10-3-3 in last 16 ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?!?!?!

[netboy65]

But, but, tOP fIVe PIcK!!!!

You’ll still see all the threads on draft night….”If we hadn’t won those meaningless games in March, we could have gotten so and so”

If they hadn’t gone on this 16 year which basically came out of nowhere, the criticism would be valid. Army gets mad props in my book for Broberg Holloway and Fowler. Absolute steals all of them.

Oh completely agree, if they kept piddling along at a .500 pace, no question. Ride this heater out and see where it takes us. If we still fall short then so be it

[dhsux]

Just want to mention the turnaround was 4 games before 4 Nations, imo.

I get what that break did for them but they actually had some great games going 2-1-1 prior to the break and they came out from it as strong as they went into it.

I wouldn't say they were playing poorly, but they weren't playing this good, at least not in my opinion.

Right now there hasn't been a game since that tournament, other than the Dallas game and that had as much to do with fatigue as anything, that the Blues have been outplayed. They are absolutely dominating time of possession, shots on goal, rushes, and high danger chances.

Hell the MVP of the Blues season might very well end up being Don Sweeney.

If he holds onto Monty until the end of the season I sincerely doubt we are in this position. Bannister had them playing to not lose, Monty has them playing to win.

They beat Utah and Chicago and then the 1-1 part of that 4 game run was Edmonton (overtime) and Florida, a 1 goal loss.

But the fore checking and hounding began right then, all this following immediately after a 4 game losing streak.

[TheJackBurton]

Just want to mention the turnaround was 4 games before 4 Nations, imo.

I get what that break did for them but they actually had some great games going 2-1-1 prior to the break and they came out from it as strong as they went into it.

I wouldn't say they were playing poorly, but they weren't playing this good, at least not in my opinion.

Right now there hasn't been a game since that tournament, other than the Dallas game and that had as much to do with fatigue as anything, that the Blues have been outplayed. They are absolutely dominating time of possession, shots on goal, rushes, and high danger chances.

Hell the MVP of the Blues season might very well end up being Don Sweeney.

If he holds onto Monty until the end of the season I sincerely doubt we are in this position. Bannister had them playing to not lose, Monty has them playing to win.

They beat Utah and Chicago and then the 1-1 part of that 4 game run was Edmonton (overtime) and Florida, a 1 goal loss.

But the fore checking and hounding began right then, all this following immediately after a 4 game losing streak.

Yeah I can agree that they were starting to set down the game plan, but the time off let them solidify and fully implement it.

If we don't get that break I'm not sure that they reach this level.

[bud white]

Just want to mention the turnaround was 4 games before 4 Nations, imo.

I get what that break did for them but they actually had some great games going 2-1-1 prior to the break and they came out from it as strong as they went into it.

I wouldn't say they were playing poorly, but they weren't playing this good, at least not in my opinion.

Right now there hasn't been a game since that tournament, other than the Dallas game and that had as much to do with fatigue as anything, that the Blues have been outplayed. They are absolutely dominating time of possession, shots on goal, rushes, and high danger chances.

Hell the MVP of the Blues season might very well end up being Don Sweeney.

If he holds onto Monty until the end of the season I sincerely doubt we are in this position. Bannister had them playing to not lose, Monty has them playing to win.

They beat Utah and Chicago and then the 1-1 part of that 4 game run was Edmonton (overtime) and Florida, a 1 goal loss.

But the fore checking and hounding began right then, all this following immediately after a 4 game losing streak.

Yeah I can agree that they were starting to set down the game plan, but the time off let them solidify and fully implement it.

If we don't get that break I'm not sure that they reach this level.

Monty had the coaching staff treat it as training camp. Albeit an accelerated training camp...

But I honestly think the one thing that happened to change this team's attitude over the break was what Binnington and Parayko did during the 4 Nations. Those two are the cornerstones for this team - and they rose to the challenge. For the guys who haven't played with Binner in a "must win" they witnessed first hand that he is money. The younger guys, the guys who missed the playoff run ... now know what they have back there and they are playing on their toes. They are playing with pressure. Same with "Beast". When he absolutely dummied JT Miller in the first US / Canada game, he sent a message to the Blues too.

I don't think you can overlook what those guys did and how that has impacted what we're watching right now.

[TAFKAP]

The Fowler deal looks like Grand Theft right now.

[blues2112]

The Fowler deal looks like Grand Theft right now.

Absolutely!

He rarely/never makes a defensive mistake and makes a lot of nifty offensive moves.

[DawgDad]

Really, if the Blues make the playoffs with no Parayko after a coaching change, Thomas and Broberg injuries, and the Steal of the Century Army may well get the GM of the year award he richly deserves. The Fowler pickup was inspired and sometimes the best trades are the ones that don't get made.

[Frank Underwood]

The Fowler deal looks like Grand Theft right now.

Absolutely!

He rarely/never makes a defensive mistake and makes a lot of nifty offensive moves.

Agree with both of you. He has been absolutely fantastic and very consistent

[2forDiving]

I have a lot of respect for some of the posters who were hoping for a losing streak to garner a top 10 pick. I didn’t necessarily agree with them, but I understood their points. My concern with them losing, though, was that likely meant our young guys were failing and I thought that was a bad precedent.

