Mikkola is the real boss

[BalotelliMassive]

Here's a similar whiffjob that benefitted Florida:

After his selection by the Vancouver Canucks in the 2014 NHL entry draft, Gustav Forsling's NHL rights were traded to the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for Adam Clendening on 29 January 2015.

On 11 May 2016, he signed a three-year contract with the Chicago Blackhawks. He made the Blackhawks' opening night roster to begin his first North American season in 2016–17. On 13 November, Forsling scored his first NHL goal in a 3–2 win against the Montreal Canadiens. He was later reassigned to AHL affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs on 6 January 2017.

On 24 June 2019, Forsling was traded by the Blackhawks, along with Anton Forsberg to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for Calvin de Haan and Aleksi Saarela. On 16 July, he was re-signed to a one-year contract by the Hurricanes. During the 2020 off-season, on 24 October 2020, Forsling signed a one-year contract with Carolina.

On 8 January 2021, Forsling was placed on waivers by the Hurricanes prior to the delayed 2020–21 season. The following day, he was subsequently claimed by the Florida Panthers. On 15 July, the Panthers signed Forsling to a three-year, $8 million contract extension.

On 7 March 2024, Forsling was signed to an eight-year, $46 million contract extension by the Panthers. Forsling earned his first Stanley Cup championship when the Panthers won the seventh game of the Stanley Cup Finals against the Edmonton Oilers on 24 June.

Yep, last year Forsling was a force. They have a knack of making players turn the corner see Seth Jones also!

That happens from time to time when you go from a losing to a winning culture. Just look at Fowler.

How many times did we see it with the Cardinals during the LaRussa years? Player floundering somewhere, we acquire him, then all of sudden he either gets back to where he was during his great years, or they turned him into a great player.

Sometimes it's the coaching, or the environment, combination of both, having the pressure taken off, etc etc etc

Yup. That's why I want Marner in Chicago...

[blues2112]

Army tries to win every game,

You've made your first, last and only accurate statement.

Consider retiring on your unintended peak.

[a smell of green grass]

Army tries to win every game,

You've made your first, last and only accurate statement.

Consider retiring on your unintended peak.

Without a doubt, I need to run towards sanity before this thread drags me too far away.

[blues2112]

Army tries to win every game,

You've made your first, last and only accurate statement.

Consider retiring on your unintended peak.

Without a doubt, I need to run towards sanity before this thread drags me too far away.

My error. Two correct statements in a row.

[theograce]

Again, who is Mikkola better than. Faulk? Broberg? He's certainly not better than Parayko, Fowler or have more value than Broberg. And he's not even comparable to Faulk.

He’s better defensively than Faulk and light years ahead of Broberg defensively right now. And he’s meaner than both

Rubbish. Pure rubbish.

So you say over and over. The Oilers were fools for publicly talking about it.

[Cahokanut]

People have very strange ways of looking at things, we kept Mikkola in STL pretty much the entire time we had the power do do so.

Yeah he was going to be a UFA. Possible we could have signed him to an extension but he might have wanted to go elsewhere. He also wasn’t particularly special with us. He was a bottom pairing defenseman whose play generally reflected that.

He got better playing with Florida (a better, deeper team) but he’s still very clearly only their #4. Ekblad, Forsling, and Jones are all at 22+ minutes a night (Jones at 25) and Mikkola is getting 19. It’s pretty much the same as last year with Montour instead of Jones.

I think there is almost no chance he wanted to stay here VS going somewhere else to compete in the playoffs and I think the Blues would have happily kept him around if he did just like they did all the years he didn't have a choice.

This is bull[shirt]. I get it. Army the great.
Mikkola like many many others showed he could play in the league way before his last year.
But he wasn't given a opportunity. We played old guys.
And let the young guy go.
I know it sucks, for some. That the image so many worship is made up. But Army is the worse at evaluating young talent.

UFA can pretty much go where ever they want eh? There were rumblings he was going to want more $ than we had to spend under the cap, and as someone said, he was just ok here. Don’t let that get in the way of a good rant though, carry on.

