Perspective

[DawgDad]

Since we are comparing the Blues to the Stars, help me understand something.

Faksa played very well in Dallas, but they released him last year because they had better and younger centers on all 4 lines. At least one is a rookie (Wyatt Johnson).

At what point in your simple logical timeline, will the Blues be busting at the seams with 4 talented NHL centers, and we can release Faksa too?

At the moment, Faksa is one of our 2 best centers..

Please don't compare us to Dallas. It's just not going to work, man.

I didn't compare the Blues team to Dallas, I noted how Dallas responded after losing to the Blues in a Game 7 2OT.

Yep, let me clarify it for you.

Dallas "responded" by drafting exceptionally well. Getting superstar players on your team can make a fan quickly forget a Game 7 2OT loss.

Getting injury-riddled Jiricek is not going to make us forget Pavel Buchnevich's boneheaded play. Having Buchnevich inked for 6 more years is not going to help us forget his boneheaded play.

So, you're stuck in the mud. Nothing will change, no lessons learned, no player development, no benefit from getting Holloway back in the lineup, no helpful moves in the offseason, no strengthening of the team's will to win and avenge this loss? All because "us" cannot let this go? Because we have no faith any of the prospects will pan out despite what we've seen from the young players who recently came up and contributed? Sorry, I'm not stuck in the mud with you.

I've seen 57 years of Blues hockey, the ups and downs, the good teams and the bad, the great players and the JAGs, prospects that became Hall of Famers and the ones who never panned out, the miracle accomplishments and the crushing defeats, even an entire draft that went by without a single Blues pick! How would "us" handle THAT in this internet age?

Want to know how I handled it? I kept tuning in and attending Blues games. Over and over. I cheered for Federko, Sutter, Mullen, Gilmour, Ramage and all the others. I went to see the the new guy Brett Hull. I went to see the new kid Chris Pronger. I enrolled my son in youth hockey. I cheered for his one-time teammate, Paul Stastny.

I don't ever want to forgot how great Glenn Hall played in a losing effort in the Cup Finals, just like I won't forget the guys whose hearts were broken by Yzerman or how hard the players on this team battled the President's Trophy team. I'll sign up to see the Blues on TV next season. I'll endure a whole summer of Braves baseball anxiously awaiting more Blues hockey. I'll wear my Blues cap proudly - down here in Georgia.

Blues hockey is FAR bigger than one disappointing playoff loss. Far too important in people's lives. Did you not learn anything from the 2019 Cup and parade? The rockier the road the sweeter the reward at the end.

Great reply their Blues fan. Despite our difference of opinions, I genuinely admire and respect you and your outlook and approach. While Doug Armstrong rattles my nerves, your words put me in a happy place. The same thing happened today at the presser. I love all the players and Monty, even the current goats (Kyrou and Buchnevich)--and then Armstrong came on, and my eyes crossed as soon as he opened his mouth, and then I unloaded my frustration on BluesTalk.

I'm already over the playoff loss. My problem is Doug Armstrong's approach to building the team and his dodgy politician speeches. I feel like his approach is screwing over the fans of St Louis, and no one is holding him accountable.

I'm very glad to hear that you are enjoying the team through all the years. I appreciate you sharing that. I'm going to give that some extra thought, and maybe adjust my helmet a bit.

Thank you.

You're welcome. Appreciate your sincerity.

[Unfathomable]

Doug's pressers can give you nuggets to the future and also be infuriating at the same time to be honest. it's never going to change. He pretty much admitted he didn't believe this team could win and that he wanted to make trades at the deadline but let the current play dictate what he did even though he has a 30000 foot view....

That doesn't make a lot of sense from a guy who says he doesn't let players dictate what he does just listens to them.

Fully willing to admit we played better down the stretch then I or anyone including most in the organization itself saw coming. Is the first round exit worth not trading Schenn at his highest trade value ( i truly don't know about that) From Doug or Schenn (ntc) was it really what was best for our franchise going forward beyond this year or what was best in the moment....

The Goal should always be to win the cup and do what it takes to win in this very thread we have people that are just happy to make the first round we have people happy we lost in game 7 so they didn't have to watch us get smoked by dallas etc...

