Blues after Jan 1 - What If's for Steen and Armstrong

[ManitobaBlues]

Let’s look at this from a management perspective. If the Blues continue to play this way, sustain their winning ways, and then go into Denver and beat the Avs, it forces Armstrong and Steen into some real decisions when IR players are back.

AHL assignments – Do you still send the young players back down for development reasons, or do you reward performance and keep them in the lineup?

Veteran assets – Does this accelerate discussions around moving a player like Schenn while his value is still strong?

Roster flexibility – Is waiving a player like Fabbri a realistic option to create cap or roster space?

Asset management – Or do you move another veteran to acquire picks and continue building toward the next competitive window?

At that point, it’s less about short-term wins and more about deciding which direction this team is truly committing to.

[sneptsmoustache]

Let’s look at this from a management perspective. If the Blues continue to play this way, sustain their winning ways, and then go into Denver and beat the Avs, it forces Armstrong and Steen into some real decisions when IR players are back.

AHL assignments – Do you still send the young players back down for development reasons, or do you reward performance and keep them in the lineup?

Veteran assets – Does this accelerate discussions around moving a player like Schenn while his value is still strong?

Roster flexibility – Is waiving a player like Fabbri a realistic option to create cap or roster space?

Asset management – Or do you move another veteran to acquire picks and continue building toward the next competitive window?

At that point, it’s less about short-term wins and more about deciding which direction this team is truly committing to.

It's an interesting situation. I was looking at the standings for the first time in a while and I think I under-appreciated how many teams are stumbling around...someone is potentially going to limp into the last wild card spot with 90 points (or fewer) vs. the typical 97/98 point range. The Blues actually have a decent shot, which is shocking to me.

So...what do Army/Steen do? Do they think this team can actually make some noise in the playoffs, or will it simply be getting slaughtered by the Avs or the Stars in the first round? I know the revenue from a couple of home games is nice, but if someone is throwing out a ridiculous offer for Schenn or Faulk, it's going to be pretty tempting for them. They know this team isn't really built to win now.

[Bubble4427]

Let’s look at this from a management perspective. If the Blues continue to play this way, sustain their winning ways, and then go into Denver and beat the Avs, it forces Armstrong and Steen into some real decisions when IR players are back.

AHL assignments – Do you still send the young players back down for development reasons, or do you reward performance and keep them in the lineup?

Veteran assets – Does this accelerate discussions around moving a player like Schenn while his value is still strong?

Roster flexibility – Is waiving a player like Fabbri a realistic option to create cap or roster space?

Asset management – Or do you move another veteran to acquire picks and continue building toward the next competitive window?

At that point, it’s less about short-term wins and more about deciding which direction this team is truly committing to.

It's an interesting situation. I was looking at the standings for the first time in a while and I think I under-appreciated how many teams are stumbling around...someone is potentially going to limp into the last wild card spot with 90 points (or fewer) vs. the typical 97/98 point range. The Blues actually have a decent shot, which is shocking to me.

So...what do Army/Steen do? Do they think this team can actually make some noise in the playoffs, or will it simply be getting slaughtered by the Avs or the Stars in the first round? I know the revenue from a couple of home games is nice, but if someone is throwing out a ridiculous offer for Schenn or Faulk, it's going to be pretty tempting for them. They know this team isn't really built to win now.

People need to realize that we are 0-8 in OT games. If we would have won 3 or 4 of those it paints a different picture. Also, the fact that Colorado and Dallas are so dominant and have so many wins….they are beating up on the entire conference…therefore hurting everyone’s record. Colorado has 2 losses….holy (bleep) are they on fire.

[DawgDad]

There is a lot of time and hockey left to play, I wouldn't rush into anything. Let the boys compete for jobs, roles, and ice time. Keep the focus on playing together and winning games.

Pending UFAs are Joseph, Toro, Sunny, and Fabbri. Nothing else is forcing trade consideration this season, let the market come to you. Possibly might want to move a guy early to get a desired return and realign the roster but there really isn't anything forcing mass changes right now. Get guys back and healthy.

[Old_Goat]

There is a lot of time and hockey left to play, I wouldn't rush into anything. Let the boys compete for jobs, roles, and ice time. Keep the focus on playing together and winning games.

Pending UFAs are Joseph, Toro, Sunny, and Fabbri. Nothing else is forcing trade consideration this season, let the market come to you. Possibly might want to move a guy early to get a desired return and realign the roster but there really isn't anything forcing mass changes right now. Get guys back and healthy.

Completely agree. And if we lost any or all of those UFAs at end of season, It will not make an impact worth agonizing over.