So I guess we all know where the team was now

[dhsux]

It's pasta here tonight.

Mussels, white wine, garlic, parsley and sun dried tomatoes on linguine.

Oh...some olive oil and butter!

You should roast the garlic (freshly peeled only) in olive oil...if you're adding wine make sure to reduce it by cooking it off until it's half as full...and use the pasta water.

Great suggestions.

I do cook the wine down.

On the garlic, I've been into using a zester past few years to break the garlic down....and it then goes into the pan with the warmed/hot olive oil to infuse it and it takes less time.

Pretty good.

I'm down on pasta water too!

[sdaltons]

At the end of the season, some thought that we were one Buchnevich brain freeze away from a Stanley Cup. They assumed minimal changes were needed. Just let Dvorsky hit the refrigerator for one more summer, and we were locked and loaded.

Then the 2025 offseason happened, and Army showed us all just how "close" our team was. And truth be known, I would bet that Army tried to jettison several other big names, but couldn't get enough in return for them. It's embarrassing for Army to trade Buchnevich for a bag of practice pucks.

So is everybody on board now that we were not "close"? The team was missing key ingredients, and Army needed dynamite to fix it.

Bout ready to eat some homade meat loaf yorkshire pudding and mash taters with green beans boom

Can I come over? Since my grandparents passed, I don't get to eat yorkshire pudding nearly enough.

[BalotelliMassive]

It's pasta here tonight.

Mussels, white wine, garlic, parsley and sun dried tomatoes on linguine.

Oh...some olive oil and butter!

You should roast the garlic (freshly peeled only) in olive oil...if you're adding wine make sure to reduce it by cooking it off until it's half as full...and use the pasta water.

Great suggestions.

I do cook the wine down.

On the garlic, I've been into using a zester past few years to break the garlic down....and it then goes into the pan with the warmed/hot olive oil to infuse it and it takes less time.

Pretty good.

I'm down on pasta water too!

Good stuff bud...you're doing it right

[a smell of green grass]

Is this really necessary?

Really....?

Armstrong and the Blues have convinced many of the fans that TOP5 picks are not essential. Not needed. They think that a TOP5 pick is a curse, and something to be avoided at all costs. I think otherwise.

It's not easy turning that ship around, but I'm determined. And remember, I fight like Schenn, not Kyrou.

[BalotelliMassive]

Is this really necessary?

Really....?

Armstrong and the Blues have convinced many of the fans that TOP5 picks are not essential. Not needed. They think that a TOP5 pick is a curse, and something to be avoided at all costs. I think otherwise.

It's not easy turning that ship around, but I'm determined. And remember, I fight like Schenn, not Kyrou.

They aren't essential for a team that made the playoffs.

Stop it!

[a smell of green grass]

Is this really necessary?

Really....?

Armstrong and the Blues have convinced many of the fans that TOP5 picks are not essential. Not needed. They think that a TOP5 pick is a curse, and something to be avoided at all costs. I think otherwise.

It's not easy turning that ship around, but I'm determined. And remember, I fight like Schenn, not Kyrou.

They aren't essential for a team that made the playoffs.

Stop it!

Sorry. Someone has to let the good fans for St Louis know the cost of not having TOP5 picks.

It's because TOP5 picks yield elite Centers and RHD. That's why, folks.

[Snuggyfresh]

At the end of the season, some thought that we were one Buchnevich brain freeze away from a Stanley Cup. They assumed minimal changes were needed. Just let Dvorsky hit the refrigerator for one more summer, and we were locked and loaded.

Then the 2025 offseason happened, and Army showed us all just how "close" our team was. And truth be known, I would bet that Army tried to jettison several other big names, but couldn't get enough in return for them. It's embarrassing for Army to trade Buchnevich for a bag of practice pucks.

So is everybody on board now that we were not "close"? The team was missing key ingredients, and Army needed dynamite to fix it.

Bout ready to eat some homade meat loaf yorkshire pudding and mash taters with green beans boom

Can I come over? Since my grandparents passed, I don't get to eat yorkshire pudding nearly enough.

Its amazing. My dads mom was borning england recipe went with him.

[Maplebutterworth]

Is this really necessary?

Really....?

Armstrong and the Blues have convinced many of the fans that TOP5 picks are not essential. Not needed. They think that a TOP5 pick is a curse, and something to be avoided at all costs. I think otherwise.

It's not easy turning that ship around, but I'm determined. And remember, I fight like Schenn, not Kyrou.

I guess we should have gone all in with the "lose for Hughes" idea several years back. Stupid Blues won the cup instead and the city is still recovering from their selfish move.

