Grading the Blues Offseason

[earp]

The last true franchise player the St. Louis Blues had — a guy you build the entire team around — was Chris Pronger, ending in 2004.
After him, the Blues have had stars, leaders, and elite contributors… but not a single true franchise cornerstone.

[BluesDom]

The last true franchise player the St. Louis Blues had — a guy you build the entire team around — was Chris Pronger, ending in 2004.
After him, the Blues have had stars, leaders, and elite contributors… but not a single true franchise cornerstone.

Robert Thomas is the guy. IMO
Joel Hofer the backbone for many years.

[son_of_foolsgold]

My favorite part of this is that he said blues draft picks from the 2023 draft have only scored 35 points but players from across the class have scored 1,000 points. 1,000 points divided by 32 teams is….31.25 points.

The Blues had 3 1st round picks in 2023...therefore their expected number of points produced should be higher than the average.

[a smell of green grass]

My favorite part of this is that he said blues draft picks from the 2023 draft have only scored 35 points but players from across the class have scored 1,000 points. 1,000 points divided by 32 teams is….31.25 points.

The Blues had 3 1st round picks in 2023...therefore their expected number of points produced should be higher than the average.

The Blues were in re-whatever mode. There are red carpets to roster spots. On the better teams, roster spots are locked up by seasoned, proven veterans. The prospects on those teams have no chance to play.

Meanwhile, here in St Louis, the Blues are now bringing in very young mostly unproven veterans (McTavish, McMichael) BECAUSE our 2023 draftees are showing nothing.

Face it. The 2023 draft was a complete BUST. Don't take my word for it. Armstrong's roster moves tell you that.

[2forDiving]

My favorite part of this is that he said blues draft picks from the 2023 draft have only scored 35 points but players from across the class have scored 1,000 points. 1,000 points divided by 32 teams is….31.25 points.

The Blues had 3 1st round picks in 2023...therefore their expected number of points produced should be higher than the average.

700 of the points have come from the top 7 picks. 600 from the top 4. 200 from Bedard. I’m not even sure what the point is. The Blues sold that year at the deadline and accrued what draft capital was available. The Blues finished with 81 pts in 2022-23, the last 4 teams finished with 60 or less. The Blues were never going to catch those 4 teams to get a top 4 pick. The previous season the Blues finished with 109 pts, so they weren’t in their re-whatever. I don’t even know what point is trying to be made. Given the context the Blues picks from that draft would seem to be right on track.

[Harry S Deals]

Im not sure how a grade could be anything less than an A -

Steen identified the teams weaknesses and addressed them

2nd C - McTavish (3rd OA '21)
Team Identity - Johnston, McMichael
RD depth - Carlo
Kyrous style and contract - McMichael, Gastrin, 16th pick


They turned Schenn and Faulk into viable assests to make the team better not sure what else we could have asked for.

If you are thinking McTavish is a "bottom sixer" or a no body you're going to be sorely mistaken. Is he a star NHLer, not sure but hes a legit 2nd line player whether its C or LW.

McMichael is a dog on a bone replacing Kyrous lack of intensity going to another fan favorite

Johnston is a monster forechecker, goon, can skate, fight. Hes also going to be a fan favorite immediately in STL

[a smell of green grass]

In summary....

The Blues NEEDED a re-whatever to acquire a new CORE. Winning a CUP is only possible if you have a dominant main core. Instead, the Blues "stayed competitive" to complete the seasons for the sake of the cash register, and as a result, they selected in the middle of Round 1 for the re-whatever. They accomplished NOTHING with those 2023 Round 1 picks -- UNLESS YOU WANT TO STOCK UP ON BOTTOM6 TALENT. Then they doubled-down and did the same in 2024 with Jiricek.

Where do we stand now?
-Mailoux was brought in to "hide" Jiricek.
-McTavish was brought in to "hide" Dvorsky.
-McMichael was brought in to "hide" Stenberg.

So welcome our new Blues CORE. They did not come via the NHL Draft. We have no Makar or McKinnon or McKenna. Nope, our new core is the McBooby prize, McTavish, McMichael, and McMailloux. Every one one of them could not get consistent playing time on weak times. For the Blues, they are now INSTANT CORE for the next 5 years.

