UFA Targets #2 Centers

[skilles]

well I think it's safe to say Tavares is gone:

Pierre LeBrun
@PierreVLeBrun
·
19m
John Tavares says he spoke with Leafs GM Brad Treliving today and he’s optimistic that maybe he will be back perhaps. But obviously none of that is for sure at this point.

and whether he stays with the Leafs or not the chances he chooses the Blues are very slim IMO.

I agree. He likely looks to go to somewhere they have a really great shot of winning the cup.

Very good chance we are going to have to explore the bargin bin IMO, I just don't think we can compete in the primary market for various reasons...some of which are really good reasons (Dvorsky)

Gonna be very difficult to compete in UFA with teams that don't have a Dvorsky.

Jeez...pump the brakes on this kid. He was ok at the A this year. He probably has 2 years left down there. 21g 24A and a -10 is world beating yet. Let's see him dominate the A first.

The point is it makes a lot less sense for the Blues to go big long term contract on a 2c than it does other teams which will make it hard to compete in that market.

[TheJackBurton]

well I think it's safe to say Tavares is gone:

Pierre LeBrun
@PierreVLeBrun
·
19m
John Tavares says he spoke with Leafs GM Brad Treliving today and he’s optimistic that maybe he will be back perhaps. But obviously none of that is for sure at this point.

and whether he stays with the Leafs or not the chances he chooses the Blues are very slim IMO.

I agree. He likely looks to go to somewhere they have a really great shot of winning the cup.

Very good chance we are going to have to explore the bargin bin IMO, I just don't think we can compete in the primary market for various reasons...some of which are really good reasons (Dvorsky)

Gonna be very difficult to compete in UFA with teams that don't have a Dvorsky.

Jeez...pump the brakes on this kid. He was ok at the A this year. He probably has 2 years left down there. 21g 24A and a -10 is world beating yet. Let's see him dominate the A first.

Someone will have to help me on this as I'm not exactly sure how it works, but does the NHL minors work like the MLB minors do?

By that I mean, say they told Dvorsky that they wanted him to concentrate on certain parts of his game that they knew would result in his offense taking a bit of a hit.

To compare would be when an MLB team sends a pitcher down to strictly work on his breaking pitches. During that time he gets lit up but it isn't because he isn't good enough but he's refining some things or developing something else.

So in the case of Dvorsky they may very well have told him, we are good and confident in your offense, but we want you to work on your full 200 ft game to prepare for next year.

Just a question as I'm not sure.

[STL fan in MN]

well I think it's safe to say Tavares is gone:

Pierre LeBrun
@PierreVLeBrun
·
19m
John Tavares says he spoke with Leafs GM Brad Treliving today and he’s optimistic that maybe he will be back perhaps. But obviously none of that is for sure at this point.

and whether he stays with the Leafs or not the chances he chooses the Blues are very slim IMO.

I agree. He likely looks to go to somewhere they have a really great shot of winning the cup.

Very good chance we are going to have to explore the bargin bin IMO, I just don't think we can compete in the primary market for various reasons...some of which are really good reasons (Dvorsky)

Gonna be very difficult to compete in UFA with teams that don't have a Dvorsky.

Jeez...pump the brakes on this kid. He was ok at the A this year. He probably has 2 years left down there. 21g 24A and a -10 is world beating yet. Let's see him dominate the A first.

I doubt he needs 2 more years in the AHL. He’s pretty close IMO.

The point I assume skilles is trying to make is that some teams have a gaping hole at C and nothing coming in the pipeline so they can sign a UFA to a long contract without many considerations. The Blues have the “problem” of a top center prospect in Dvorsky they need to keep in mind.

IMO, whether it’s having Dvorsky or them simply not comfortable going longterm on an aging forward, I don’t see the Blues signing a UFA center to a long contract this summer. So that likely takes them out of the running for the top Cs assuming those guys want to sign for 6-7 years.

Also, Dvorsky was 2nd in scoring in the AHL for anyone under 20. He “only” put up 45 pts in 61 games but at age 19? That was pretty impressive. But goes to show just how big of a step it is up to the AHL and then another big step up to the NHL. He’s not quite ready yet IMO but he’s well on his way given his age.

