OT: Link to Thunderbirds playoff game

[seattleblue]

Stancl and Fischer did not play in this one but Stenberg did. The best way to describe him is "part of the solution."

Yeah, I only caught a part of one game near the end of the season that Fischer played in and he looked overwhelmed tbh. But that’s also not surprising. He’s a young 18 and this is arguably the 2nd best pro league in the world. I really like his future but in limited minutes he’s -6 in 3 games for the T-birds. His time will come but it’s not today and that’s fine.

Stancl looked more pro ready to me in the little I’ve seen of him but again, the T-birds seem to have a few better options today. I bet he has a good rookie season for the T-birds next season though.

Stenberg being a solid contributor immediately at age 19 is certainly notable. Agree that I really like his future. I don’t think he’ll be an offensive dynamo but he’s simply a great all-around player with no real weakness. Well, I guess he’s 5’11” so slightly undersized but he plays with plenty of snarl, aggression and loves to drive to the net so I don’t really consider that a weakness either. Should be a very solid middle-6 winger for the Blues for years. But a Swiss Army knife type that could complement a 1st line or even be effective on a 4th line as he brings those types of energy/tenacity qualities too.

Thanks for you input guys.
It's sounds like the Blues are 2-3 years away with these prospects having an impact. And Thomas will only be 28 years old (can't believe he's on 25 right now).

They'll need to correct the defense as most of the players on now are on their career downside. Perhaps some of the prospects accumulated can be used as assets to "fix" the D.

Yeah, the defense as of today is fine IMO but you’re right in terms of their age and the future. Fowler really rounded out this group currently but obviously some things will need to be tinkered over the next 2-4 years as Father Time is undefeated unfortunately.

What the Blues need to do is somehow pull off another ROR type trade. A Buchy type trade. But maybe more on the defensive side…although 2C is still a need too. In the summer of 2018, the Blues had 3 good forward prospects in Thomas, Kyrou and Thompson and were able to trade one for ROR. Army needs to find a way to do that sort of trade again for the Bkues to take the next step IMO. And they have the assets to do it. The Blues have a number of quality prospects. In the next 12-24 months, they likely need to trade 2-3 of them for guys that can very likely add to our current core to hopefully take them over the top. However, finding that trade partner is easier said than done. But the Blues have the assets to make it happen if they really want to and the opportunity arises.

Short-term, the need is on offense IMO. But most of our top prospects are forwards so it’s easy to see the future there. Long-term, the need is on defense as like you point out, most are on the wrong side of 30 already. What this team could really use is a bonafide #1. I love Parayko but I struggle to say he’s truly good enough to be the #1 on a team good enough to win the Cup. And he’s getting there in age. Unfortunately, that’s the hardest player to find and while there are plenty of examples of that caliber of player changing teams, it’s still very hard to pull off. But to truly be Cup contenders as this current core likely peaks in 2-3 years, that’s really what they need to add if I’m being truly honest.

It's becoming ripe to make this kind of trade because 1. they have the prospect assets AND 2. landing this player would fit the window they are in, so if we can see that they can see that.

Oh there’s no doubt the Blues see it. I wasn’t happy with Army for a couple years there but the man’s not an idiot. He knows what he’s doing and hopefully Steener will be a smart GM as well. The question I have is if he’ll be successful in finding a trade partner for the type of deal(s) he needs to make. It always takes two to tango so that’s what makes it hard sometimes.

I have been spending so much time watching prospects this year that I have not attended to looking around the league for these pieces the way I was when Hampus Lindholm and Jakob Chychrun were potential ideas being pro'd and con'd. I'd be interested in this discussion though there will be more attention on this in the offseason. (I mention it before then because I find it useful to discuss when the playoffs are right in front of us and we're seeing what's being exposed.)

[STL fan in MN]

Stancl and Fischer did not play in this one but Stenberg did. The best way to describe him is "part of the solution."

Yeah, I only caught a part of one game near the end of the season that Fischer played in and he looked overwhelmed tbh. But that’s also not surprising. He’s a young 18 and this is arguably the 2nd best pro league in the world. I really like his future but in limited minutes he’s -6 in 3 games for the T-birds. His time will come but it’s not today and that’s fine.

Stancl looked more pro ready to me in the little I’ve seen of him but again, the T-birds seem to have a few better options today. I bet he has a good rookie season for the T-birds next season though.