Rumblings and he was just okay? Says you. I say the opposite. I remember how limited he was used and I remember everyone wanting more. Mikkola immediately took on 2 minutes a game on a better team in NY. He then took on another 3 minutes per game in Florida.
Some get so hard on Army being the best. They make excuses and claims of play. Calling any opinion not loyal to army , 'a rant.
They back this up with how Management used player. While Looking past what the next team saw in that player.

Sorry but management bad evaluating of their own youth, and as a result they over pay Vets, and waste good opportunities to improve the team, on the cheap, from within.

[a smell of green grass]

People have very strange ways of looking at things, we kept Mikkola in STL pretty much the entire time we had the power do do so.

Yeah he was going to be a UFA. Possible we could have signed him to an extension but he might have wanted to go elsewhere. He also wasn’t particularly special with us. He was a bottom pairing defenseman whose play generally reflected that.

He got better playing with Florida (a better, deeper team) but he’s still very clearly only their #4. Ekblad, Forsling, and Jones are all at 22+ minutes a night (Jones at 25) and Mikkola is getting 19. It’s pretty much the same as last year with Montour instead of Jones.

I think there is almost no chance he wanted to stay here VS going somewhere else to compete in the playoffs and I think the Blues would have happily kept him around if he did just like they did all the years he didn't have a choice.

This is bull[shirt]. I get it. Army the great.
Mikkola like many many others showed he could play in the league way before his last year.
But he wasn't given a opportunity. We played old guys.
And let the young guy go.
I know it sucks, for some. That the image so many worship is made up. But Army is the worse at evaluating young talent.

UFA can pretty much go where ever they want eh? There were rumblings he was going to want more $ than we had to spend under the cap, and as someone said, he was just ok here. Don’t let that get in the way of a good rant though, carry on.

Rumblings and he was just okay? Says you. I say the opposite. I remember how limited he was used and I remember everyone wanting more. Mikkola immediately took on 2 minutes a game on a better team in NY. He then took on another 3 minutes per game in Florida.
Some get so hard on Army being the best. They make excuses and claims of play. Calling any opinion not loyal to army , 'a rant.
They back this up with how Management used player. While Looking past what the next team saw in that player.

Sorry but management bad evaluating of their own youth, and as a result they over pay Vets, and waste good opportunities to improve the team, on the cheap, from within.

Wow. Cohakanut is such a smart and nifty player. Was he drafted by Army, not played, and then given away?

[netboy65]

People have very strange ways of looking at things, we kept Mikkola in STL pretty much the entire time we had the power do do so.

Yeah he was going to be a UFA. Possible we could have signed him to an extension but he might have wanted to go elsewhere. He also wasn’t particularly special with us. He was a bottom pairing defenseman whose play generally reflected that.

He got better playing with Florida (a better, deeper team) but he’s still very clearly only their #4. Ekblad, Forsling, and Jones are all at 22+ minutes a night (Jones at 25) and Mikkola is getting 19. It’s pretty much the same as last year with Montour instead of Jones.

I think there is almost no chance he wanted to stay here VS going somewhere else to compete in the playoffs and I think the Blues would have happily kept him around if he did just like they did all the years he didn't have a choice.

This is bull[shirt]. I get it. Army the great.
Mikkola like many many others showed he could play in the league way before his last year.
But he wasn't given a opportunity. We played old guys.
And let the young guy go.
I know it sucks, for some. That the image so many worship is made up. But Army is the worse at evaluating young talent.

UFA can pretty much go where ever they want eh? There were rumblings he was going to want more $ than we had to spend under the cap, and as someone said, he was just ok here. Don’t let that get in the way of a good rant though, carry on.

Rumblings and he was just okay? Says you. I say the opposite. I remember how limited he was used and I remember everyone wanting more. Mikkola immediately took on 2 minutes a game on a better team in NY. He then took on another 3 minutes per game in Florida.
Some get so hard on Army being the best. They make excuses and claims of play. Calling any opinion not loyal to army , 'a rant.
They back this up with how Management used player. While Looking past what the next team saw in that player.

Sorry but management bad evaluating of their own youth, and as a result they over pay Vets, and waste good opportunities to improve the team, on the cheap, from within.

