgrade for Feds going to Russia too.

2:47 PM ET - NYRNation is saying Donald Brashear is a Ranger. Why must the Rags continue to ruin my opinion of ex-Canucks? Why oh why??

2:36 PM ET - Via Mirtle, the Hawks also signed Tomas Kopecky away from Detroit.

2:30 PM ET - Dwayne Roloson to the Isle for two years. Steve Montador to the Sabres for two years.

2:16 PM ET - Via The Star, Kubina has been traded to Atlanta.

2:11 PM ET - Via TSN Live, Ty Conklin to the Blues.

2:10 PM ET - Hossa to the Wings is done. That's a beast of a contract. Helping that is the Hawks lose Matt Walker who signs with Ohlund down in Tampa. The Lightning are developing a nice defensive core (I'm jealous).

1:55 PM ET - Via the Denver Post, Avs ink Craig Anderson to a two year deal. So it's Anderson and Budaj for the Mile Highers.

1:47 PM ET - Botchford from the Province thinks Niedermayer and Gaborik get calls from Gillis today.

Also, Hossa to Chicago sounds like a done deal per TSN Live.

1:44 PM ET - Sounds like Kovalev signed a two year deal with Montreal (looking for source) and Booth re-ups in Florida for six years.

1:17 PM ET - Colton Orr to the Leafs for four years.

1:15 PM ET - The Sedins speak (Daniel and Henrik) about the deal.

1:05 PM ET - TSN is examining the Vancouver situation now. Highlights include

10.8 million in cap left
No way on Gaborik with remaining cap space
Cammalleri slim but possible
Badly need LWers and another top six forward
Believes an extension for Luongo is forthcoming
Not sure how they're going to address the blueline/Ohlund leaving
No one knows what to do with Schneider if Luongo re-ups, re: move him now or wait another year

12:56 PM ET - The release from Vancouver concerning the Sedins signing:

"Daniel and Henrik Sedin are this club’s offensive leaders and players we want to build around," said Mike Gillis. "Their level of performance in every area of the game is exceptional; both Daniel and Henrik are committed to winning and we want them to succeed as Vancouver Canucks."

12:46 PM ET - Via TSN, Radek Dvorak re-ups with the Panthers and the Hawks closing in on Hossa still.

12:32 PM ET - Dreger is reporting that Niedermayer is entertaining offers.

12:29 PM ET - Chatter is Hossa is aiming for the Hawks. Yeesh, this guy isn't going to be liked anywhere he goes.

12:18 PM ET - @Kevin Allen is reporting Ohlund has signed with Tampa. ~~Not terms yet~~. 7 years, 3.75 million. According to Darren Dreger, Ohlund will take in $22.5 of the $24.5 in the first 5 years.

12:08 PM ET - @Russostrib is suggesting that Havlat and Fedotenko are going to test the market.

12:03 PM ET - Ding ding ding...gentleman, grab your wallets.

11:30 AM ET - Shorter term for a bit more money. Lots to like about the Sedin signing, point a game producers locked up through their prime. If they get Luongo signed to an extension, it'll be a lot easier to sell this team to mid-ranged UFA's for the rest of the summer (dreams of Eric Cole continued unabated). Well done Gillis.

And, finally, the updated roster looks a bit easier on the eyes:

11:16 AM ET - Get your drink on early folks: The Sedins have resigned, five-year contacts, averaging $6.1 million a season. Golf clap! (Now Gillis go get them some help!)

11:08 AM ET - Happy birthday Pamela Anderson, you 42 year old maniac. In hockey news, nothing new on the Sedins front and under one hour to go. Yawn.

10:41 AM ET - I've posted the Canucks roster chart ~~below~~ (updated roster is above) in case you need to keep score. There are a hell of a lot of holes, even more if the Sedins leave.

10:03 AM ET - Team1040 reports nothing new on the Sedin front with two hours to go.

9:35 AM ET - Via the Daily Herald, the Hawks trying to move Huet?

9:33 PM ET - Via Kukla, at least the Oilers are still struggling.

9:10 AM ET - For fun, via the NY Post, let's all delight in the collective joy that can only come from a big, fat NY Rangers FAIL.

8:58 AM ET - Opps, one more bit of Canuck news via the White Towel: Davison is joining Pyatt on the UFA line.

8:55 AM ET - Just to catch you up on the latest, Johnny Oduya resigns with New Jersey, Rob Blake returns to San Jose, Bill Guerin is sticking around Pittsburgh, Mighty Mike Weaver and Brad Winchester re-up with St. Louis, Peter Budaj (snicker) returns to Colorado and Erik Christensen resigned with Anaheim this morning.

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

...and the big day finally arrives. First off, a happy Canada day to all my friends up north. Enjoy plenty of booze and sun for those of us who can't spend their average Wednesday doing such.

In a few hours, the hell will be unleashed as the UFA will kick into action. If last night's whirlwind of Sedin rumors, failed Heatley-to-Edmonton signings and Boumeester moving into the neighborhood is any indication, it should be a good one.

A final farewell to one Mattias Ohlund. the Canucks' all-time leading goal-scorer among defencemen and all around stalwart warrior for eleven years. Enjoy your next stop (please don't stick around the Northwest) and we'll enjoy watching you from afar.

And the Sedins? About three hours to go and nothing confirmed. Nervous yet?

I'll post what I can find, but if you see anything, do your thing in the comments.

Tuesday Links

averagejoe — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 11:00:37 -0000

It's link time, kids. Awww yeah.

Blues news

SYAK (Shit you already know): Jay McKee is gone, Brad Winchester and Mike Weaver are back.
[STLtoday.com]
The Blues have cap room. Some other teams ... not so much. [STLtoday.com]
Good bye Jeff Woywitka. Have fun hanging out with Doug Lynch. [Morning Skate]
Honestly, this is the best problem a team could have: too much young, cheap talent. [STLtoday.com]
Good news: the Blues have pulled out of the Dany Heatley sweepstakes. [TSN]

Hockey news

Jay McKee is not alone in getting the boot. Two other NHL vets were bought out Monday. [TSN]
Three of the Top-5 forwards have names that start with Mar. Oh ... it's a list of the 15 free agents. [STLtoday.com]
Ron Wilson will have John Tortorella and Scott Gordon helping him avoid the medal round in the Olympics.[ESPN]
I'm not saying the Hurricanes over payed for Jussi Jokinen -- but he was JUST waived last year from Tampa freakin Bay. [ESPN]
Ed Belfour wants to return. Anybody got an idea how much money he wants in a contract? [ESPN]
The Sharks cut some guys with funny names: Goc, Plihal and Kaspar. [ESPN]
The Chicago Blackhawks have decided to keep David Bolland. I bet his parents are happy. [TSN]
SBNation has a free agency hub. Go there. [SBNation]
Shocking news break: Scouts and "experts" sometimes miss guys who end up being really, really good. [Toronto Sun]

Other links

A car by my apartment has a wood bumper with bike reflectors on it. It belongs on this AWESOME site. [There, I Fixed It.]
Some nerd will pay way too much for this. [Level One Boss]
Potheads tend to think other people are potheads. Here's kid show characters that a guy thinks liked the reefer. [Hail Mary Jane]
Classic17 is my kind of guy: "Snuggies can suck it." [WEARABLE TOWEL]

Video

Doc Whiskey says RIP Billy Mays.

Tuesday is my last day of work for the week. Remember, normal links Wednesday, Thursday and Friday may be a little light/late depending on how much fun I have at my buddies bachelor party. Gametimelinks (at) gmail.com

Know Your Enemy: The St. Louis Offense

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

View full size photo »

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)