Stenberg being a solid contributor immediately at age 19 is certainly notable. Agree that I really like his future. I don’t think he’ll be an offensive dynamo but he’s simply a great all-around player with no real weakness. Well, I guess he’s 5’11” so slightly undersized but he plays with plenty of snarl, aggression and loves to drive to the net so I don’t really consider that a weakness either. Should be a very solid middle-6 winger for the Blues for years. But a Swiss Army knife type that could complement a 1st line or even be effective on a 4th line as he brings those types of energy/tenacity qualities too.

Thanks for you input guys.
It's sounds like the Blues are 2-3 years away with these prospects having an impact. And Thomas will only be 28 years old (can't believe he's on 25 right now).

They'll need to correct the defense as most of the players on now are on their career downside. Perhaps some of the prospects accumulated can be used as assets to "fix" the D.

Yeah, the defense as of today is fine IMO but you’re right in terms of their age and the future. Fowler really rounded out this group currently but obviously some things will need to be tinkered over the next 2-4 years as Father Time is undefeated unfortunately.

What the Blues need to do is somehow pull off another ROR type trade. A Buchy type trade. But maybe more on the defensive side…although 2C is still a need too. In the summer of 2018, the Blues had 3 good forward prospects in Thomas, Kyrou and Thompson and were able to trade one for ROR. Army needs to find a way to do that sort of trade again for the Bkues to take the next step IMO. And they have the assets to do it. The Blues have a number of quality prospects. In the next 12-24 months, they likely need to trade 2-3 of them for guys that can very likely add to our current core to hopefully take them over the top. However, finding that trade partner is easier said than done. But the Blues have the assets to make it happen if they really want to and the opportunity arises.

Short-term, the need is on offense IMO. But most of our top prospects are forwards so it’s easy to see the future there. Long-term, the need is on defense as like you point out, most are on the wrong side of 30 already. What this team could really use is a bonafide #1. I love Parayko but I struggle to say he’s truly good enough to be the #1 on a team good enough to win the Cup. And he’s getting there in age. Unfortunately, that’s the hardest player to find and while there are plenty of examples of that caliber of player changing teams, it’s still very hard to pull off. But to truly be Cup contenders as this current core likely peaks in 2-3 years, that’s really what they need to add if I’m being truly honest.

It's becoming ripe to make this kind of trade because 1. they have the prospect assets AND 2. landing this player would fit the window they are in, so if we can see that they can see that.

Oh there’s no doubt the Blues see it. I wasn’t happy with Army for a couple years there but the man’s not an idiot. He knows what he’s doing and hopefully Steener will be a smart GM as well. The question I have is if he’ll be successful in finding a trade partner for the type of deal(s) he needs to make. It always takes two to tango so that’s what makes it hard sometimes.

I have been spending so much time watching prospects this year that I have not attended to looking around the league for these pieces the way I was when Hampus Lindholm and Jakob Chychrun were potential ideas being pro'd and con'd. I'd be interested in this discussion though there will be more attention on this in the offseason. (I mention it before then because I find it useful to discuss when the playoffs are right in front of us and we're seeing what's being exposed.)

Same. I’ve been watching the Blues and various Jr/college games but haven’t really given a lot of thought to potential trade options, signings etc. That’s something I’ll probably shift to more once the Blues’ season is over.

[seattleblue]

Same. I’ve been watching the Blues and various Jr/college games but haven’t really given a lot of thought to potential trade options, signings etc. That’s something I’ll probably shift to more once the Blues’ season is over.

I noticed the sudden turmoil in Carolina with one Nikita Nikishin. His agent said public words today that indicate a possibly broken relationship.

That is one of the best #1 dman prospects in the world.

[seattleblue]

Same. I’ve been watching the Blues and various Jr/college games but haven’t really given a lot of thought to potential trade options, signings etc. That’s something I’ll probably shift to more once the Blues’ season is over.

I noticed the sudden turmoil in Carolina with one Nikita Nikishin. His agent said public words today that indicate a possibly broken relationship.

That is one of the best #1 dman prospects in the world.

LOL I meant Alexander. I think Nikita Nikishin is the son of Alex Nikishin and Nitikia Nikitin

[STL fan in MN]

Same. I’ve been watching the Blues and various Jr/college games but haven’t really given a lot of thought to potential trade options, signings etc. That’s something I’ll probably shift to more once the Blues’ season is over.

I noticed the sudden turmoil in Carolina with one Nikita Nikishin. His agent said public words today that indicate a possibly broken relationship.

That is one of the best #1 dman prospects in the world.

Yeah, that’s an interesting story. The Canes announced 2 weeks ago that they signed Nikishin and he comes over. Then a couple days ago their GM admits he never actually registered the contract with the league. Wanted to hold out in the event they wanted to assign him to the AHL.

