seattleblue wrote: ↑01 Feb 2026 14:06 pm
speaking of ... currently it's the start of the second period in a game between Fischer and Jiricek. Fischer and Reid are both on the Soo Greyhounds. Fischer just defended a PP chance from Jiricek
Did Reid get hurt?
only if I looked away for a minute. he's been great in this one
... ok he is not taking a regular shift in the third and not on the bench. so probably but they haven't said anything, showed a replay or discussed it for such a key player.
I just havent been able to get excited about us potentially picking Reid. Mainly because he’s not physical..at all..and while I acknowledge he has gfreat skills and is a terrific skater, our future D corps is definitely going to have Lindstein as a core dman, and Id much prefer the Blues stick with the new strategy of mostly big, mean, huge D corps after the failed Shatty, Krug, Leddy, Perunovich etc. smallball experiment, and select Carels instead, if the choice came down to them two.
this has been a great, great game for a juniors game. like a heavyweight slugfest with major players in both lineups and a tight, multi chance offense game where the goalies and defenses are also playing their A games.
"Jiricek and Fischer having a chuckle together at center ice" after OT
dhsux wrote: ↑01 Feb 2026 14:04 pm
If the draft is held tomorrow ....given this team as we now know it.....and Blues end up with the 4th or 5th pick .....would any of you do anything other than your best attempt at a best player selection?
Or might you trade a few slots away with a nice return to get a center?
I'm sensing no one really advocating for that.
Unless a team in the top 3/4 prioritizes a center, at least one of the top ranked centers will be available for us - Lawrence or Maholtra.
I view this draft as Mckenna at the top, Stenberg and Voerhoff in the next tier, then Reid & Carels and then Malhotra or Lawrence. Then you have guys creeping up on that tier like Smits, Bjorck and Belchetz. Smits I could really see rising with a decent olympic performance.
This is how I’ve imagined it the last few months playing out:
seattleblue wrote: ↑01 Feb 2026 15:42 pm
this has been a great, great game for a juniors game. like a heavyweight slugfest with major players in both lineups and a tight, multi chance offense game where the goalies and defenses are also playing their A games.
"Jiricek and Fischer having a chuckle together at center ice" after OT
Benak beat George for the shootout winner
Reid never played a shift in the 3rd that I saw. Announcers only noticed as it started. They were guessing when there was a few penalties in the 3rd. Either way he never played a shift after the second.
Great shot by Fisher.
Jiricek played almost 1/2 of the ot. Both him and fisher made some nice stretch passes during the game. Both don’t shy away from making a hit. The Blues need more of that.
Also off topic but Burns was a beast in front of his net yesterday. He’s gaining confidence each game I see him play. Tucker needs to watch over his shoulder at this guy in the coming years.
seattleblue wrote: ↑01 Feb 2026 15:34 pm
they finally just noticed he wasn't on the bench
Fischer just manhandled Jiricek on the 3 on 3 and took possession away
Did that play say more about Fischer or Jiricek?
better play by Fischer than "poor" play by Jiricek. rugged separation. but indicative of how Jiricek is so offense oriented he will sometimes force offense even if it costs him defensively. it was 3-on-3 and Jiricek can do that play he did in the WJC where he scored that world class goal in OT but he can also get separated through inappropriate aggression with the puck. wonder if bluesfan1978 saw that play the same way
seattleblue wrote: ↑01 Feb 2026 15:34 pm
they finally just noticed he wasn't on the bench
Fischer just manhandled Jiricek on the 3 on 3 and took possession away
Did that play say more about Fischer or Jiricek?
better play by Fischer than "poor" play by Jiricek. rugged separation. but indicative of how Jiricek is so offense oriented he will sometimes force offense even if it costs him defensively. it was 3-on-3 and Jiricek can do that play he did in the WJC where he scored that world class goal in OT but he can also get separated through inappropriate aggression with the puck. wonder if bluesfan1978 saw that play the same way
Yes I did. I also think Fisher is a bit more developed physically and there’s other players that Jiricek could have pulled away from. I’ve liked Fisher since before the Blues drafted him and was hoping he would be picked by them. I think Fisher will be a top 4 D at some point. Just no clue personally who the Blues 3LD end up being 3-4 years from now.
seattleblue wrote: ↑01 Feb 2026 15:34 pm
they finally just noticed he wasn't on the bench
Fischer just manhandled Jiricek on the 3 on 3 and took possession away
Did that play say more about Fischer or Jiricek?
better play by Fischer than "poor" play by Jiricek. rugged separation. but indicative of how Jiricek is so offense oriented he will sometimes force offense even if it costs him defensively. it was 3-on-3 and Jiricek can do that play he did in the WJC where he scored that world class goal in OT but he can also get separated through inappropriate aggression with the puck. wonder if bluesfan1978 saw that play the same way
Yes I did. I also think Fisher is a bit more developed physically and there’s other players that Jiricek could have pulled away from. I’ve liked Fisher since before the Blues drafted him and was hoping he would be picked by them. I think Fisher will be a top 4 D at some point. Just no clue personally who the Blues 3LD end up being 3-4 years from now.
