Biggest Concerns to Start the Season

[theograce]

Your still replying to moronic nonsense. We didnt trade Bolduc because we dont have a top 5 pick, well we do with Thomas and Schenn, centers 1 and 2 in the lineup as well as other top 10s BASED ON PERFORMANCE NOT DRAFT POSITIONS WHICH AS WE SEE IN DRAFT RESULTS TENDS TO BE HIT OR MISS.
We traded Bolduc because for the Blues Bolduc is a 3rd liner behind Buch, Snuggerud, Holloway and Kyrou plus the Blues have Neighbours, Stenberg, Dvorsky, etc on the horizon. Bolduc was an expendable asset plain and simple. Bolduc is not a "Top 5 pick" so who cares in this view which is again dumb

Calling Schenn a top 5 pick at this point is like calling Suter a top 10 Dman overall last year

[a smell of green grass]

C
Army and the schnoz will have egg on they're face if this one proves to be true and we don't really have any depth at that position. If Mailloux can't cut it, are we playing Kessel on the 3rd pairing or bringing in an old vet?

And to make things worse... If Mailloux can't stay on the roster, is his career over? He's not a young prospect, and we may learn that he is a bust completely.

Trading Bolduc for a Bust is not going to go well among BluesTalkers.

C'mon now, that's just idiotic.

#1 He's 22 years old he's got a long way to go before he enters suspect territory. Good lord.

He will get sheltered minutes, he has a ton of mentorship, and he will be given a lot of leeway. In 2 years he'll be our #2 RHD and there is likely very little doubt about that.

So when Armstrong said essentially that Mailloux will be given every opportunity to make the club immediately, and we expect him to succeed, you think that really meant...

Mailloux will be given multiple chances to make the club...

Without a doubt, if Mailloux fails it will be a huge black mark on Armstrong's GM-ship, and for that reason, Mailloux may be given a Perunovich-style runway. However, I could also see a scenario where playing him may drive Montgomery and the fans crazy, and that may be a worse black mark for Army. We must never forget the old "stay competitive" approach by Blues management. They hate losing more than they like winning a Cup.

We can also see a scenario where he becomes a star and drives you nuts as your gripes are wrong (as usual).

No one will be happier than I if that happens. I don't know Mailloux. I have no opinion of if he will be good or not. My opinion is that Mailloux represents 2 things:
1. Mailloux is a huge risk, and no one would be surprised if his past play repeats.
2. I want a TOP5 pick. BluesTalkers tell me that we don't need a TOP5 pick. Then I see Army trading Bolduc because we don't have a TOP5 pick.

I have asked on a number of occasions how do you suggest we get a top 5 pick. Please tell us how you propose we get it, or stop posting you want it.

Your still replying to moronic nonsense. We didnt trade Bolduc because we dont have a top 5 pick, well we do with Thomas and Schenn, centers 1 and 2 in the lineup as well as other top 10s BASED ON PERFORMANCE NOT DRAFT POSITIONS WHICH AS WE SEE IN DRAFT RESULTS TENDS TO BE HIT OR MISS.
We traded Bolduc because for the Blues Bolduc is a 3rd liner behind Buch, Snuggerud, Holloway and Kyrou plus the Blues have Neighbours, Stenberg, Dvorsky, etc on the horizon. Bolduc was an expendable asset plain and simple. Bolduc is not a "Top 5 pick" so who cares in this view which is again dumb

Ahhh. The old "Bolduc was expendable" phrase raises it's ugly head again.

Bolduc was a very valuable asset to any hockey team. Just ask the Blues fans. I don't know of anyone that didn't love the guy.

Possibly he was not our best winger, BUT does that mean that we should have just give him away -- FOR NOTHING-- to the first team that speaks French.

Bolduc ended up in Montreal for 1 reason...... And Army told us exactly why...
The Blues do not plan on drafting high --EVER--, and that is how all teams acquire elite RHDs. So what can the Blues do in this desperate situation?

There are 2 options:
A. Draft one mid first round. (See Adam Jiricek at the Doctor's Office)
B. Trade with a team that has so much RHD spillover, they can give you their worst.

In 2024, Army tried Route A (Jiricek). In 2025, Army went with Route B, because he learned that Route A is a dead-end.

Many are happy now that we have Montreal's 4th-best RHD. However, fans should remember that Stanley Cup's are won with the best players in the NHL, not the 4th best from Montreal.

[a smell of green grass]

Your still replying to moronic nonsense. We didnt trade Bolduc because we dont have a top 5 pick, well we do with Thomas and Schenn, centers 1 and 2 in the lineup as well as other top 10s BASED ON PERFORMANCE NOT DRAFT POSITIONS WHICH AS WE SEE IN DRAFT RESULTS TENDS TO BE HIT OR MISS.
We traded Bolduc because for the Blues Bolduc is a 3rd liner behind Buch, Snuggerud, Holloway and Kyrou plus the Blues have Neighbours, Stenberg, Dvorsky, etc on the horizon. Bolduc was an expendable asset plain and simple. Bolduc is not a "Top 5 pick" so who cares in this view which is again dumb

Calling Schenn a top 5 pick at this point is like calling Suter a top 10 Dman overall last year

Bingo...
Further, when I talk about TOP5 picks, I'm referring to the players that are so good they will NEVER BE TRADED. Schenn was selected at #5 by Philadelphia, and they found him great, but not elite, and that is the ONLY REASON why he is on the Blues right now. Schenn is not TOP5.