Being Stuck in the middle sucks i hope we all realize we need at least 1 gamebreaker even if we will never agree on how we get said game breaker here.

people have been watching this franchise for 57 years and only seen it win one time. Vegas has been around less than a decade and has just as many cups as you... Perspective

[Blue Sabbath]

Doug's pressers can give you nuggets to the future and also be infuriating at the same time to be honest. it's never going to change. He pretty much admitted he didn't believe this team could win and that he wanted to make trades at the deadline but let the current play dictate what he did even though he has a 30000 foot view....

That doesn't make a lot of sense from a guy who says he doesn't let players dictate what he does just listens to them.

Fully willing to admit we played better down the stretch then I or anyone including most in the organization itself saw coming. Is the first round exit worth not trading Schenn at his highest trade value ( i truly don't know about that) From Doug or Schenn (ntc) was it really what was best for our franchise going forward beyond this year or what was best in the moment....

The Goal should always be to win the cup and do what it takes to win in this very thread we have people that are just happy to make the first round we have people happy we lost in game 7 so they didn't have to watch us get smoked by dallas etc...

Being Stuck in the middle sucks i hope we all realize we need at least 1 gamebreaker even if we will never agree on how we get said game breaker here.

people have been watching this franchise for 57 years and only seen it win one time. Vegas has been around less than a decade and has just as many cups as you... Perspective

[DawgDad]

Doug's pressers can give you nuggets to the future and also be infuriating at the same time to be honest. it's never going to change. He pretty much admitted he didn't believe this team could win and that he wanted to make trades at the deadline but let the current play dictate what he did even though he has a 30000 foot view....

That doesn't make a lot of sense from a guy who says he doesn't let players dictate what he does just listens to them.

Fully willing to admit we played better down the stretch then I or anyone including most in the organization itself saw coming. Is the first round exit worth not trading Schenn at his highest trade value ( i truly don't know about that) From Doug or Schenn (ntc) was it really what was best for our franchise going forward beyond this year or what was best in the moment....

The Goal should always be to win the cup and do what it takes to win in this very thread we have people that are just happy to make the first round we have people happy we lost in game 7 so they didn't have to watch us get smoked by dallas etc...

Being Stuck in the middle sucks i hope we all realize we need at least 1 gamebreaker even if we will never agree on how we get said game breaker here.

people have been watching this franchise for 57 years and only seen it win one time. Vegas has been around less than a decade and has just as many cups as you... Perspective

You are conflating two separate things he discussed. He said he doesn't really talk to the players about the team (said he had one very brief conversation with Suter), he picks up what he needs to know from their play and from the staff [Coaches, medical, et al]. And yes, he said he let thei team's play dictate the direction he took at the deadline.

There are things he is just not going to discuss, some with anyone and many not at all. He can't, and in his direct manner he makes no pretense about it like some do. I don't view him as any less open than any other GM, even Caron who used to do the Sunday morning show on KMOX. In private per his job he's discussing real people, moves that can significantly impact a player and his family. Can't air that stuff.

He spent a lot of time talking about 5% improvement, how hard it is, and how long it usually takes (about 5 years) to make the three significant moves the Blues made to move the needle this past season. How it will now take mainly self-improvement through hard work and good habits to make the next 5% leap, but that it can be done. How the Blues have reached that point [your "middle"?] where prospects and players will have to compete and win roles on the team, ice time, and it matters much less whether the player is a veteran or a young prospect. How he will seek to add another 200' offensive player in the market. Possibly (probably?) he's talking about a center, the team is overloaded with wingers, but we'll have to see.

That's where the team is. They still have a stream of prospects that will be arriving over time, they still have all their 1st round picks, they have some cap space. They have specific holes to plug in the forward ranks, a defense to transition over time (he said he's comfortable with the top-4), and assets in hand in goal. In prior seasons we've seen Army do nothing at this stage, let the team compete, and we've seen him make bold moves (2018 in particular). I agree they are in the middle, but I see them looking up, not down. I have a sense he and Steen are on the hunt for the next ROR deal, it might be this summer or the deadline or next summer.