[Stlcardsblues]

Is this really necessary?

Really....?

Armstrong and the Blues have convinced many of the fans that TOP5 picks are not essential. Not needed. They think that a TOP5 pick is a curse, and something to be avoided at all costs. I think otherwise.

It's not easy turning that ship around, but I'm determined. And remember, I fight like Schenn, not Kyrou.

As I have asked you on a number of occasions, what is your suggestion on how to get a top five pick? Each time I ask you can’t give a path to land it.

I can’t speak for others, but I never called them cup contenders as they were constructed at the end of the 25 season. What I did say was they took major strides towards it and it was on Armstrong to make decisions to take them to the next step. He did that, now time will tell if they were the correct moves.

[a smell of green grass]

Is this really necessary?

Really....?

Armstrong and the Blues have convinced many of the fans that TOP5 picks are not essential. Not needed. They think that a TOP5 pick is a curse, and something to be avoided at all costs. I think otherwise.

It's not easy turning that ship around, but I'm determined. And remember, I fight like Schenn, not Kyrou.

I guess we should have gone all in with the "lose for Hughes" idea several years back. Stupid Blues won the cup instead and the city is still recovering from their selfish move.

Guess what the Blues had on their 2019 team? That's right. A TOP5 pick.

Does anybody remember the Blues "tanking" to get Pietrangelo? Or do you only remember him skating around with the Cup?

[sdaltons]

I absolutely remember the terrible years in the mid-2000's.

[netboy65]

I absolutely remember the terrible years in the mid-2000's.

Right, but those weren’t on purpose. That was ownership selling us out

[Barksdale's People]

Is this really necessary?

Really....?

Armstrong and the Blues have convinced many of the fans that TOP5 picks are not essential. Not needed. They think that a TOP5 pick is a curse, and something to be avoided at all costs. I think otherwise.

It's not easy turning that ship around, but I'm determined. And remember, I fight like Schenn, not Kyrou.

I guess we should have gone all in with the "lose for Hughes" idea several years back. Stupid Blues won the cup instead and the city is still recovering from their selfish move.

Guess what the Blues had on their 2019 team? That's right. A TOP5 pick.

Does anybody remember the Blues "tanking" to get Pietrangelo? Or do you only remember him skating around with the Cup?

Well golly gee that was a whole 17 years ago. Maybe there are some old timers who can tell us what hockey was like then huh? I mean surely the mid 2000’s was back when we had to listen to the draft on our transistor radios right?

Always a joy to see you try to talk hockey champ.

[b-a-a-a-rclay]

Wouldn't it be fun if DA was trying to figure out how to make the team a bottom 5 team in the league this summer? All the "smart' teams are trying to finish bottom 5. Once we are all smart enough to see how great that strategy would be, we will hate DA until he learns how smart it is to lose more games than just 27 other teams in the NHL ... and if he can do that for about 4 or 5 years in a row, then we can wait about 5 more years for those guaranteed superstars to lead us to the playoffs. It's a fool proof approach. Really. I can't understand why more of us aren't jumping on board.

[Maplebutterworth]

Is this really necessary?

Really....?

Armstrong and the Blues have convinced many of the fans that TOP5 picks are not essential. Not needed. They think that a TOP5 pick is a curse, and something to be avoided at all costs. I think otherwise.

It's not easy turning that ship around, but I'm determined. And remember, I fight like Schenn, not Kyrou.

I guess we should have gone all in with the "lose for Hughes" idea several years back. Stupid Blues won the cup instead and the city is still recovering from their selfish move.

Guess what the Blues had on their 2019 team? That's right. A TOP5 pick.

Does anybody remember the Blues "tanking" to get Pietrangelo? Or do you only remember him skating around with the Cup?

Tanking is a great way to set your organization back years of progress in HOPES that the pick you get pans out and helps to lift you back to relevance. In 2019 tanking looked like what you would have intentionally lead us to if you had been at the helm, but look what happened. Look how many top picks the Oilers have and please tell me how many cups they've won with them. Yeah if we're all terrible team I'd take finishing last over something like 7th, just to get the better pick. However if there's a chance to compete, it is absolutely best for the team to do so. I mean we'll never forget how many cups Erik Johnson helped us win.

[a smell of green grass]

Every playoff team this year has at least one TOP5 pick--except the Blues.

Nearly every great team in the NHL currently has at least one TOP5 pick.

95% of the superstars in the NHL were a TOP5 pick.

Yet, many Blues fans are oblivious to those facts. When they see TOP5 pick, they only see losing. They can look no further than Buffalo, and they hang their hat and their male-hood on that hook.