When BluesTalkers think of TOP5 picks, they only think of "tanking". It's been drilled into to their helmets, and now they don't even think about what is happening on draft day. What they should be thinking about instead is why does almost every team in the NHL have at least one -- AND THE BLUES HAVE NONE!

[Aesa]

Your still replying to moronic nonsense. We didnt trade Bolduc because we dont have a top 5 pick, well we do with Thomas and Schenn, centers 1 and 2 in the lineup as well as other top 10s BASED ON PERFORMANCE NOT DRAFT POSITIONS WHICH AS WE SEE IN DRAFT RESULTS TENDS TO BE HIT OR MISS.
We traded Bolduc because for the Blues Bolduc is a 3rd liner behind Buch, Snuggerud, Holloway and Kyrou plus the Blues have Neighbours, Stenberg, Dvorsky, etc on the horizon. Bolduc was an expendable asset plain and simple. Bolduc is not a "Top 5 pick" so who cares in this view which is again dumb

Calling Schenn a top 5 pick at this point is like calling Suter a top 10 Dman overall last year

Bingo...
Further, when I talk about TOP5 picks, I'm referring to the players that are so good they will NEVER BE TRADED. Schenn was selected at #5 by Philadelphia, and they found him great, but not elite, and that is the ONLY REASON why he is on the Blues right now. Schenn is not TOP5.

When BluesTalkers think of TOP5 picks, they only think of "tanking". It's been drilled into to their helmets, and now they don't even think about what is happening on draft day. What they should be thinking about instead is why does almost every team in the NHL have at least one -- AND THE BLUES HAVE NONE!

Schenn was selected at #5, therefore by definition and your opinion of him being irrelevant not to mention completely wrong, he IS a top 5 pick.

[MiamiLaw]

Easily my biggest concern right now is Bolduc being a stud and LM doing nothing. Nothing comes close for me right now

It's a pretty negative way to put it...but I agree with the importance of how this works out. Are you expecting this to be a bad trade?

I remain optimistic and having faith in the Blues staff on their evaluation of Mailloux.

It isn't that I am expecting it to be a bad trade. But am I "concerned" as the thread title asks? Yea for sure.

[Harry S Deals]

Your still replying to moronic nonsense. We didnt trade Bolduc because we dont have a top 5 pick, well we do with Thomas and Schenn, centers 1 and 2 in the lineup as well as other top 10s BASED ON PERFORMANCE NOT DRAFT POSITIONS WHICH AS WE SEE IN DRAFT RESULTS TENDS TO BE HIT OR MISS.
We traded Bolduc because for the Blues Bolduc is a 3rd liner behind Buch, Snuggerud, Holloway and Kyrou plus the Blues have Neighbours, Stenberg, Dvorsky, etc on the horizon. Bolduc was an expendable asset plain and simple. Bolduc is not a "Top 5 pick" so who cares in this view which is again dumb

Calling Schenn a top 5 pick at this point is like calling Suter a top 10 Dman overall last year

Bingo...
Further, when I talk about TOP5 picks, I'm referring to the players that are so good they will NEVER BE TRADED. Schenn was selected at #5 by Philadelphia, and they found him great, but not elite, and that is the ONLY REASON why he is on the Blues right now. Schenn is not TOP5.

When BluesTalkers think of TOP5 picks, they only think of "tanking". It's been drilled into to their helmets, and now they don't even think about what is happening on draft day. What they should be thinking about instead is why does almost every team in the NHL have at least one -- AND THE BLUES HAVE NONE!

Schenn was selected at #5, therefore by definition and your opinion of him being irrelevant not to mention completely wrong, he IS a top 5 pick.

Therein lies the stupidity of this poster. Drafted Top 5, dealt as a prospect by the Kings, a very valuable asset Schenn/Wayne Simmonds and Kings 2nd rnd pick to Philly for Mike Richards and Rob Borson. Richards was a key piece to LA winning Cups, Richards was a Hart/Selke center vote getter in Philly a huge price was paid to land him.
Schenn overall 6th in his draft class in Points and 8th in Goals is certainly a Top 5 pick. Again, moronic posts all day likely because daddy didnt love him enough or like i said he accidently walked in on his mom getting tagged team by the trash guys idk.

[a smell of green grass]

Easily my biggest concern right now is Bolduc being a stud and LM doing nothing. Nothing comes close for me right now

It's a pretty negative way to put it...but I agree with the importance of how this works out. Are you expecting this to be a bad trade?