[2forDiving]

In summary....

The Blues NEEDED a re-whatever to acquire a new CORE. Winning a CUP is only possible if you have a dominant main core. Instead, the Blues "stayed competitive" to complete the seasons for the sake of the cash register, and as a result, they selected in the middle of Round 1 for the re-whatever. They accomplished NOTHING with those 2023 Round 1 picks -- UNLESS YOU WANT TO STOCK UP ON BOTTOM6 TALENT. Then they doubled-down and did the same in 2024 with Jiricek.

Where do we stand now?
-Mailoux was brought in to "hide" Jiricek.
-McTavish was brought in to "hide" Dvorsky.
-McMichael was brought in to "hide" Stenberg.

So welcome our new Blues CORE. They did not come via the NHL Draft. We have no Makar or McKinnon or McKenna. Nope, our new core is the McBooby prize, McTavish, McMichael, and McMailloux. Every one one of them could not get consistent playing time on weak times. For the Blues, they are now INSTANT CORE for the next 5 years.

You are just making things up as usual. Legit question, though, do you even watch hockey? I’m being serious, because I have never seen you make a legit hockey point. You come up with a really uneducated take and then use stats to try and make said point valid, but you never discuss the games. Ever. Never discuss players skills or abilities. I don’t know that I have ever seen you post in the the game day theeads. The previous trolls at least knew hockey. You have never posted anything to indicate you have even a basic understanding of the game. Is that correct?

[The Average Gatsby]

My favorite part of this is that he said blues draft picks from the 2023 draft have only scored 35 points but players from across the class have scored 1,000 points. 1,000 points divided by 32 teams is….31.25 points.

The Blues had 3 1st round picks in 2023...therefore their expected number of points produced should be higher than the average.

That doesn’t make any sense just a couple of years after the draft ya doofus. Only a handful of players make the jump straight to the nhl so of course they’re going to score more total points than guys that were drafted later. This only hard to understand if you’re incredibly stupid.

[a smell of green grass]

In summary....

The Blues NEEDED a re-whatever to acquire a new CORE. Winning a CUP is only possible if you have a dominant main core. Instead, the Blues "stayed competitive" to complete the seasons for the sake of the cash register, and as a result, they selected in the middle of Round 1 for the re-whatever. They accomplished NOTHING with those 2023 Round 1 picks -- UNLESS YOU WANT TO STOCK UP ON BOTTOM6 TALENT. Then they doubled-down and did the same in 2024 with Jiricek.

Where do we stand now?
-Mailoux was brought in to "hide" Jiricek.
-McTavish was brought in to "hide" Dvorsky.
-McMichael was brought in to "hide" Stenberg.

So welcome our new Blues CORE. They did not come via the NHL Draft. We have no Makar or McKinnon or McKenna. Nope, our new core is the McBooby prize, McTavish, McMichael, and McMailloux. Every one one of them could not get consistent playing time on weak times. For the Blues, they are now INSTANT CORE for the next 5 years.

You are just making things up as usual. Legit question, though, do you even watch hockey? I’m being serious, because I have never seen you make a legit hockey point. You come up with a really uneducated take and then use stats to try and make said point valid, but you never discuss the games. Ever. Never discuss players skills or abilities. I don’t know that I have ever seen you post in the the game day theeads. The previous trolls at least knew hockey. You have never posted anything to indicate you have even a basic understanding of the game. Is that correct?

Regarding watching the Blues, I'm closer than you could ever guess.

The reason that I am different than you is that I care about the state of hockey in St Louis. Your only concern is to drink your fill of whatever Koolaid flavor the Blues mix up that day.

[Harry S Deals]

In summary....

The Blues NEEDED a re-whatever to acquire a new CORE. Winning a CUP is only possible if you have a dominant main core. Instead, the Blues "stayed competitive" to complete the seasons for the sake of the cash register, and as a result, they selected in the middle of Round 1 for the re-whatever. They accomplished NOTHING with those 2023 Round 1 picks -- UNLESS YOU WANT TO STOCK UP ON BOTTOM6 TALENT. Then they doubled-down and did the same in 2024 with Jiricek.