He was put in a prime spot with Parayko, and he wasn’t given a chance? Time to up your meds

[stlblues1979]

People have very strange ways of looking at things, we kept Mikkola in STL pretty much the entire time we had the power do do so.

Yeah he was going to be a UFA. Possible we could have signed him to an extension but he might have wanted to go elsewhere. He also wasn’t particularly special with us. He was a bottom pairing defenseman whose play generally reflected that.

He got better playing with Florida (a better, deeper team) but he’s still very clearly only their #4. Ekblad, Forsling, and Jones are all at 22+ minutes a night (Jones at 25) and Mikkola is getting 19. It’s pretty much the same as last year with Montour instead of Jones.

I think there is almost no chance he wanted to stay here VS going somewhere else to compete in the playoffs and I think the Blues would have happily kept him around if he did just like they did all the years he didn't have a choice.

This is bull[shirt]. I get it. Army the great.
Mikkola like many many others showed he could play in the league way before his last year.
But he wasn't given a opportunity. We played old guys.
And let the young guy go.
I know it sucks, for some. That the image so many worship is made up. But Army is the worse at evaluating young talent.

UFA can pretty much go where ever they want eh? There were rumblings he was going to want more $ than we had to spend under the cap, and as someone said, he was just ok here. Don’t let that get in the way of a good rant though, carry on.

Rumblings and he was just okay? Says you. I say the opposite. I remember how limited he was used and I remember everyone wanting more. Mikkola immediately took on 2 minutes a game on a better team in NY. He then took on another 3 minutes per game in Florida.
Some get so hard on Army being the best. They make excuses and claims of play. Calling any opinion not loyal to army , 'a rant.
They back this up with how Management used player. While Looking past what the next team saw in that player.

Sorry but management bad evaluating of their own youth, and as a result they over pay Vets, and waste good opportunities to improve the team, on the cheap, from within.

He was put in a prime spot with Parayko, and he wasn’t given a chance? Time to up your meds

Exactly, you nailed it. Was given every chance to succeed & it just didn't work out while he was a Blue.

I love how some think they're so good & accurate regarding evaluating talent but always forget they're looking through the glasses of hindsight.

[Cahokanut]

People have very strange ways of looking at things, we kept Mikkola in STL pretty much the entire time we had the power do do so.

Yeah he was going to be a UFA. Possible we could have signed him to an extension but he might have wanted to go elsewhere. He also wasn’t particularly special with us. He was a bottom pairing defenseman whose play generally reflected that.

He got better playing with Florida (a better, deeper team) but he’s still very clearly only their #4. Ekblad, Forsling, and Jones are all at 22+ minutes a night (Jones at 25) and Mikkola is getting 19. It’s pretty much the same as last year with Montour instead of Jones.

I think there is almost no chance he wanted to stay here VS going somewhere else to compete in the playoffs and I think the Blues would have happily kept him around if he did just like they did all the years he didn't have a choice.

This is bull[shirt]. I get it. Army the great.
Mikkola like many many others showed he could play in the league way before his last year.
But he wasn't given a opportunity. We played old guys.
And let the young guy go.
I know it sucks, for some. That the image so many worship is made up. But Army is the worse at evaluating young talent.

UFA can pretty much go where ever they want eh? There were rumblings he was going to want more $ than we had to spend under the cap, and as someone said, he was just ok here. Don’t let that get in the way of a good rant though, carry on.

Rumblings and he was just okay? Says you. I say the opposite. I remember how limited he was used and I remember everyone wanting more. Mikkola immediately took on 2 minutes a game on a better team in NY. He then took on another 3 minutes per game in Florida.
Some get so hard on Army being the best. They make excuses and claims of play. Calling any opinion not loyal to army , 'a rant.
They back this up with how Management used player. While Looking past what the next team saw in that player.

Sorry but management bad evaluating of their own youth, and as a result they over pay Vets, and waste good opportunities to improve the team, on the cheap, from within.

