The core issue:

[Bacchk29]

The fanbase, media, etc. continue to talk about effort, defense, goaltending as the issues with the team. I have a different take I think. Scoring. 26th in the league. The modern NHL is based on uptempo, offensive play. From here it looks like the philosophy is defense first from the coaching staff up to the owner. This idea of Blues hockey. The 200 ft game. It’s dated. Look around the league and watch how the best teams play. They don’t restrict their skill players from making creating plays in the offensive third. Their primary entry isn’t D slams it off the F1 to the corner for the F2 to chase it and there’s no plan B. Just what I see watching the game for 40+ years.

The Florida Panthers play a 200-foot game, and Edmonton does as well — that style is not outdated at all. I understand today’s game is faster and more uptempo, and I believe the Blues are an uptempo team. The problem is that we don’t have that one elite, high-skill player who can take over a game on his own.

Please explain then why every skill player we have looks confused on what to do when they’re in the O zone when it’s time to create. They look afraid to make a mistake. Also, you are correct when you say they lack that game breaker, elite talent. Only way you get that is to dump a year and pick in the top 5. Teams don’t trade top 5 picks and elite players rarely are acquired by trade. I’m not suggesting the staff is telling skill players not to score. That’s ludicrous.

[Bacchk29]

Have you watched the 2-time defending Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers play?

If they don't play a 200' game I don't know who does.

+1

Hockey is a contact sport. If the other teams players are more willing to skate harder forechecking/backchecking, battle for the pucks and committed to a structured 5 man defensive unit than yours, there's a very high probability you're going to lose. Skill means nothing if you can't get and hold onto the puck or keep the other team from dominating you in your D-zone.

It also means nothing if your skill players aren’t allowed to be creative and mix up the entries into the zone. Your system can’t be that rigid - it’s too easy to defend.

[BluesDom]

The issue is our expectations are too high.
Enjoy the games or dont.

Jake Neighbours returns thursday. Its gonna be a rough year. Progress will be made, and new blood is coming. Not as fast as we want. This is a transition year.


There is no issue. Keep playing the games. Stay the course.
Thomas Kyrou Neighbours Holloway Snuggerud Dvorsky Broberg Hofer all keepers.
The rest of the guys are still here until they are not. When Lindstein or Stenberg or Pekarcik or Carbonneau or Jiricek or Fischer are knocking on the door--they will force Gm's hand.

[Bacchk29]

The issue is our expectations are too high.
Enjoy the games or dont.

Jake Neighbours returns thursday. Its gonna be a rough year. Progress will be made, and new blood is coming. Not as fast as we want. This is a transition year.


There is no issue. Keep playing the games. Stay the course.
Thomas Kyrou Neighbours Holloway Snuggerud Dvorsky Broberg Hofer all keepers.
The rest of the guys are still here until they are not. When Lindstein or Stenberg or Pekarcik or Carbonneau or Jiricek or Fischer are knocking on the door--they will force Gm's hand.

Do you enjoy 6-8 shots on goal in a 40 min span some games? Most don’t. You have more confidence in the pipeline than I. Look at Springfields stats. It’s pretty damning. And we were told this wasn’t a transition year. The re whatever was over.

[BluesDom]

The issue is our expectations are too high.
Enjoy the games or dont.

Jake Neighbours returns thursday. Its gonna be a rough year. Progress will be made, and new blood is coming. Not as fast as we want. This is a transition year.


There is no issue. Keep playing the games. Stay the course.
Thomas Kyrou Neighbours Holloway Snuggerud Dvorsky Broberg Hofer all keepers.
The rest of the guys are still here until they are not. When Lindstein or Stenberg or Pekarcik or Carbonneau or Jiricek or Fischer are knocking on the door--they will force Gm's hand.

Do you enjoy 6-8 shots on goal in a 40 min span some games? Most don’t. You have more confidence in the pipeline than I. Look at Springfields stats. It’s pretty damning. And we were told this wasn’t a transition year. The re whatever was over.

Suter and Leddy were a big galvanizing force on D. They looked like one of the top teams end of yr and vrs PEG.
Prior to that run we were retooling---We are still retooling despite what they say.

I enjoy progress. We are making progress. Im patient and will be ok if we satisfy ASOG and get us a top 5 pick.
No need to blow anything up.

[Bacchk29]

The issue is our expectations are too high.
Enjoy the games or dont.

Jake Neighbours returns thursday. Its gonna be a rough year. Progress will be made, and new blood is coming. Not as fast as we want. This is a transition year.


There is no issue. Keep playing the games. Stay the course.
Thomas Kyrou Neighbours Holloway Snuggerud Dvorsky Broberg Hofer all keepers.
The rest of the guys are still here until they are not. When Lindstein or Stenberg or Pekarcik or Carbonneau or Jiricek or Fischer are knocking on the door--they will force Gm's hand.