Where do we stand now?
-Mailoux was brought in to "hide" Jiricek.
-McTavish was brought in to "hide" Dvorsky.
-McMichael was brought in to "hide" Stenberg.

So welcome our new Blues CORE. They did not come via the NHL Draft. We have no Makar or McKinnon or McKenna. Nope, our new core is the McBooby prize, McTavish, McMichael, and McMailloux. Every one one of them could not get consistent playing time on weak times. For the Blues, they are now INSTANT CORE for the next 5 years.

You are just making things up as usual. Legit question, though, do you even watch hockey? I’m being serious, because I have never seen you make a legit hockey point. You come up with a really uneducated take and then use stats to try and make said point valid, but you never discuss the games. Ever. Never discuss players skills or abilities. I don’t know that I have ever seen you post in the the game day theeads. The previous trolls at least knew hockey. You have never posted anything to indicate you have even a basic understanding of the game. Is that correct?

Lol how dumb, these guys werent brought in to " hide" anyone laughable. Dvorsky just turned 21 to anoint him as the "2C" may be is fine but why put the pressure on him zero need. May be he surpasses McTavish, great. Thomas wasnt a top 6 scoring center and 20 or 21 yrs old.
Jiricek has had almost ZERO pro experience yet what does Mailloux have to do with Jiricek the Blues will need more than one RD lol.
Again same with Stenberg, almost ZERO pro experience why thrust him into a top 9 role when hes 21 yrs old he will earn a spot is my guess hes play in the NHL has been impressive. Giving Stenberg a guaranteed spot in training camp because there is no other depth is a fail. Camp should be competitive this year, the best players will earn the spots which is where the franchise needs to be

[a smell of green grass]

In summary....

The Blues NEEDED a re-whatever to acquire a new CORE. Winning a CUP is only possible if you have a dominant main core. Instead, the Blues "stayed competitive" to complete the seasons for the sake of the cash register, and as a result, they selected in the middle of Round 1 for the re-whatever. They accomplished NOTHING with those 2023 Round 1 picks -- UNLESS YOU WANT TO STOCK UP ON BOTTOM6 TALENT. Then they doubled-down and did the same in 2024 with Jiricek.

Where do we stand now?
-Mailoux was brought in to "hide" Jiricek.
-McTavish was brought in to "hide" Dvorsky.
-McMichael was brought in to "hide" Stenberg.

So welcome our new Blues CORE. They did not come via the NHL Draft. We have no Makar or McKinnon or McKenna. Nope, our new core is the McBooby prize, McTavish, McMichael, and McMailloux. Every one one of them could not get consistent playing time on weak times. For the Blues, they are now INSTANT CORE for the next 5 years.

You are just making things up as usual. Legit question, though, do you even watch hockey? I’m being serious, because I have never seen you make a legit hockey point. You come up with a really uneducated take and then use stats to try and make said point valid, but you never discuss the games. Ever. Never discuss players skills or abilities. I don’t know that I have ever seen you post in the the game day theeads. The previous trolls at least knew hockey. You have never posted anything to indicate you have even a basic understanding of the game. Is that correct?

Lol how dumb, these guys werent brought in to " hide" anyone laughable. Dvorsky just turned 21 to anoint him as the "2C" may be is fine but why put the pressure on him zero need. May be he surpasses McTavish, great. Thomas wasnt a top 6 scoring center and 20 or 21 yrs old.
Jiricek has had almost ZERO pro experience yet what does Mailloux have to do with Jiricek the Blues will need more than one RD lol.
Again same with Stenberg, almost ZERO pro experience why thrust him into a top 9 role when hes 21 yrs old he will earn a spot is my guess hes play in the NHL has been impressive. Giving Stenberg a guaranteed spot in training camp because there is no other depth is a fail. Camp should be competitive this year, the best players will earn the spots which is where the franchise needs to be

So what young player, 2 years older, is going to come in and start in front of Celebrini? Schaefer?

Just ask Dvorsky what the McTavish signing means for his career. Don't take it from me.