[Unfathomable]

Doug's pressers can give you nuggets to the future and also be infuriating at the same time to be honest. it's never going to change. He pretty much admitted he didn't believe this team could win and that he wanted to make trades at the deadline but let the current play dictate what he did even though he has a 30000 foot view....

That doesn't make a lot of sense from a guy who says he doesn't let players dictate what he does just listens to them.

Fully willing to admit we played better down the stretch then I or anyone including most in the organization itself saw coming. Is the first round exit worth not trading Schenn at his highest trade value ( i truly don't know about that) From Doug or Schenn (ntc) was it really what was best for our franchise going forward beyond this year or what was best in the moment....

The Goal should always be to win the cup and do what it takes to win in this very thread we have people that are just happy to make the first round we have people happy we lost in game 7 so they didn't have to watch us get smoked by dallas etc...

Being Stuck in the middle sucks i hope we all realize we need at least 1 gamebreaker even if we will never agree on how we get said game breaker here.

people have been watching this franchise for 57 years and only seen it win one time. Vegas has been around less than a decade and has just as many cups as you... Perspective

You are conflating two separate things he discussed. He said he doesn't really talk to the players about the team (said he had one very brief conversation with Suter), he picks up what he needs to know from their play and from the staff [Coaches, medical, et al]. And yes, he said he let thei team's play dictate the direction he took at the deadline.

There are things he is just not going to discuss, some with anyone and many not at all. He can't, and in his direct manner he makes no pretense about it like some do. I don't view him as any less open than any other GM, even Caron who used to do the Sunday morning show on KMOX. In private per his job he's discussing real people, moves that can significantly impact a player and his family. Can't air that stuff.

He spent a lot of time talking about 5% improvement, how hard it is, and how long it usually takes (about 5 years) to make the three significant moves the Blues made to move the needle this past season. How it will now take mainly self-improvement through hard work and good habits to make the next 5% leap, but that it can be done. How the Blues have reached that point [your "middle"?] where prospects and players will have to compete and win roles on the team, ice time, and it matters much less whether the player is a veteran or a young prospect. How he will seek to add another 200' offensive player in the market. Possibly (probably?) he's talking about a center, the team is overloaded with wingers, but we'll have to see.

That's where the team is. They still have a stream of prospects that will be arriving over time, they still have all their 1st round picks, they have some cap space. They have specific holes to plug in the forward ranks, a defense to transition over time (he said he's comfortable with the top-4), and assets in hand in goal. In prior seasons we've seen Army do nothing at this stage, let the team compete, and we've seen him make bold moves (2018 in particular). I agree they are in the middle, but I see them looking up, not down. I have a sense he and Steen are on the hunt for the next ROR deal, it might be this summer or the deadline or next summer.

He mentioned Suter as the only one that really had any effect on him but rest assured everyone had a chat.

I'm more happy with Doug than I have been in the last 5 years for sure. I do believe the direction of the team is trending up I personally didn't need the playoffs to prove that for me some people do. I'm not exactly mad at the decision to stay the course but still bot sure it would of been my decision hearing some of the rumors we were in and parayko going down at the time..

Will also mention I think this is the best kyrou has looked maybe ever but for sure sense his all star season I think him and holloway have good chemistry and will be interesting to see how that goes if kyrou isn't traded before his ntc kicks in...

With how we played down the stretch the more I started thinking army will try to make a bigger move or signing this year I do believe he wants a bigger deal before he leaves..

I know people balk at the marner potential salary but he has the same agent as broberg agent and doug obviously work well together at least so far.. ( not there first dealings anyway) you also have the marner Thomas connection also wonder how much doug knows not only about the player but about behind the scenes negotiations and lack there of with marner and the leafs due to hockey Canada. Obviously a very fluid situation Tor made it to the 2nd rd +.

Doug didn't sound as concerned about our D going into next season at least that's what he tried to convey but they are not getting any younger. Think he tries to move on from at least leddy or Faulk. Clarke from LA was a name that was out there at the deadline I'd take a look at too ..