The agent that caused a fuss is his Russian agent though. An agent unable to negotiate NHL deals. So it’s possible he’s trying to make a stink to try to get his client back to the KHL, where he once again can make money off of Nikishin. The kid’s US based agent released a statement trying to downplay the issue but still, sounds like Carolina is needlessly yanking the chain of their top prospect.

I can only assume they’re trying to delay it a to not burn the first year of the contract this season and/or leave open the possibility of him playing in the AHL since it sounds like he won’t be supplanting any of their current 6 d-men on the NHL lineup without any games played.

A very interesting situation. My guess is they get it resolved but if the Canes did truly screw this up badly enough, hopefully Army would be all over it. He won’t come cheap though.

[seattleblue]

Same. I’ve been watching the Blues and various Jr/college games but haven’t really given a lot of thought to potential trade options, signings etc. That’s something I’ll probably shift to more once the Blues’ season is over.

I noticed the sudden turmoil in Carolina with one Nikita Nikishin. His agent said public words today that indicate a possibly broken relationship.

That is one of the best #1 dman prospects in the world.

Yeah, that’s an interesting story. The Canes announced 2 weeks ago that they signed Nikishin and he comes over. Then a couple days ago their GM admits he never actually registered the contract with the league. Wanted to hold out in the event they wanted to assign him to the AHL.

The agent that caused a fuss is his Russian agent though. An agent unable to negotiate NHL deals. So it’s possible he’s trying to make a stink to try to get his client back to the KHL, where he once again can make money off of Nikishin. The kid’s US based agent released a statement trying to downplay the issue but still, sounds like Carolina is needlessly yanking the chain of their top prospect.

I can only assume they’re trying to delay it a to not burn the first year of the contract this season and/or leave open the possibility of him playing in the AHL since it sounds like he won’t be supplanting any of their current 6 d-men on the NHL lineup without any games played.

A very interesting situation. My guess is they get it resolved but if the Canes did truly screw this up badly enough, hopefully Army would be all over it. He won’t come cheap though.

Yeah I saw the start of it and got some hopes perked. then saw the whole russian agent/NA agent of it all.

If it were real they would have to give up something it would hurt to give up. I haven't thought abut what. But it would hurt, and correctly so for this caliber of player.

[seattleblue]

Didn't see it posted but Springfield lost Game 2 in OT 1-0.
60 min of shutout by Ellis couldn't get it done.
Deciding game is 2pm central today

[moose-and-squirrel]

Didn't see it posted but Springfield lost Game 2 in OT 1-0.
60 min of shutout by Ellis couldn't get it done.
Deciding game is 2pm central today

obviously Ellis isn't shooting enough

[seattleblue]

Didn't see it posted but Springfield lost Game 2 in OT 1-0.
60 min of shutout by Ellis couldn't get it done.
Deciding game is 2pm central today

obviously Ellis isn't shooting enough

Goalies are voodoo but we are in the time of Jobu so I am willing to speculate that if someone throws a big offer sheet at Hofer this summer the Blues will have an internal option.

[Harry York 37]

Didn't see it posted but Springfield lost Game 2 in OT 1-0.
60 min of shutout by Ellis couldn't get it done.
Deciding game is 2pm central today

obviously Ellis isn't shooting enough

You....sneak in some truly great ones.
Well done.

[moose-and-squirrel]

Didn't see it posted but Springfield lost Game 2 in OT 1-0.
60 min of shutout by Ellis couldn't get it done.
Deciding game is 2pm central today

obviously Ellis isn't shooting enough

You....sneak in some truly great ones.
Well done.

thank you... I'll be here all week

try the veal.. tip your waitresses

[STL fan in MN]

Didn't see it posted but Springfield lost Game 2 in OT 1-0.
60 min of shutout by Ellis couldn't get it done.
Deciding game is 2pm central today

Game 3 in Providence is tomorrow at 2pm actually.

But yeah, tough way to lose a game. I didn’t watch this one but I heard it was actually pretty exciting for a 0-0 game. Hopefully the T-birds have more than 1 game left in their season.

And lol, moose. Good one.

[seattleblue]

Didn't see it posted but Springfield lost Game 2 in OT 1-0.
60 min of shutout by Ellis couldn't get it done.
Deciding game is 2pm central today

Game 3 in Providence is tomorrow at 2pm actually.

But yeah, tough way to lose a game. I didn’t watch this one but I heard it was actually pretty exciting for a 0-0 game. Hopefully the T-birds have more than 1 game left in their season.

