gpe13579 wrote: ↑09 Jan 2026 12:53 pm
Things are definately bad.
And yes, if Thomas were your 2C that of course would be much better.
But, it's not all gloom and doom. There are number of younger players showing varying levels of potential. None appear to be star level though.
The fix is easy.
Trade Binnington, Faulk and Schenn regardless of return. The return is the cap space. If possible you move on from Buch (unlikely possible) and Kyrou (much more possible). Again, the return doesn't matter. The cap does.
Playing all the youngsters with a few veterans that are left should get them a top five pick.
Make that top 5 and get it RIGHT>/
Use all that cap space and use it RIGHT.
You don't get better by trading Thomas.
You sell the fanbase on the excitement of all the cap space free agent money you have along with the excitement of a top 5 pick and the offseason would be compelling and exciting for the fan base.
Do all of that and them they would come into next season with a younger, athletic, vibrant team.
The obvious key is they have to hit on the pick and HAVE to spend the free agent cap space money wisely.
The problem is you're going to have a hard time selling UFAs to come here to a team where everyone was just recently on the block. Players talk. So to get anyone to come here, you'd have to overpay. You think the Buchnevich contract is bad? Wait until you see what we'd have to pay to get a guy like Pius Suter next year - 6M with term and trade protection?
Trade the vets and bottom out for a Top 5 pick and make it right, yes. But don't guarantee you'll spend the saved cap savings right away - especially when most top players are opting to re-sign before hitting UFA. Save the space for when you can make best use of it.
Thanks to the YouTubers as well. I very seldom agree with them, but it's great to hear what other fans think.
As I see all the thoughts coming in, one thing has become exceptionally obvious. The core problem is that the Blues are very light at C. We don't have enough of them, especially young ones. The problem is compounded by the fact that our C's don't map well to their line. Thomas is not a 1C. Schenn is not a 2C. The old Cs are just warm bodies for 2025, and Dvorsky isn't looking like even a 2C.
In summary...
-No way that we can stand pat with our C's.
-Thomas is not a 1C, but he would never be happy to move to a 2C on the Blues.
-Schenn is not a 2C, but he is the best that we have.
-Suter is a pretty solid 3C, so maybe that is a good LT solution.
-Dvorsky is looking like a Winger IMO.
So how do you now CLIMB OUT OF THIS MESS? And realistically, how many years will it take to get to a good place?
-A TOP5 pick if C would be one step forward. At worst, the player would have to look like a solid 2C for the future. He needs to be a great skater with high-end playmaking and ice vision.
-A trade for another team's veteran would be trading trash for trash. That would accomplish nothing.
-A trade for a 2021-2024 C may work if the team is making a CUP run and they need a veteran 2C.
gpe13579 wrote: ↑09 Jan 2026 12:53 pm
Things are definately bad.
And yes, if Thomas were your 2C that of course would be much better.
But, it's not all gloom and doom. There are number of younger players showing varying levels of potential. None appear to be star level though.
The fix is easy.
Trade Binnington, Faulk and Schenn regardless of return. The return is the cap space. If possible you move on from Buch (unlikely possible) and Kyrou (much more possible). Again, the return doesn't matter. The cap does.
Playing all the youngsters with a few veterans that are left should get them a top five pick.
Make that top 5 and get it RIGHT>/
Use all that cap space and use it RIGHT.
You don't get better by trading Thomas.
You sell the fanbase on the excitement of all the cap space free agent money you have along with the excitement of a top 5 pick and the offseason would be compelling and exciting for the fan base.
Do all of that and them they would come into next season with a younger, athletic, vibrant team.
The obvious key is they have to hit on the pick and HAVE to spend the free agent cap space money wisely.
Who do you target in the UFA market???
Schwartz Tuch
Schmaltz
Coyle
Dickinson
I have always like his game and the Blues could certainly use him. All about how much coin he is wanting?
Rumor is around $10M.
He's part of the change that is happening in Buffalo. I like his game. I really hope Buffalo can retain him, they are starting to become a fun team to watch. (unless the Blues get him of course)
Agree. I think the Sabres fans deserve some good fortune. They have been the Chicago Cubs of hockey. Well, prior to 2016 anyway. They have some amazing talent on that team and maybe they are finally putting it all together soon. It has been a great year for them thus far. 50 points so far and only had 79 last year. Tuch is one of the types of players, this team is lacking. He is 29 so not sure how long of a contract he is looking for? If he is wanting max term, I am not sure he is the right age, if we do in fact have a sell off. But 10 million is probably right for what he brings to the table, i.m.o.. He puts up decent points every year, stays relatively healthy, and he brings a lot of intangibles in his game. He is one of the main reasons I didn't think the Sabres got beat up too bad on the Eichel trade.
The video hosts say "No Way", but they also say that he will not bring a haul likely.
My opinion...
If you suspect that your 1C would not bring a lot in return, that is a 1C that is not good enough.
Army has already pointed out to us that our best players are outshined by other team's top players too often. That trend continues this year.
Thomas is a 2C, and he needs to move to another team to play that role. That would be the most respectful thing to do for everyone.
Those guys are trash. They are the definition of clickbait. Every adjective always in all caps saying “this changes EVERYTHING” and it will be robbi fabbri gets signed. Id trade thomas. Not many on this team i wouldnt trade. The ONLY way thomas doesnt bring a gaul is if it gets public that he is unhappy and willing to do whatever to get out of stl.
This video is a joke. Im sure you have a paragraph copy and pasted waiting.
They might be trash but every video I’ve seen is they always reference other legit insiders. JR mentioned Wednesday or yesterday that he thought the Blues might be gauging interest on Thomas.
They just annoy me. Its basically a blues news recap of every rumor. I cant stand how everything is groundbreaking
Younghopp1991 wrote: ↑09 Jan 2026 12:19 pm
Those guys are trash. They are the definition of clickbait.
Quoted for truth here, I banned them from my youtube feed because of their click bait analysis. Really terrible Blues channel, I would rather get no news then their analysis.
Younghopp1991 wrote: ↑09 Jan 2026 12:19 pm
Those guys are trash. They are the definition of clickbait.
Quoted for truth here, I banned them from my youtube feed because of their click bait analysis. Really terrible Blues channel, I would rather get no news then their analysis.