He was put in a prime spot with Parayko, and he wasn’t given a chance? Time to up your meds

Parayko was only playing 14 minutes a night ?
You Just throwing things out there. Who cares what role he was immediately able to step in on a better team, or his next role just a few months later on a better team. Nope you go with some made up opportunity with Parayko. Come on man. He isn't a God. He is a creator of habit.
Almost every deadline, if we are competing. Army gets a vet defender. All that's forgotten and Fowler's the proof of his golden glow.

[somni]

Well, if Mr. Hindsight could be the GM for the Blues then they would have multiple Stanley Cups by now. Going all the way back to the Doug Gilmour trade.

Mikkola was no where near the player he is now. He's 29 years old. Good on him for figuring it out. The Blues are on a different path.

[netboy65]

People have very strange ways of looking at things, we kept Mikkola in STL pretty much the entire time we had the power do do so.

Yeah he was going to be a UFA. Possible we could have signed him to an extension but he might have wanted to go elsewhere. He also wasn’t particularly special with us. He was a bottom pairing defenseman whose play generally reflected that.

He got better playing with Florida (a better, deeper team) but he’s still very clearly only their #4. Ekblad, Forsling, and Jones are all at 22+ minutes a night (Jones at 25) and Mikkola is getting 19. It’s pretty much the same as last year with Montour instead of Jones.

I think there is almost no chance he wanted to stay here VS going somewhere else to compete in the playoffs and I think the Blues would have happily kept him around if he did just like they did all the years he didn't have a choice.

This is bull[shirt]. I get it. Army the great.
Mikkola like many many others showed he could play in the league way before his last year.
But he wasn't given a opportunity. We played old guys.
And let the young guy go.
I know it sucks, for some. That the image so many worship is made up. But Army is the worse at evaluating young talent.

UFA can pretty much go where ever they want eh? There were rumblings he was going to want more $ than we had to spend under the cap, and as someone said, he was just ok here. Don’t let that get in the way of a good rant though, carry on.

Rumblings and he was just okay? Says you. I say the opposite. I remember how limited he was used and I remember everyone wanting more. Mikkola immediately took on 2 minutes a game on a better team in NY. He then took on another 3 minutes per game in Florida.
Some get so hard on Army being the best. They make excuses and claims of play. Calling any opinion not loyal to army , 'a rant.
They back this up with how Management used player. While Looking past what the next team saw in that player.

Sorry but management bad evaluating of their own youth, and as a result they over pay Vets, and waste good opportunities to improve the team, on the cheap, from within.

He was put in a prime spot with Parayko, and he wasn’t given a chance? Time to up your meds

Parayko was only playing 14 minutes a night ?
You Just throwing things out there. Who cares what role he was immediately able to step in on a better team, or his next role just a few months later on a better team. Nope you go with some made up opportunity with Parayko. Come on man. He isn't a God. He is a creator of habit.
Almost every deadline, if we are competing. Army gets a vet defender. All that's forgotten and Fowler's the proof of his golden glow.

Wrong again. Fowler was acquired in Dec long before the deadline, and we really weren’t competing at that time were we?

Also might want to check that 14 minute number again. Per hockey reference it looks closer to about 18, with several games well over 20.

[a smell of green grass]

Well, if Mr. Hindsight could be the GM for the Blues then they would have multiple Stanley Cups by now. Going all the way back to the Doug Gilmour trade.

Mikkola was no where near the player he is now. He's 29 years old. Good on him for figuring it out. The Blues are on a different path.

It's all a mystery, folks. Texier, Joseph 1, and Joseph 2 could have just as easily blossomed into McDavid. GMs are helpless in a failure situation. They shouldn't be expected to know or anticipate anything more than your dumbest dog.

Now, if Army makes a smart move about a player like Fowler, these same people will tell you that that Army is the best in the business. He has it all figured out. It's only backfires that can't be anticipated or accredited. Remember that.

[SRV1990]

Here's a similar whiffjob that benefitted Florida:

After his selection by the Vancouver Canucks in the 2014 NHL entry draft, Gustav Forsling's NHL rights were traded to the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for Adam Clendening on 29 January 2015.

