This is a Heartless, Soulless Team

[Ziggy3]

That was a Rangers team last night that was just begging to get run out of the building; totally disinterested in competing in the 1st period. But does this team pounce on them, hungry for 2 points? No, instead we give them all their confidence back and have them looking like the '95 Devils by the 3rd.

I usually tend to wear rose-colored glasses, especially when it comes to the "effort" and "compete" cliches, but this team is definitely missing something. I don't even think it's necessarily a "move your feet" kind of problem, there is just some lack of a core desire and hunger to prevail. No killer instinct, especially from our best players.

I have always been a big Thomas fan, but I can't help but feel now like his drive will maybe never match his skill. His absolute refusal to put a shot on goal or drive the net unless he is completely open with no other options; I'm starting to see it as a softness, unfortunately. He wants to defer the tough areas and the finishing plays to someone else. That's not 1C material. Even the best playmaker in history shot the puck A LOT. He has 3 goals in 19 games...

How many times do we have to watch the other team score on a routine perimeter shot with one of their players untouched on top of our goalie? Parayko has got to be the on the Mount Rushmore of NHL gentle giants. Broberg plays like he'd like to be on there someday too. How has nobody gotten ticked off enough yet to at least try to make the opposition think twice about planting there? I'd love to see a nice, hard crosscheck penalty at this point, just to show me they care.

Everyone on the team looks like they want someone else to make a play. Loose pucks with multiple Blues around it, and everybody looking like, "oh, go ahead please...oh, me? Ok, maybe I'll take it...", straight into a turnover.

Schenn looks like he doesn't care anymore.

Toropchencko expends more effort doing absolutely nothing than maybe any player I've ever seen.

Buchnevich...

Did I miss anything? Oh yeah, the broadcast sucks. But at least we can count on Kerbs and Joey to distract us from the actual game.

[hotrivets]

That was a Rangers team last night that was just begging to get run out of the building; totally disinterested in competing in the 1st period. But does this team pounce on them, hungry for 2 points? No, instead we give them all their confidence back and have them looking like the '95 Devils by the 3rd.

I usually tend to wear rose-colored glasses, especially when it comes to the "effort" and "compete" cliches, but this team is definitely missing something. I don't even think it's necessarily a "move your feet" kind of problem, there is just some lack of a core desire and hunger to prevail. No killer instinct, especially from our best players.

I have always been a big Thomas fan, but I can't help but feel now like his drive will maybe never match his skill. His absolute refusal to put a shot on goal or drive the net unless he is completely open with no other options; I'm starting to see it as a softness, unfortunately. He wants to defer the tough areas and the finishing plays to someone else. That's not 1C material. Even the best playmaker in history shot the puck A LOT. He has 3 goals in 19 games...

How many times do we have to watch the other team score on a routine perimeter shot with one of their players untouched on top of our goalie? Parayko has got to be the on the Mount Rushmore of NHL gentle giants. Broberg plays like he'd like to be on there someday too. How has nobody gotten ticked off enough yet to at least try to make the opposition think twice about planting there? I'd love to see a nice, hard crosscheck penalty at this point, just to show me they care.

Everyone on the team looks like they want someone else to make a play. Loose pucks with multiple Blues around it, and everybody looking like, "oh, go ahead please...oh, me? Ok, maybe I'll take it...", straight into a turnover.

Schenn looks like he doesn't care anymore.

Toropchencko expends more effort doing absolutely nothing than maybe any player I've ever seen.

Buchnevich...

Did I miss anything? Oh yeah, the broadcast sucks. But at least we can count on Kerbs and Joey to distract us from the actual game.

yep

[dhsux]

That was a Rangers team last night that was just begging to get run out of the building; totally disinterested in competing in the 1st period. But does this team pounce on them, hungry for 2 points? No, instead we give them all their confidence back and have them looking like the '95 Devils by the 3rd.

I usually tend to wear rose-colored glasses, especially when it comes to the "effort" and "compete" cliches, but this team is definitely missing something. I don't even think it's necessarily a "move your feet" kind of problem, there is just some lack of a core desire and hunger to prevail. No killer instinct, especially from our best players.

I have always been a big Thomas fan, but I can't help but feel now like his drive will maybe never match his skill. His absolute refusal to put a shot on goal or drive the net unless he is completely open with no other options; I'm starting to see it as a softness, unfortunately. He wants to defer the tough areas and the finishing plays to someone else. That's not 1C material. Even the best playmaker in history shot the puck A LOT. He has 3 goals in 19 games...