I remain optimistic and having faith in the Blues staff on their evaluation of Mailloux.

It isn't that I am expecting it to be a bad trade. But am I "concerned" as the thread title asks? Yea for sure.

Interesting read. Sorry that the poster had to bob and weave through the cheerleading mob to make a simple point.

[a smell of green grass]

Oops. How could I forget to mention the concern that exploded at the curtain drop last season?

6 on 5

Any others that I missed?

[Bacchk29]

Biggest concern is they got worse over the summer. Didn’t address the 2C and lost Bolduc for a project.

[rezero]

My biggest concern is the this team hinges on a couple of players being the scoring cogs and if they go down we will struggle to score. If this team loses, Thomas, Kyrou, or Holloway for an extended period we get weak offensively very fast. Snuggerud will be good in a few years and Neighbors looks like more of a grinder type scorer. Schenn and Buch can’t carry a team offensively. We have 3 star play makers.

Trading Bolduc may work out, but it could turn out to be disastrous if any of those three get injured. We are treading on thin ice while some of the other players like Snuggerud and Dvorsky develop.

[somni]

Not concerned with scoring. Injuries happen, but there are a couple kids in Springfield biting at the bit.

I would say right now the biggest concern is lack of depth on defense. A Tucker/Mailloux pairing, while could be good at times, is lots to expect for a whole season. Quite honestly, they need someone like Ryan Suter again. A low cost but reliable vet.

[rezero]

Not concerned with scoring. Injuries happen, but there are a couple kids in Springfield biting at the bit.

I would say right now the biggest concern is lack of depth on defense. A Tucker/Mailloux pairing, while could be good at times, is lots to expect for a whole season. Quite honestly, they need someone like Ryan Suter again. A low cost but reliable vet.

I am not sure we have anyone in Springfield who can fill the shoes of Thomas, Kyrou, or Holloway. It feels like we have more depth on defense which was evident when Parayko went down and the team still excelled.

[a smell of green grass]

Not concerned with scoring. Injuries happen, but there are a couple kids in Springfield biting at the bit.

I would say right now the biggest concern is lack of depth on defense. A Tucker/Mailloux pairing, while could be good at times, is lots to expect for a whole season. Quite honestly, they need someone like Ryan Suter again. A low cost but reliable vet.

In your opinion, who is LW #1 and #2 in Springfield and would be called up first?
RW #1 and #2?

[a smell of green grass]

My biggest concern is the this team hinges on a couple of players being the scoring cogs and if they go down we will struggle to score. If this team loses, Thomas, Kyrou, or Holloway for an extended period we get weak offensively very fast. Snuggerud will be good in a few years and Neighbors looks like more of a grinder type scorer. Schenn and Buch can’t carry a team offensively. We have 3 star play makers.

Trading Bolduc may work out, but it could turn out to be disastrous if any of those three get injured. We are treading on thin ice while some of the other players like Snuggerud and Dvorsky develop.

Good points. I suspect that there is a good chance that the team will be a little weaker on defense this year, and that will mean that the goals-scored pace will need to uptick on top of it.

[SRV1990]

My biggest concern is the this team hinges on a couple of players being the scoring cogs and if they go down we will struggle to score. If this team loses, Thomas, Kyrou, or Holloway for an extended period we get weak offensively very fast. Snuggerud will be good in a few years and Neighbors looks like more of a grinder type scorer. Schenn and Buch can’t carry a team offensively. We have 3 star play makers.

Trading Bolduc may work out, but it could turn out to be disastrous if any of those three get injured. We are treading on thin ice while some of the other players like Snuggerud and Dvorsky develop.

Sounds like a concern most of the rest of the league has, based on last years goal scoring numbers. Not many teams have more than a few bona fide scorers. So your concern is valid and common. If injuries to those at the top occur, others will have to step up for sure.

[DawgDad]

My biggest concern is the this team hinges on a couple of players being the scoring cogs and if they go down we will struggle to score. If this team loses, Thomas, Kyrou, or Holloway for an extended period we get weak offensively very fast. Snuggerud will be good in a few years and Neighbors looks like more of a grinder type scorer. Schenn and Buch can’t carry a team offensively. We have 3 star play makers.

Trading Bolduc may work out, but it could turn out to be disastrous if any of those three get injured. We are treading on thin ice while some of the other players like Snuggerud and Dvorsky develop.

Good points. I suspect that there is a good chance that the team will be a little weaker on defense this year, and that will mean that the goals-scored pace will need to uptick on top of it.

Injuries to star players can derail any team. If anything, there is more depth this season in the forward ranks, certainly at center, and with Mailloux added on defense, presuming they bring Ryan Suter back. If Suter does not come back the D depth is Kessel and Schueneman, presumably.

More forward prospects are closer to the NHL than they were last season, which includes Snuggerud, Dvorsky, Kaskimaki, Peterson. Perhaps Dean later.