Buchy at Center the Answer?

[callitwhatyouwant]

Last year the Buchy center experiment was a mess. This year under Monty? The best 4 games of Buchy and Kyrous season have been with them on the line together and Buchy at center. They might have figured something out. This could be a 2/3 line next year with Kyrou/Buchy/Neighbours.

This leaves us the question with what we are doing at the TDL. Your top line probably is Snuggy/Thomas/Hollywood. Your 3rd line is Stenberg/Dvorsky/XXX You have the Options of Suter/Bjug (whoever you don't deal) or Carbs? I guess there's a world where Schenner is still here and we have been askign for him to be 3rd line winger. Wouldn't be a bad lineup if you ask me.

Snuggy/Thomas/Hollywood
Kyrou/Buchy/Neighbours
Stenberg/Dvorsky/Schenner
Torpedo/Suter/Bjug

Walker -- RFA Berg

That's if no trades were made. Trades will be made. But that's all contracted guys. Would you run that back as a healthy group? And your next callups being Carbs/Dean? For some reason that healthy with how Stenberg has played and This new Buchy/Kyrou line doesn't look half bad.

[DawgDad]

I have not been a fan of Buchnevich at center but he has it working right now. He and Kyrou are elevating each other's play, who'd have thought that could happen?

[Russdv14]

I thought it was interesting that early in the game I saw Buch intently looking at a tablet with Kyrou at his side. I think at the time Joey V also said that Monty had given him more responsibility.Maybe Buch needed that vote of confidence…like being promoted as an assistant Captain without the title. Holloway and Kyrou clicked well late e last season. Maybe these 2 become a pairing like one if you said. So might Kyrou get a reprieve from a trade before the deadline at least!maybe offseason still.
So. We’ve scored 11 in the last 3 games. Kyrou helped as dud Buchnevich. Wasn’t it 89’s brilliant pass to Snuggerrud for the game winner

[stanw]

There is a old saying: a blind squirrel will find a acorn once in awhile. You can not go forward thinking these two are the answer. If you can, move them both. If they are finally playing better that will only help their trade valve.

[callitwhatyouwant]

There is a old saying: a blind squirrel will find a acorn once in awhile. You can not go forward thinking these two are the answer. If you can, move them both. If they are finally playing better that will only help their trade valve.

well the blind squirrel that is kyrou has been your best goal scorer for 4 years, and your blind squirrel that is buchnevich has been your best 2 way forward since you acquired him until last year where Thomas took over. So I'm going to veer towards more of it being an underutilization or misallocation than anything else. Hear me when I say this, I do not think either are top line guys.

For this current Blues roster, I can see a world where they make up your 2/3rd line. It would be interesting to make a line of Kyrou/Buchy/Neighbours. And then get yourself a young gun line of stenberg/dvorsky/Carbs. High risk with the young gun line but if we are rebuilding, seems logical. So those are your 2/3 lines. And your top one become Snuggy/Thomas/Hollywood. I don't see a problem with that.

[Harry York 37]

There is a old saying: a blind squirrel will find a acorn once in awhile. You can not go forward thinking these two are the answer. If you can, move them both. If they are finally playing better that will only help their trade valve.

well the blind squirrel that is kyrou has been your best goal scorer for 4 years, and your blind squirrel that is buchnevich has been your best 2 way forward since you acquired him until last year where Thomas took over. So I'm going to veer towards more of it being an underutilization or misallocation than anything else. Hear me when I say this, I do not think either are top line guys.

For this current Blues roster, I can see a world where they make up your 2/3rd line. It would be interesting to make a line of Kyrou/Buchy/Neighbours. And then get yourself a young gun line of stenberg/dvorsky/Carbs. High risk with the young gun line but if we are rebuilding, seems logical. So those are your 2/3 lines. And your top one become Snuggy/Thomas/Hollywood. I don't see a problem with that.

This is all true.
I have been split on those two, exclusively because of the compete levels.
Kyrou...as we have seen, or rather endured, will take weeks, if not months, if not half-seasons off because he ....(?) When he skates hard and fights for the puck, I am NOT talking-ever-about throwing a body check, I merely want him to nudge people and skate briskly into the O zone (where there is a possibility he might suffer a hit). When he does that, he is a great bargain at 8.126 million. He becomes a 50 goal threat if does that for 80 games, the selfish B@st@rd!. That cheating he does, on a routine basis, is maddening to see when you acknowledge what his ceiling is and I despise that part of his character.
Buchnevich, rarely cheats himself, or the team. He does not hit- but I don't need Kyrou to hit anyone either as long as he competes hard. Competing hard is what Buchy does, in his own way. He battles for pucks, digs them out from corners and behind the net, finds an open man and the Blues score. He is almost a PPG player in the playoffs- where scoring is dear- because of this, and because of his desire to help the team. He is like the Bluest Collar guy on the team, but he has a fine hockey mind and the passing acumen to make a big difference- especially in the playoffs.