How many times do we have to watch the other team score on a routine perimeter shot with one of their players untouched on top of our goalie? Parayko has got to be the on the Mount Rushmore of NHL gentle giants. Broberg plays like he'd like to be on there someday too. How has nobody gotten ticked off enough yet to at least try to make the opposition think twice about planting there? I'd love to see a nice, hard crosscheck penalty at this point, just to show me they care.

Everyone on the team looks like they want someone else to make a play. Loose pucks with multiple Blues around it, and everybody looking like, "oh, go ahead please...oh, me? Ok, maybe I'll take it...", straight into a turnover.

Schenn looks like he doesn't care anymore.

Toropchencko expends more effort doing absolutely nothing than maybe any player I've ever seen.

Buchnevich...

Did I miss anything? Oh yeah, the broadcast sucks. But at least we can count on Kerbs and Joey to distract us from the actual game.

Have to say that is a pretty good analysis of this team right now, some (not all) good points on certain individual play too.

But I do not agree with heartless and no soul.

This is a frustrated group right now and basically without a rudder. A lot of wasted attempted plays and energy that go unfulfilled. But I still think they have the character to find the light.

[seattleblue]

I agree with the OP and that very first paragraph is so true and so damning

[Jroll71]

Everyone has been paid and has a No Trade Clause so why would they then have to put forth the effort? That is the mentality of the youth these days...and unfortunately the Blues have an abundance of those kids. The NHL really needs to revamp their next CBA and owner's need some more protection because as it sits now the players are in the drivers seat! Yes they are playing the game they all grew up loving and chose this profession. Contracts need to be incentive latent as they get paid enough already.....and IMO they need to model the NFL. If you don't perform you can be released and the contract is null and void. At this point with this team, Monty is not the problem, the core players are. It's time to reset and be total sellers at the deadline and for the love of God get Army away from making any of these calls. He got fleeced from Montreal on Mailloux and they really sugar-coated this trade this summer talking the kid up way too much....so much so where he cannot even answer he's just not that good. If he had all the talent and tools the Blues Brass pushed after the trade he'd be doing better and actually have points. TBH this whole team is in a funk...I'm shocked at the amount Fowler has fallen off from last year? I guess having the comfort of a 4 year deal I'm sure loaded with a NTC has made him comfortable. Where is the hard play and poise he had last year? If a player has to have a NTC and that is the trend in the NHL then 2-3 year contracts not 6-8 need to be the norm. We're stuck with slugs for sure in Thomas, Kyrou, Buchy, Parayko, and now Fowler. DO NOT make the same mistake with Holloway as he's regressed this year. Broberg I'd only extend 3 years as well...he's having a good year in his contract year. We've been burned in the past...and honestly I'm sure both are wondering if they even want to stay here with the (bleep) poor effort the core has shown this year. These kids are spoiled and need to be traded!

[Pierre McGuire]

Definitely a game we should have been licking our chops to play. There was no way we should have lost that game. Something is off, granted it seems like I say this every year and then they turn it around mid season and screw up our draft position. We are back to playing like contractors, we aren’t playing as a team, that identity is missing and seems there is zero foocks given.
I wonder how many guys have been approached about waiving their clauses. Is that causing the issue, know the team might be ready to move on. I expect a move soon though, Army has to do something. I just want to see some sort of change….could care less if we have to take it on the chin to make that move. Change the culture in that locker room now please.

[Ziggy3]

Have to say that is a pretty good analysis of this team right now, some (not all) good points on certain individual play too.

But I do not agree with heartless and no soul.

This is a frustrated group right now and basically without a rudder. A lot of wasted attempted plays and energy that go unfulfilled. But I still think they have the character to find the light.

I don't know; the reason I feel this way more than ever now, after that Rangers game and not, for instance, after the Washington blowout or something, is that I don't think you can point to anything BUT lack of heart and determination for that loss.

I mean, that Rangers team looked like they just didn't want to play in the first period. I honestly was thinking to myself, "wow, is this what the Blues look like to opposing fans?" And they even took the lead. It should have been trivial to close out that game from that point for any decently-skilled team (which I still think the Blues are) that has an ounce of fire. Literally probably just score one more.