[carl racki]

If the Blues want to be contenders they legit need two centers this summer, similar to 2019. One will need to come via trade I believe.

If you're talking about Top 9 centers then I don't think that's plausible with Thomas and Schenn already here. Schenn is ideally a 3C by usage, sure, but he's not going to be a 4C and we have plenty of other options for Top 9 wing right now with the emergence of Holloway, Bolduc, and Snuggerud.

Not necessarily how I'd break it out, but just to get the names on there...

Buch / Thomas / Bolduc
Holloway / Schenn / Kyrou
Neighbours / _____ / Snuggerud

If you can find a legit Top 6 C to fill that empty slot it's a very potent Top 9. I'm not seeing two spots without Schenn moving to 4C (unlikely) or wing (somebody else would have to be on the move).

Schenn is a warrior. He's also a better LW than Center. If they want to match up with the best in the west, I think they need two centers better than Schenn. JMO.

[Galatians221jb1]

I don't think ROR has the speed to keep up with Neighbors and Bolduc. I hope I'm wrong

[bluetunehead]

If the Blues want to be contenders they legit need two centers this summer, similar to 2019. One will need to come via trade I believe.

If you're talking about Top 9 centers then I don't think that's plausible with Thomas and Schenn already here. Schenn is ideally a 3C by usage, sure, but he's not going to be a 4C and we have plenty of other options for Top 9 wing right now with the emergence of Holloway, Bolduc, and Snuggerud.

Not necessarily how I'd break it out, but just to get the names on there...

Buch / Thomas / Bolduc
Holloway / Schenn / Kyrou
Neighbours / _____ / Snuggerud

If you can find a legit Top 6 C to fill that empty slot it's a very potent Top 9. I'm not seeing two spots without Schenn moving to 4C (unlikely) or wing (somebody else would have to be on the move).

Schenn is a warrior. He's also a better LW than Center. If they want to match up with the best in the west, I think they need two centers better than Schenn. JMO.

Yeah I agree about needing two centers better than Schenn. I have him in the second spot there cause he played well with Kyrou and Holloway, but I don’t necessarily mean we should see him as a 2C and look for a 3C behind him. I think ideally the Blues would roll their top 3 lines steadily at 5v5. If you can find a guy who fits that sub-Thomas but better than Schenn bill then I think it becomes a real possibility.

[skilles]

well I think it's safe to say Tavares is gone:

Pierre LeBrun
@PierreVLeBrun
·
19m
John Tavares says he spoke with Leafs GM Brad Treliving today and he’s optimistic that maybe he will be back perhaps. But obviously none of that is for sure at this point.

and whether he stays with the Leafs or not the chances he chooses the Blues are very slim IMO.

I agree. He likely looks to go to somewhere they have a really great shot of winning the cup.

Very good chance we are going to have to explore the bargin bin IMO, I just don't think we can compete in the primary market for various reasons...some of which are really good reasons (Dvorsky)

Gonna be very difficult to compete in UFA with teams that don't have a Dvorsky.

Jeez...pump the brakes on this kid. He was ok at the A this year. He probably has 2 years left down there. 21g 24A and a -10 is world beating yet. Let's see him dominate the A first.

I doubt he needs 2 more years in the AHL. He’s pretty close IMO.

The point I assume skilles is trying to make is that some teams have a gaping hole at C and nothing coming in the pipeline so they can sign a UFA to a long contract without many considerations. The Blues have the “problem” of a top center prospect in Dvorsky they need to keep in mind.

IMO, whether it’s having Dvorsky or them simply not comfortable going longterm on an aging forward, I don’t see the Blues signing a UFA center to a long contract this summer. So that likely takes them out of the running for the top Cs assuming those guys want to sign for 6-7 years.

Also, Dvorsky was 2nd in scoring in the AHL for anyone under 20. He “only” put up 45 pts in 61 games but at age 19? That was pretty impressive. But goes to show just how big of a step it is up to the AHL and then another big step up to the NHL. He’s not quite ready yet IMO but he’s well on his way given his age.

Yeah we have a top c in the NHL, a top c prospect in the AHL AND a reasonable 2c/elite 3c in the NHL.....many teams should be far more open for business than we should be.