I suggest that you step back from the koolaid fountain, and ask yourself what were your expectations after the 2023 draft. Did you believe that 3 years later, we would be bringing in UNPROVEN UNIMPRESSIVE young players from other teams to start in front of the 2023 draftees -- FOR 5 YEARS?

[dr0zombie]

The mods really do need to do something about this. It’s just a blight on the entire forum.

I do wonder about all the "don't feed the troll" requests when we just let the troll run loose in the dungeons.

"We" do nothing of the sort, or do you work for the PD?

"We" was directed in the way of the PD. The broader "we" participating here have no ability to troll wrangle outside of the "just ignore them" suggestions. I just keep them blocked.

So this isn't just off topic. For fans of "Blues Hockey" this offseason has been a nice injection of more players that fit that mold. We won a cup in that mold and you could argue teams like Florida lean heavily into that style with their winning teams. This is a sold B+ to A- offseason. We have a good core and could dare, with even a moderate correction in McTavish, have a deep center group with some good help in the pipeline.

The NHL’s Central Division didn't get easier this summer.

[Harry S Deals]

The mods really do need to do something about this. It’s just a blight on the entire forum.

I do wonder about all the "don't feed the troll" requests when we just let the troll run loose in the dungeons.

"We" do nothing of the sort, or do you work for the PD?

"We" was directed in the way of the PD. The broader "we" participating here have no ability to troll wrangle outside of the "just ignore them" suggestions. I just keep them blocked.

So this isn't just off topic. For fans of "Blues Hockey" this offseason has been a nice injection of more players that fit that mold. We won a cup in that mold and you could argue teams like Florida lean heavily into that style with their winning teams. This is a sold B+ to A- offseason. We have a good core and could dare, with even a moderate correction in McTavish, have a deep center group with some good help in the pipeline.

The NHL’s Central Division didn't get easier this summer.

IF the Blues can get PPG or close from Thomas, then even 50pts from McTavish, 35 pts from Dvorsky that should be playoff caliber. With the 2nd unit presuming McTavish with Neighbours or McMichael however it pans out its not just the point totals from McTavish's line its the style of play. The Thomas unit plays fast, tick tac toe, pressure on the forecheck high caliber offense. Teams will have to play their better defenders vs Thomas then McTavish's line comes over the boards with more of bludgeon, puck possession, grinding game it will offer two different looks. McT's line should have some favorable match ups plenty of opportunities to score.
The bottom 6 also finally looks better its been a few years of JAG fringe NHLers filling out the bottom lines while the franchise waits for viable kids.
My assumption is Dvorsky is the 3C with line mates likely McMichael, Neighbours, Stenberg, Suter, Buch, Berggren etc. The Blues can deploy DD in better scenarios to succeed. Who knows DD may blow up as soon as next season and battle McT for time or hes more of slow burner on a longer development plan.
The 4th could be back to being more of a weapon with Johnston and Toropchenko, then whoever makes the cut, could be Suter, Sunny, Walker, Stenberg, Berggren.
This season when injuries occur at least their are prospects on the cusp who can provide more quality, Peterson, Kaskimaki, Stenberg, Carbs, Jiricek.
I see no problem here

[Absolut]

The last true franchise player the St. Louis Blues had — a guy you build the entire team around — was Chris Pronger, ending in 2004.
After him, the Blues have had stars, leaders, and elite contributors… but not a single true franchise cornerstone.

Robert Thomas is the guy. IMO
Joel Hofer the backbone for many years.

Not sold on Hofer. Loses the angle too much and the stick handling legend is out of hand.

[DawgDad]

The 2023 draft was a BUST? LOL.

Dvorsky turned 21 in June, Stenberg in May Lindstein in January.

Dvorsky played most of the season in the NHL as essentially (ice time) the 3C.

Stenberg got his feet wet in the NHL, sent back to AHL ostensibly to keep playing through the break. Finished in Springfield.

The lowest pick, #29? Lindstein finished the season as the Blues 2LD, looking every bit the part.

If the Blues get NOTHING more from Dvorsky and Stenberg (HA!) and Lindstein sticks as a legitimate 2LD the Blues WON this draft class. Of course, they look to get a much greater return.