And lol, moose. Good one.

Good call, I looked at it last night thought I saw Saturday. Last night's game I saw the final 30 min of regulation and there were chances both ways and Ellis was stout. Made some first class saves. Hopefully a G4 Blues win tomorrow and then Springfield advances to play Hershey. I think that would be the next opponent but correct me please

[STL fan in MN]

Didn't see it posted but Springfield lost Game 2 in OT 1-0.
60 min of shutout by Ellis couldn't get it done.
Deciding game is 2pm central today

Game 3 in Providence is tomorrow at 2pm actually.

But yeah, tough way to lose a game. I didn’t watch this one but I heard it was actually pretty exciting for a 0-0 game. Hopefully the T-birds have more than 1 game left in their season.

And lol, moose. Good one.

Good call, I looked at it last night thought I saw Saturday. Last night's game I saw the final 30 min of regulation and there were chances both ways and Ellis was stout. Made some first class saves. Hopefully a G4 Blues win tomorrow and then Springfield advances to play Hershey. I think that would be the next opponent but correct me please

Correct, they’d play Atlantic top seed Hershey.

Here’s a visual of the insane 23-team, 5 rounds AHL playoffs bracket:


What’s hilarious is the AHL allows each division to determine how they’re going to do their bracket. The Central and North chose simplicity, the Atlantic is a little complicated but somewhat makes sense and the Pacific decided everyone gets a participation trophy and gets to play!

[seattleblue]

Didn't see it posted but Springfield lost Game 2 in OT 1-0.
60 min of shutout by Ellis couldn't get it done.
Deciding game is 2pm central today

Game 3 in Providence is tomorrow at 2pm actually.

But yeah, tough way to lose a game. I didn’t watch this one but I heard it was actually pretty exciting for a 0-0 game. Hopefully the T-birds have more than 1 game left in their season.

And lol, moose. Good one.

Good call, I looked at it last night thought I saw Saturday. Last night's game I saw the final 30 min of regulation and there were chances both ways and Ellis was stout. Made some first class saves. Hopefully a G4 Blues win tomorrow and then Springfield advances to play Hershey. I think that would be the next opponent but correct me please

Correct, they’d play Atlantic top seed Hershey.

Here’s a visual of the insane 23-team, 5 rounds AHL playoffs bracket:


What’s hilarious is the AHL allows each division to determine how they’re going to do their bracket. The Central and North chose simplicity, the Atlantic is a little complicated but somewhat makes sense and the Pacific decided everyone gets a participation trophy and gets to play!

That is a Rube Goldberg bracket. In the Atlantic if chalk holds then it's 1v3, 2v4.

I think it would make hockey playoffs in general kind of interesting if the higher seed got to pick its opponent either the first round or even two rounds. There would be a whole world of debate if this can of worms ever got opened. But some cans I kind of want to see open.

[STL fan in MN]

Didn't see it posted but Springfield lost Game 2 in OT 1-0.
60 min of shutout by Ellis couldn't get it done.
Deciding game is 2pm central today

Game 3 in Providence is tomorrow at 2pm actually.

But yeah, tough way to lose a game. I didn’t watch this one but I heard it was actually pretty exciting for a 0-0 game. Hopefully the T-birds have more than 1 game left in their season.

And lol, moose. Good one.

Good call, I looked at it last night thought I saw Saturday. Last night's game I saw the final 30 min of regulation and there were chances both ways and Ellis was stout. Made some first class saves. Hopefully a G4 Blues win tomorrow and then Springfield advances to play Hershey. I think that would be the next opponent but correct me please

Correct, they’d play Atlantic top seed Hershey.

Here’s a visual of the insane 23-team, 5 rounds AHL playoffs bracket:


What’s hilarious is the AHL allows each division to determine how they’re going to do their bracket. The Central and North chose simplicity, the Atlantic is a little complicated but somewhat makes sense and the Pacific decided everyone gets a participation trophy and gets to play!

That is a Rube Goldberg bracket. In the Atlantic if chalk holds then it's 1v3, 2v4.

I think it would make hockey playoffs in general kind of interesting if the higher seed got to pick its opponent either the first round or even two rounds. There would be a whole world of debate if this can of worms ever got opened. But some cans I kind of want to see open.

I’d find that interesting too but also a fan of the conference 1-8 bracket more than the divisional brackets. But the NHL loves gambling now and a set bracket helps with that so I doubt they’d ever go with letting the top seed choose opponents past Round 1 as then you couldn’t bet on series winners past Round 1.