Has Kyrou, finally had his "Come to Jesus" moment? He has had them before and then he goes back to being a care-free and careless passenger who drags the spirit of the entire club into the sewer. I still don't trust him.

Buchnevich, I keep.

[callitwhatyouwant]

There is a old saying: a blind squirrel will find a acorn once in awhile. You can not go forward thinking these two are the answer. If you can, move them both. If they are finally playing better that will only help their trade valve.

well the blind squirrel that is kyrou has been your best goal scorer for 4 years, and your blind squirrel that is buchnevich has been your best 2 way forward since you acquired him until last year where Thomas took over. So I'm going to veer towards more of it being an underutilization or misallocation than anything else. Hear me when I say this, I do not think either are top line guys.

For this current Blues roster, I can see a world where they make up your 2/3rd line. It would be interesting to make a line of Kyrou/Buchy/Neighbours. And then get yourself a young gun line of stenberg/dvorsky/Carbs. High risk with the young gun line but if we are rebuilding, seems logical. So those are your 2/3 lines. And your top one become Snuggy/Thomas/Hollywood. I don't see a problem with that.

This is all true.
I have been split on those two, exclusively because of the compete levels.
Kyrou...as we have seen, or rather endured, will take weeks, if not months, if not half-seasons off because he ....(?) When he skates hard and fights for the puck, I am NOT talking-ever-about throwing a body check, I merely want him to nudge people and skate briskly into the O zone (where there is a possibility he might suffer a hit). When he does that, he is a great bargain at 8.126 million. He becomes a 50 goal threat if does that for 80 games, the selfish B@st@rd!. That cheating he does, on a routine basis, is maddening to see when you acknowledge what his ceiling is and I despise that part of his character.
Buchnevich, rarely cheats himself, or the team. He does not hit- but I don't need Kyrou to hit anyone either as long as he competes hard. Competing hard is what Buchy does, in his own way. He battles for pucks, digs them out from corners and behind the net, finds an open man and the Blues score. He is almost a PPG player in the playoffs- where scoring is dear- because of this, and because of his desire to help the team. He is like the Bluest Collar guy on the team, but he has a fine hockey mind and the passing acumen to make a big difference- especially in the playoffs.

Has Kyrou, finally had his "Come to Jesus" moment? He has had them before and then he goes back to being a care-free and careless passenger who drags the spirit of the entire club into the sewer. I still don't trust him.

Buchnevich, I keep.

You are spot on with Buchy. He has been a hard worker and a feisty guy on the ice. Something the Blues will 100 percent need especially if Schenn is dealt. Chemistry is sometimes forged in last ditch efforts where people are asked to do more than they normally do. Buchy might have really liked Thomas and the coaches recognized that. But maybe Monty said to Buchy, "we have to figure out something with Kyrou, I want you 2 to work it out." I've posted about the previous 3 games where they were noticeably better since Buchy was at center. But yesterday took it to a whole other level. The broadcast picked up on it, they caught them extremely engaged on the bench. Buchy was mucking it up with the opponents. Maybe playing with Kyrou forces the best qualities out of Buchy and he gets to get to the middle of the ice where he has always been his best.

2 best qualities of Kyrou and Buchy. Kyrou speed. Buchy is really good in the short areas at creating weird plays and shots. Buchy might not have the best shot or stick, but it's clear he has really good vision and IQ.

This is for another thread, but I'm connecting some dots from the last 2 games. The Blues have always handled their media this way btw. I wonder if a Schenn deal is imminent, because Faulk has been the lead guy on interviews. Schenn is still doing it, but Faulk has been the go to recently. I wonder if that is a sign they are going to have to roll the captainship over here soon. (not that it's going to faulk, just that it's going to be by committee).

[Old_Goat]

There is a old saying: a blind squirrel will find a acorn once in awhile. You can not go forward thinking these two are the answer. If you can, move them both. If they are finally playing better that will only help their trade valve.

well the blind squirrel that is kyrou has been your best goal scorer for 4 years, and your blind squirrel that is buchnevich has been your best 2 way forward since you acquired him until last year where Thomas took over. So I'm going to veer towards more of it being an underutilization or misallocation than anything else. Hear me when I say this, I do not think either are top line guys.

For this current Blues roster, I can see a world where they make up your 2/3rd line. It would be interesting to make a line of Kyrou/Buchy/Neighbours. And then get yourself a young gun line of stenberg/dvorsky/Carbs. High risk with the young gun line but if we are rebuilding, seems logical. So those are your 2/3 lines. And your top one become Snuggy/Thomas/Hollywood. I don't see a problem with that.