Do you enjoy 6-8 shots on goal in a 40 min span some games? Most don’t. You have more confidence in the pipeline than I. Look at Springfields stats. It’s pretty damning. And we were told this wasn’t a transition year. The re whatever was over.

Suter and Leddy were a big galvanizing force on D. They looked like one of the top teams end of yr and vrs PEG.
Prior to that run we were retooling---We are still retooling despite what they say.

I enjoy progress. We are making progress. Im patient and will be ok if we satisfy ASOG and get us a top 5 pick.
No need to blow anything up.

Agreed I can get behind this year particularly going for a top 5 pick. We could expedite the process by moving off of vet contracts and playing prospects now for valuable experience. Schenn, Faulk , Binner all have modified NTCs. Could pick up some valuable draft capital to further the process. Gonna be a hard watch for some but McKenna and Verhoeff look like generational talents.

[BluesDom]

I would trade: Any of
Texier, Joseph, Sundqvist, Nick Bj AND Schenn.

[Cahokanut]

The core issue is. Going into a turtle in a tie game, before the third period.
Which was when we started dumping and changing every time our four guys at the line retrieved a puck.
The core issue is
Our whole offensive game is built around how Neighbours plays the game. Every line no matter the make up. Is made to play like you'd play a Neighbours line.
The core issue is.
Vets.
Buch, Schenn, Walker should never play more time then Kyrou, Holloway, or Thomas.
I like Sunny as a human. But he needs to be dropped, or traded. If not. Monty will continue to throw him over the boards. In situations when he shouldn't be.

Our core issue is management/coaching. Army doesn't hire someone to far from the tree.

[HighStick]

I don't want a top 5 pick because I think the Blues are bad at developing prospects. They could get the top guy and he'd still toil in the A for a couple years.

[Blues Dave]

The fanbase, media, etc. continue to talk about effort, defense, goaltending as the issues with the team. I have a different take I think. Scoring. 26th in the league. The modern NHL is based on uptempo, offensive play. From here it looks like the philosophy is defense first from the coaching staff up to the owner. This idea of Blues hockey. The 200 ft game. It’s dated. Look around the league and watch how the best teams play. They don’t restrict their skill players from making creating plays in the offensive third. Their primary entry isn’t D slams it off the F1 to the corner for the F2 to chase it and there’s no plan B. Just what I see watching the game for 40+ years.

Good post old man. I've seen a lot of games too. As I'm sure you know, untill fairly recently, every aspect of NHL hockey was defense, defense, defense. I happen to agree that with the skill of the players in todays NHL, shoot and score goals first. Whichever guys aren't envolved in doing that on a particular play take the defensive posture. And do it fast and hard.

As I read in another post, I believe posted by myself, make the bad guys feel the pain because they are in a hockey game and things aren't going to get any easier. But....to do this well, I think a team simply has to play together more and more. I think this team is having some problems because they keep changing players around. Ya just gotta hit the happy medium.

[maninthemiddle]

Coaching. Period. For some reason, Monty has switched to a playing "not to lose" instead of "to win" mentality. Offensive players are gripping their sticks. Offensive flow and transition game is slow and poor, mainly due to all the line switching IMHO. Defensive pinches and activation in the O-zone is down (i.e. Parayko with zero goals). They just seem afraid to make mistakes and therefore are making mistakes and the goalies aren't playing out of their minds and bailing them out.

I only see a few players that are getting after it and playing well: Broberg and Faulk on the backend. Suter, Holloway (after a slow start), Snuggerud, Neighbours and Thomas (after slow start). That isn't enough to overcome the poor play of Buch, Schenn, 4th line, and 3rd pairing on D. Guys in the middle who are playing just "ok" are Parayko, Fowler, Kyrou, Joseph, Bjug, Dvo

+1

By switching so many lines, whether it be at the beginning of the game or later, it must be hard to know what the other linemates are going to do. Sure, there is a somewhat generic style of play, or set plays, but if you are playing with different linemates during the game or at the beginning, you may know the offensive scheme, but it doesn't allow for the players to know what their linemates will do if they are playing with different ones every game or period. If you cycle the puck or make a drop pass, do you know if there is someone to receive it, and if so, where or what can you do that that your linemates can take advantage of in order to provide some sort of offensive chance.