On 11 May 2016, he signed a three-year contract with the Chicago Blackhawks. He made the Blackhawks' opening night roster to begin his first North American season in 2016–17. On 13 November, Forsling scored his first NHL goal in a 3–2 win against the Montreal Canadiens. He was later reassigned to AHL affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs on 6 January 2017.

On 24 June 2019, Forsling was traded by the Blackhawks, along with Anton Forsberg to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for Calvin de Haan and Aleksi Saarela. On 16 July, he was re-signed to a one-year contract by the Hurricanes. During the 2020 off-season, on 24 October 2020, Forsling signed a one-year contract with Carolina.

On 8 January 2021, Forsling was placed on waivers by the Hurricanes prior to the delayed 2020–21 season. The following day, he was subsequently claimed by the Florida Panthers. On 15 July, the Panthers signed Forsling to a three-year, $8 million contract extension.

On 7 March 2024, Forsling was signed to an eight-year, $46 million contract extension by the Panthers. Forsling earned his first Stanley Cup championship when the Panthers won the seventh game of the Stanley Cup Finals against the Edmonton Oilers on 24 June.

Wow, there appears to be lots of "terrible" GMs in the league. And I just thought there was one.

[Cahokanut]

He was put in a prime spot with Parayko, and he wasn’t given a chance? Time to up your meds

Parayko was only playing 14 minutes a night ?
You Just throwing things out there. Who cares what role he was immediately able to step in on a better team, or his next role just a few months later on a better team. Nope you go with some made up opportunity with Parayko. Come on man. He isn't a God. He is a creator of habit.
Almost every deadline, if we are competing. Army gets a vet defender. All that's forgotten and Fowler's the proof of his golden glow.

Wrong again. Fowler was acquired in Dec long before the deadline, and we really weren’t competing at that time were we?

Also might want to check that 14 minute number again. Per hockey reference it looks closer to about 18, with several games well over 20.
[/quote]

_______________________________
---------------------------------------------------



You might of been looking at his minutes on the year and not just with the Blues.

ttps://www.hockey-reference.com/players/m/mikkoni01.html



While the timing may be off. Army was all in last year. And like almost Every year we've been in.......vet defender is the move.
But for all kinds of different reasons. Only Fowler counts for some.

[a smell of green grass]

Here's a similar whiffjob that benefitted Florida:

After his selection by the Vancouver Canucks in the 2014 NHL entry draft, Gustav Forsling's NHL rights were traded to the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for Adam Clendening on 29 January 2015.

On 11 May 2016, he signed a three-year contract with the Chicago Blackhawks. He made the Blackhawks' opening night roster to begin his first North American season in 2016–17. On 13 November, Forsling scored his first NHL goal in a 3–2 win against the Montreal Canadiens. He was later reassigned to AHL affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs on 6 January 2017.

On 24 June 2019, Forsling was traded by the Blackhawks, along with Anton Forsberg to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for Calvin de Haan and Aleksi Saarela. On 16 July, he was re-signed to a one-year contract by the Hurricanes. During the 2020 off-season, on 24 October 2020, Forsling signed a one-year contract with Carolina.

On 8 January 2021, Forsling was placed on waivers by the Hurricanes prior to the delayed 2020–21 season. The following day, he was subsequently claimed by the Florida Panthers. On 15 July, the Panthers signed Forsling to a three-year, $8 million contract extension.

On 7 March 2024, Forsling was signed to an eight-year, $46 million contract extension by the Panthers. Forsling earned his first Stanley Cup championship when the Panthers won the seventh game of the Stanley Cup Finals against the Edmonton Oilers on 24 June.

Wow, there appears to be lots of "terrible" GMs in the league. And I just thought there was one.

You need to adjust your helmet a bit, and then your line of vision will clear.

There are many AVERAGE GMs in the NHL. Doug Army is one of them. There are very few excellent GMs. Florida has one. As does Carolina and Dallas.

Average GMs are prone to yearly desperate moves to fix the whatever is the biggest hole on the roster that year. Their hallmark is also working on a problem for years without ever solving it (e.g. a 2C). They are also prone to handing out the biggest contracts to the most worthless talent, and this leads to trades where our compensation is nullifying Army's contract mistake.