Real good thread and excellent posts all the way down to Harry York below...but this is another way of asking do you go with what you know and have a good amount of observation in how they generally perform, or do you go with what you don't know (Junior/AHL prospects) even though they/that looks to be real promising potential?
And a few games of recency bias has to be carefully taken into consideration.
Another outtake is that the reality is Schenn as a key player on scoring lines and in special team situations is diminishing. But his Leadership and experience is real and highly relevant. Forget about what his salary is, you cannot change that. Don't assess his real worth as, yeah but you cannot pay a 4th-liner that much money, because he is more than that especially as so many youngsters come into the mix. However, if a really great value trade proposal is presented by another team that takes/includes his role into their proposal and he agrees to waive his NTC, then that becomes a decision that the experts will have to grapple with.

[27-12-16]

Schenn and Faulk have trade protection from 15 teams, JB 14. I think you can safely assume that a most of the teams that would trade for one of those guys at the tradeline would not be on those list.

[Harry York 37]

There is a old saying: a blind squirrel will find a acorn once in awhile. You can not go forward thinking these two are the answer. If you can, move them both. If they are finally playing better that will only help their trade valve.

well the blind squirrel that is kyrou has been your best goal scorer for 4 years, and your blind squirrel that is buchnevich has been your best 2 way forward since you acquired him until last year where Thomas took over. So I'm going to veer towards more of it being an underutilization or misallocation than anything else. Hear me when I say this, I do not think either are top line guys.

For this current Blues roster, I can see a world where they make up your 2/3rd line. It would be interesting to make a line of Kyrou/Buchy/Neighbours. And then get yourself a young gun line of stenberg/dvorsky/Carbs. High risk with the young gun line but if we are rebuilding, seems logical. So those are your 2/3 lines. And your top one become Snuggy/Thomas/Hollywood. I don't see a problem with that.

Real good thread and excellent posts all the way down to Harry York below...but this is another way of asking do you go with what you know and have a good amount of observation in how they generally perform, or do you go with what you don't know (Junior/AHL prospects) even though they/that looks to be real promising potential?
And a few games of recency bias has to be carefully taken into consideration.
Another outtake is that the reality is Schenn as a key player on scoring lines and in special team situations is diminishing. But his Leadership and experience is real and highly relevant. Forget about what his salary is, you cannot change that. Don't assess his real worth as, yeah but you cannot pay a 4th-liner that much money, because he is more than that especially as so many youngsters come into the mix. However, if a really great value trade proposal is presented by another team that takes/includes his role into their proposal and he agrees to waive his NTC, then that becomes a decision that the experts will have to grapple with.

I agree about Schenner. He is a top-notch 3rd line wing and a darned good 2nd line wing. He is the guy all the Rookies look up to, and he helps them adjust to the NHL as no one else on this squad could do.

[Tabasco Flowers]

I have not been a fan of Buchnevich at center but he has it working right now. He and Kyrou are elevating each other's play, who'd have thought that could happen?

Not me! I'm gobsmacked that he has handled this reassignment so well, especially the FO's.

[Zizzle1297]

I have not been a fan of Buchnevich at center but he has it working right now. He and Kyrou are elevating each other's play, who'd have thought that could happen?

Not me! I'm gobsmacked that he has handled this reassignment so well, especially the FO's.

my question is would do the not work well when they are both on the wing and someone else in the middle

[callitwhatyouwant]

There is a old saying: a blind squirrel will find a acorn once in awhile. You can not go forward thinking these two are the answer. If you can, move them both. If they are finally playing better that will only help their trade valve.

well the blind squirrel that is kyrou has been your best goal scorer for 4 years, and your blind squirrel that is buchnevich has been your best 2 way forward since you acquired him until last year where Thomas took over. So I'm going to veer towards more of it being an underutilization or misallocation than anything else. Hear me when I say this, I do not think either are top line guys.

For this current Blues roster, I can see a world where they make up your 2/3rd line. It would be interesting to make a line of Kyrou/Buchy/Neighbours. And then get yourself a young gun line of stenberg/dvorsky/Carbs. High risk with the young gun line but if we are rebuilding, seems logical. So those are your 2/3 lines. And your top one become Snuggy/Thomas/Hollywood. I don't see a problem with that.