Never know, someone may choose us but we probably won't be the high bid.

[BalotelliMassive]

If the Blues don't fill this hole in the offseason and hope that Dvorsky takes a step forward like last season then it's another big mistake for a team with the pieces in place to make a run. It was a hole going into the season and a hole against the jets.

[bud white]

Texier remains a bit of an enigma. From what we've seen of him, he has the tools, but hasn't been able to put it all together. Same as his time with CBJ.

I sense that they'll give him some time with Monty before cutting him loose. Monty has been pretty successful in turning young players around. He has one year left on his deal if I'm reading his online contract info correctly.

[leedog68]

I don't think ROR has the speed to keep up with Neighbors and Bolduc. I hope I'm wrong

Like Schenn doesn't have the speed to keep up with Kyrou and Holloway? It seemed to work pretty well.

[skilles]

I don't think ROR has the speed to keep up with Neighbors and Bolduc. I hope I'm wrong

Like Schenn doesn't have the speed to keep up with Kyrou and Holloway? It seemed to work pretty well.

Yeah I mean if these guys were young and had that kind of speed they would be top centers we couldn't afford.

2/3 centers are not going to be perfect unless you draft and develop them or pay a kings ransom for them and even then you can only afford so many long term.

[bud white]

I don't think ROR has the speed to keep up with Neighbors and Bolduc. I hope I'm wrong

Like Schenn doesn't have the speed to keep up with Kyrou and Holloway? It seemed to work pretty well.

Yeah I mean if these guys were young and had that kind of speed they would be top centers we couldn't afford.

2/3 centers are not going to be perfect unless you draft and develop them or pay a kings ransom for them and even then you can only afford so many long term.

I don't mind having a center who's slower than the wings. All that means is that your center becomes the F3 coming into the zone ... Not a big deal. (Also makes the Center - typically a more responsible defensive player - the first forward back.) Have to have speed to get around the D.

[hockey jedi]

I like the idea of bringing ROR back if we could get him for futures or a late round pick. Nashville wants to get him off the payroll so I think that's possible. He's under contract for two more years. I agree with the poster who stated he may not be able to keep up speed wise with Bolduc and Jake, but he brings so much to the table outside of that. His salary hit isn't that bad and we have room. If things aren't working out, we could trade him to a contender. Schenn's versatility of being able to slide to wing makes this work if Dvo is handling the NHL game.

[skilles]

I don't think ROR has the speed to keep up with Neighbors and Bolduc. I hope I'm wrong

Like Schenn doesn't have the speed to keep up with Kyrou and Holloway? It seemed to work pretty well.

Yeah I mean if these guys were young and had that kind of speed they would be top centers we couldn't afford.

2/3 centers are not going to be perfect unless you draft and develop them or pay a kings ransom for them and even then you can only afford so many long term.

I don't mind having a center who's slower than the wings. All that means is that your center becomes the F3 coming into the zone ... Not a big deal. (Also makes the Center - typically a more responsible defensive player - the first forward back.) Have to have speed to get around the D.

I think people are caught up on our 2nd line which was already very good but this move improves our 3rd line quite a lot IMO. People have a bad taste in their mouths thinking about ROR as a #1 center but thats not what we need.

[zamadoo]

I like the idea of bringing ROR back if we could get him for futures or a late round pick. Nashville wants to get him off the payroll so I think that's possible. He's under contract for two more years. I agree with the poster who stated he may not be able to keep up speed wise with Bolduc and Jake, but he brings so much to the table outside of that. His salary hit isn't that bad and we have room. If things aren't working out, we could trade him to a contender. Schenn's versatility of being able to slide to wing makes this work if Dvo is handling the NHL game.

I agree, and no matter where ROR would slot, he'd still be very valuable on this team. I mean just imagine him instead of Sunny on 3rd line and PP this season. I'm not sure who is better between him and Schenn at this point and going forward, but it'd be interesting to see how the lineup would look.

While we're at it, maybe we can get Perron from OTT

[thegibby.]

I wonder what Steen thinks of Isac Lundestrom? (having a decent World Championships for Sweden). A still only 25yr old dumpster dive.