Yes, Schenn, Buch, Faulk and Binny have been better, but so too have Thomas, Neighbours, Toropchenko, Tucker, and Bolduc. And Holloway and Kyrou have continued their top end play. These games mean something and the young guys have risen to the challenge. That you have your future core playing this well, at this time, may actually provide more impact in the future than the guy you could have drafted four or five slots higher this Sunner. We’ll see.

[stlblues1979]

The Fowler deal looks like Grand Theft right now.

Absolutely!

He rarely/never makes a defensive mistake and makes a lot of nifty offensive moves.

But, but, but guys, he's going to cost us a 2nd round pick in 2027. OMG, that's going to destroy the rebuild!

[Bubble4427]

I have a lot of respect for some of the posters who were hoping for a losing streak to garner a top 10 pick. I didn’t necessarily agree with them, but I understood their points. My concern with them losing, though, was that likely meant our young guys were failing and I thought that was a bad precedent.

Yes, Schenn, Buch, Faulk and Binny have been better, but so too have Thomas, Neighbours, Toropchenko, Tucker, and Bolduc. And Holloway and Kyrou have continued their top end play. These games mean something and the young guys have risen to the challenge. That you have your future core playing this well, at this time, may actually provide more impact in the future than the guy you could have drafted four or five slots higher this Sunner. We’ll see.

It's scary.
Once you invite a losing culture into a locker room (because you choose to tank).....it can be a very long time before that culture changes back to winning.
Just ask the Sabres. That team is super talented....but they have NO IDEA what it takes to win.

[netboy65]

I have a lot of respect for some of the posters who were hoping for a losing streak to garner a top 10 pick. I didn’t necessarily agree with them, but I understood their points. My concern with them losing, though, was that likely meant our young guys were failing and I thought that was a bad precedent.

Yes, Schenn, Buch, Faulk and Binny have been better, but so too have Thomas, Neighbours, Toropchenko, Tucker, and Bolduc. And Holloway and Kyrou have continued their top end play. These games mean something and the young guys have risen to the challenge. That you have your future core playing this well, at this time, may actually provide more impact in the future than the guy you could have drafted four or five slots higher this Sunner. We’ll see.

It's scary.
Once you invite a losing culture into a locker room (because you choose to tank).....it can be a very long time before that culture changes back to winning.
Just ask the Sabres. That team is super talented....but they have NO IDEA what it takes to win.

The players and coaches never tank, they’re playing/coaching for their jobs, it’s the front office that takes away their guns and leaves them with pocketknives. It is tough to get over that hump the first time though, I’ll agree with that.

[stlblues1979]

I have a lot of respect for some of the posters who were hoping for a losing streak to garner a top 10 pick. I didn’t necessarily agree with them, but I understood their points. My concern with them losing, though, was that likely meant our young guys were failing and I thought that was a bad precedent.

Yes, Schenn, Buch, Faulk and Binny have been better, but so too have Thomas, Neighbours, Toropchenko, Tucker, and Bolduc. And Holloway and Kyrou have continued their top end play. These games mean something and the young guys have risen to the challenge. That you have your future core playing this well, at this time, may actually provide more impact in the future than the guy you could have drafted four or five slots higher this Sunner. We’ll see.

It's scary.
Once you invite a losing culture into a locker room (because you choose to tank).....it can be a very long time before that culture changes back to winning.
Just ask the Sabres. That team is super talented....but they have NO IDEA what it takes to win.

The players and coaches never tank, they’re playing/coaching for their jobs, it’s the front office that takes away their guns and leaves them with pocketknives. It is tough to get over that hump the first time though, I’ll agree with that.

Agree about the players & the coach. Here's the ugly part about tanking or hoping to lose to improve draft position. In that situation the players know that the ownership & the GM want them to play hard, give it their best effort, show what they have, etc. but hope their efforts result in a loss. You can say that players know it's a business & they should look past that, but like Bubble said, you're inviting a losing culture.

[dhsux]

Thing is this team has been tight with each other since day one.

It's been reported by Kelley and Rivers and many players how much they like each other and how they play for each other and you can see that with the unselfish action on the ice for proof. Almost to a fault.

There were a few stinkers along the way but it's been a great year to watch this team play........it's also been a process and we are just now seeing them figure some big things out real time.

Great to see.

[DawgDad]

Thing is this team has been tight with each other since day one.

It's been reported by Kelley and Rivers and many players how much they like each other and how they play for each other and you can see that with the unselfish action on the ice for proof. Almost to a fault.

There were a few stinkers along the way but it's been a great year to watch this team play........it's also been a process and we are just now seeing them figure some big things out real time.

Great to see.

They took a lot of lumps and growing pains early in the season. What they are doing now is what you ideally want to see ANY team do, bond, support each other, and constantly strive to improve. It's a healthy mix of veterans and young players, and players like Thomas and Kyrou who were challenged to take the reins. It's my belief it's much easier to build off a solid culture than it is to tear down and get into a cycle of losing where as soon as players mature you sell them off for futures.

[LewisL]

Really, if the Blues make the playoffs with no Parayko after a coaching change, Thomas and Broberg injuries, and the Steal of the Century Army may well get the GM of the year award he richly deserves. The Fowler pickup was inspired and sometimes the best trades are the ones that don't get made.

Also his jumping on the hire of Monty without hesitation.