Real good thread and excellent posts all the way down to Harry York below...but this is another way of asking do you go with what you know and have a good amount of observation in how they generally perform, or do you go with what you don't know (Junior/AHL prospects) even though they/that looks to be real promising potential?
And a few games of recency bias has to be carefully taken into consideration.
Another outtake is that the reality is Schenn as a key player on scoring lines and in special team situations is diminishing. But his Leadership and experience is real and highly relevant. Forget about what his salary is, you cannot change that. Don't assess his real worth as, yeah but you cannot pay a 4th-liner that much money, because he is more than that especially as so many youngsters come into the mix. However, if a really great value trade proposal is presented by another team that takes/includes his role into their proposal and he agrees to waive his NTC, then that becomes a decision that the experts will have to grapple with.

I agree about Schenner. He is a top-notch 3rd line wing and a darned good 2nd line wing. He is the guy all the Rookies look up to, and he helps them adjust to the NHL as no one else on this squad could do.

I said it 2 years ago, that next year hopefully the team would be stable enough to get schenner to the 3rd line. Is it possible management views it the same way? Dvorsky is getting more minutes this year then he would have gotten if this was a playoff team. The plan at the start seemed to be Suter on the 2nd line Center which I didn't understand as Hollywood/Schenner/Kyrou had real chemistry. Could the injury bug and the punted season be a blessing in disguise? It's clear the boys haven't given up. The effort level is too high for a team that is throwing in the towel. Key pieces like Broberg are resigning for term. Seems like people want to be here. All of the key pieces are signed thru next year. Do they try to just weather the storm and tinker in the offseason?

I by no means want to run it back. But I've been shouting it from the rafters for like 2-3 years that the young guys and the timing of the old guys contracts are kind of matriculating perfectly. Hofer is taking over for binner. Lindstein we wish was 1 year ahead of time because we have a massive hole at 3LHD. Jiricek is coming up as Faulks term expires.

If you told me it today, that 2026-27 forward line would be Snuggy/Thomas/Hollywood Kyrou/Buchy/Neighbours Stenberg/Dvorsky/Schenn Torpedo/Suter/Bjug Walker (These are all under contract guys) I'd say your team was onto something. Because the issue before was we still didn't have a 2nd center. If Buchy is that guy. Holy Moly.

[Cahokanut]

I think he is trying to be. He has definitely been more aggressive in the offensive zone, going to the net, looking for a play instead of a dump, and he has been keeping up with linemates, since the move.

Having three guys looking to score does tend to produce more goals then the defense first approach this management has demanded and Buch has provided.

But for how long. A couple of minus games, and Monty the Manic will be demanding a third defender for the Kyrou line and Buch will go back to doing defense.

As for the answer. Trade a couple leaders(not Thomas or Kyrou), Binny, any other vet or bottom six
Don't bring in no desperate vets, don't trade for anyone over 22, bring in the youth for some extra pre pre season games.
Start next year with one, two, or three new top six talent. Whoses all on their way up.

[Younghopp1991]

Buch is our new 2c?…
This is comical. We can want all we want but you guys just seen this last year.

Buch our new leader after schenn? The same guy that just stops moving sk he can stare his teammates down? The narratives here

[Harry York 37]

I have not been a fan of Buchnevich at center but he has it working right now. He and Kyrou are elevating each other's play, who'd have thought that could happen?

Not me! I'm gobsmacked that he has handled this reassignment so well, especially the FO's.

I posted a few days ago that the deja vu matchup of these two could very likely ignite some sparks and boy. has it.

Buch played Center for the Blues because they needed to get Kyrou off the Thomas line for whatever reasons. Buch hadn't played C in a long time, and Kyrou was near his peak of not caring about protecting the puck, nor back-checking. Buchy knew all of this and never seemed to complain. It was a tough transition, but he worked his behind off getting pucks to Kyrou anyway he could. Reuniting these two was a lucky guess or a Masterstroke. Maybe it was both. It seemed to be a path out of the dark roads they both were on.
Buchhnevich is the team's best passer among the Fowards folks. Thomas is as good, but no one else consistently makes those tight, split-second, short (or long ) passes to players who are open to shoot. Reuniting him with Kyrou sparked both of them from dark places. It was a masterstroke, or a lucky guess by Monty. Maybe it was both..

Some people, mainly trolls, dismiss the importance of assists. These are ignorant people who don't really understand how the game works, highlight reel watchers, and/or snarky podcast and frivolous blog watchers. They need help to form an opinion. The phrase, "Everyone's talking about it" is an admission that you can't trust your own fricken opinion, They should just watch the game, or join a beer league team that actually has a Coach and practices once a week....they can learn from experience what goes into the making of goals.

Buchy does whatever is asked of him to help the team- including more dirty work than any other top six forward except Thomas and maybe Schenn. And he does not complain. Maybe he doesn't know English well enough to mouth off, so he wears a perpetual frown instead. Stenberg may be more like prime Buchnevich than anyone else, when he fully develops. But with less frowning.