But instead, as the game went on you could practically see the Rangers thinking to themselves, "ok, this isn't getting any tougher...in fact, feels like this is getting easier," and by the middle of the 3rd they were just suffocating the Blues in every area. I give New York no credit in that; they are a bad team that was simply allowed to continue to play comfortable hockey by the Blues.

It's only one game, but I feel like it's emblematic of what this team is. Maybe they can still dig deep? I'm skeptical...

[a smell of green grass]

August - Army to Thomas and Binnington: Prove it that you belong in the Olympics. What have you done lately?

October - Thomas and Binnington see the quality of Army's play, and how that impacts their individual chances to make the Olympics.

December - Thomas and Binnington are de-motivated to win. No Olympics. No reason to play.


Maybe it wasn't such a good idea for the GM of the WORST TEAM IN THE NHL to take on a big distraction with Team Canada? Hmmm..

[callitwhatyouwant]

The biggest issue I have with the current team starts with Thomas and Kyrou. Big fan of Thomas. But we are at 19 games played and 27 shots on net. Why did he have such a good start last year and then a good finish? literally because he chose to shoot while people backed up off him. It's still happening this year. People see him with the puck and they immediately go to the passing lanes.

Kyrou is an enigma. Started off skating hard yesterday and then disappeared. It was headfake central yesterday. He decided to adopt some basketball moves out there and did it every time he got the puck. No speed, just sit there on the half wall and try to fake someone out and they checked him in the numbers every time.

There are other issues and our inability to score 3 goals in 5 games in a row is wild, but those 2 are right up there with Army not getting a safety net for the 3rd pairing. If you were going to make this LM move, you should have resigned Suter and had Tucker be your 7th. Hubris got DA on this one. That 3rd pairing is causing nightmares and Fowler is having to be the whipping boy to try and fix it. And all it does is make our 2nd pairing not as good too.

This team has a couple things going for it, it can have a top 4 defenders that are would rank somewhere in the 5-8 range in the league of best groups. It can have a good goalie pairing. It can have a really good bottom 9 offensive group. What it clearly lacks is a top line that can drive games every night.

[Younghopp1991]

We are running out of “maybe we turn it on now” moments.
Toronto with no matthews- loss
Lose twice to philly blowing leads both times. Multiple times in one.
Rangers have 1 win at home- lose anyways
We get new jersey next with no jack hughes.

Our schedule hasnt exactly been hard yet. We havent seen multiple teams at the top of the standings.

At some point you stop looking a gift horse in the face.

[zuck698]

I questioned in a post a few weeks back about Schenner and his captaincy. Again, I am not saying this is his fault, but I do wonder how he is in the locker room. I said then that he is an easy going guy and probably is not the type to get into a lot of teammates faces. But my argument was that is what is exactly needed in my opinion. Someone needs to go ape shirt on someone and get the attention of this locker room. A Bortuzzo beating the heck out of a teammate could only help and not certainly couldn't make anything worse. It doesn't have to be Schenn that does it, but someone certainly needs to shake the room up and if no one else steps up, then I feel like number 10 needs to do something. The definition of doing the same thing over and over again is getting past ridiculous and basically the team is becoming unwatchable. I cannot believe I am saying that after watching the team in the 70"s but even those teams with lesser talent at least played with heart! I think that is why they tried so hard with Lucic because it was a known issue previously concerning the heart and desire. Just my 2 cents.

[hotrivets]

I think Schenn does what he can- he had a big influence on Neighbours. He does not have the skill or the legs anymore to put the team on his back.

[blues2112]

I think Schenn does what he can- he had a big influence on Neighbours. He does not have the skill or the legs anymore to put the team on his back.

100 percent.

And I question those who question whether he has heart; and, based on what possible evidence.

[Blues Dave]

To everyone here at Blues Talk; Hey guys, I don't know either.

[WeWentBlues0819]

I have never understood the absolute obsession so many people on here have for Toropchenko. He is one of the most worthless players in Blues history,

[Russdv14]

I think it’s time to change the coaches. I don’t mean Monty at this time…I mean like Julien, Ott & the D coach.
I don’t think he’d do it because he doesn’t want to travel, but you need a guy like Chris Pronger to be very blunt and direct with these players.
If you’ve heard, Chris analyze the current team, he doesn’t pull any punches