[bluecalgary]

The fanbase, media, etc. continue to talk about effort, defense, goaltending as the issues with the team. I have a different take I think. Scoring. 26th in the league. The modern NHL is based on uptempo, offensive play. From here it looks like the philosophy is defense first from the coaching staff up to the owner. This idea of Blues hockey. The 200 ft game. It’s dated. Look around the league and watch how the best teams play. They don’t restrict their skill players from making creating plays in the offensive third. Their primary entry isn’t D slams it off the F1 to the corner for the F2 to chase it and there’s no plan B. Just what I see watching the game for 40+ years.

The Florida Panthers play a 200-foot game, and Edmonton does as well — that style is not outdated at all. I understand today’s game is faster and more uptempo, and I believe the Blues are an uptempo team. The problem is that we don’t have that one elite, high-skill player who can take over a game on his own.

This ++!! All of the good teams have that one player. Whether they were drafted in the top 5 or just have the skills, they either take over a game or make that one play... Not sure the Blues have ever had one... They've had a few really good players but never 'THAT ONE GUY' Perhaps this is the year they can find one in the draft.

[netboy65]

The fanbase, media, etc. continue to talk about effort, defense, goaltending as the issues with the team. I have a different take I think. Scoring. 26th in the league. The modern NHL is based on uptempo, offensive play. From here it looks like the philosophy is defense first from the coaching staff up to the owner. This idea of Blues hockey. The 200 ft game. It’s dated. Look around the league and watch how the best teams play. They don’t restrict their skill players from making creating plays in the offensive third. Their primary entry isn’t D slams it off the F1 to the corner for the F2 to chase it and there’s no plan B. Just what I see watching the game for 40+ years.

The Florida Panthers play a 200-foot game, and Edmonton does as well — that style is not outdated at all. I understand today’s game is faster and more uptempo, and I believe the Blues are an uptempo team. The problem is that we don’t have that one elite, high-skill player who can take over a game on his own.

This ++!! All of the good teams have that one player. Whether they were drafted in the top 5 or just have the skills, they either take over a game or make that one play... Not sure the Blues have ever had one... They've had a few really good players but never 'THAT ONE GUY' Perhaps this is the year they can find one in the draft.

Brett Hull

[bluecalgary]

The fanbase, media, etc. continue to talk about effort, defense, goaltending as the issues with the team. I have a different take I think. Scoring. 26th in the league. The modern NHL is based on uptempo, offensive play. From here it looks like the philosophy is defense first from the coaching staff up to the owner. This idea of Blues hockey. The 200 ft game. It’s dated. Look around the league and watch how the best teams play. They don’t restrict their skill players from making creating plays in the offensive third. Their primary entry isn’t D slams it off the F1 to the corner for the F2 to chase it and there’s no plan B. Just what I see watching the game for 40+ years.

The Florida Panthers play a 200-foot game, and Edmonton does as well — that style is not outdated at all. I understand today’s game is faster and more uptempo, and I believe the Blues are an uptempo team. The problem is that we don’t have that one elite, high-skill player who can take over a game on his own.

This ++!! All of the good teams have that one player. Whether they were drafted in the top 5 or just have the skills, they either take over a game or make that one play... Not sure the Blues have ever had one... They've had a few really good players but never 'THAT ONE GUY' Perhaps this is the year they can find one in the draft.

Brett Hull

Don't get me wrong. He was a really really really good player but I don't recall him taking over a game on his own.. He was the trigger man (and an excellent one) but he wasn't the driver.

[skilles]

Coaches preach d because its what needs preaching...everyone wants to score.

[zuck698]

The fanbase, media, etc. continue to talk about effort, defense, goaltending as the issues with the team. I have a different take I think. Scoring. 26th in the league. The modern NHL is based on uptempo, offensive play. From here it looks like the philosophy is defense first from the coaching staff up to the owner. This idea of Blues hockey. The 200 ft game. It’s dated. Look around the league and watch how the best teams play. They don’t restrict their skill players from making creating plays in the offensive third. Their primary entry isn’t D slams it off the F1 to the corner for the F2 to chase it and there’s no plan B. Just what I see watching the game for 40+ years.

The Florida Panthers play a 200-foot game, and Edmonton does as well — that style is not outdated at all. I understand today’s game is faster and more uptempo, and I believe the Blues are an uptempo team. The problem is that we don’t have that one elite, high-skill player who can take over a game on his own.

This ++!! All of the good teams have that one player. Whether they were drafted in the top 5 or just have the skills, they either take over a game or make that one play... Not sure the Blues have ever had one... They've had a few really good players but never 'THAT ONE GUY' Perhaps this is the year they can find one in the draft.

Brett Hull

Don't get me wrong. He was a really really really good player but I don't recall him taking over a game on his own.. He was the trigger man (and an excellent one) but he wasn't the driver.

86 goals scored in a season qualifies as a driver IMHO. He had 47 assists and 54 goals one year. He could do more than shoot.