Jiricek is about 10 weeks older than Fischer too, they were both relatively young for their draft years. Fischer being one of the youngest
seattleblue wrote: ↑01 Feb 2026 15:34 pm
they finally just noticed he wasn't on the bench
Fischer just manhandled Jiricek on the 3 on 3 and took possession away
Did that play say more about Fischer or Jiricek?
better play by Fischer than "poor" play by Jiricek. rugged separation. but indicative of how Jiricek is so offense oriented he will sometimes force offense even if it costs him defensively. it was 3-on-3 and Jiricek can do that play he did in the WJC where he scored that world class goal in OT but he can also get separated through inappropriate aggression with the puck. wonder if bluesfan1978 saw that play the same way
Yes I did. I also think Fisher is a bit more developed physically and there’s other players that Jiricek could have pulled away from. I’ve liked Fisher since before the Blues drafted him and was hoping he would be picked by them. I think Fisher will be a top 4 D at some point. Just no clue personally who the Blues 3LD end up being 3-4 years from now.
Jiricek is about 10 weeks older than Fischer too, they were both relatively young for their draft years. Fischer being one of the youngest
I know their weights are close and Fisher is taller but Fisher looks like Drago on skates. As he gains another 15-20 pounds over the next 2-3 years I can’t see how he won’t be patrolling the Blues blue line.
seattleblue wrote: ↑01 Feb 2026 15:34 pm
they finally just noticed he wasn't on the bench
Fischer just manhandled Jiricek on the 3 on 3 and took possession away
Did that play say more about Fischer or Jiricek?
better play by Fischer than "poor" play by Jiricek. rugged separation. but indicative of how Jiricek is so offense oriented he will sometimes force offense even if it costs him defensively. it was 3-on-3 and Jiricek can do that play he did in the WJC where he scored that world class goal in OT but he can also get separated through inappropriate aggression with the puck. wonder if bluesfan1978 saw that play the same way
Yes I did. I also think Fisher is a bit more developed physically and there’s other players that Jiricek could have pulled away from. I’ve liked Fisher since before the Blues drafted him and was hoping he would be picked by them. I think Fisher will be a top 4 D at some point. Just no clue personally who the Blues 3LD end up being 3-4 years from now.
seattleblue wrote: ↑01 Feb 2026 15:34 pm
they finally just noticed he wasn't on the bench
Fischer just manhandled Jiricek on the 3 on 3 and took possession away
Did that play say more about Fischer or Jiricek?
better play by Fischer than "poor" play by Jiricek. rugged separation. but indicative of how Jiricek is so offense oriented he will sometimes force offense even if it costs him defensively. it was 3-on-3 and Jiricek can do that play he did in the WJC where he scored that world class goal in OT but he can also get separated through inappropriate aggression with the puck. wonder if bluesfan1978 saw that play the same way
Yes I did. I also think Fisher is a bit more developed physically and there’s other players that Jiricek could have pulled away from. I’ve liked Fisher since before the Blues drafted him and was hoping he would be picked by them. I think Fisher will be a top 4 D at some point. Just no clue personally who the Blues 3LD end up being 3-4 years from now.
seattleblue wrote: ↑01 Feb 2026 15:34 pm
they finally just noticed he wasn't on the bench
Fischer just manhandled Jiricek on the 3 on 3 and took possession away
Did that play say more about Fischer or Jiricek?
better play by Fischer than "poor" play by Jiricek. rugged separation. but indicative of how Jiricek is so offense oriented he will sometimes force offense even if it costs him defensively. it was 3-on-3 and Jiricek can do that play he did in the WJC where he scored that world class goal in OT but he can also get separated through inappropriate aggression with the puck. wonder if bluesfan1978 saw that play the same way
Yes I did. I also think Fisher is a bit more developed physically and there’s other players that Jiricek could have pulled away from. I’ve liked Fisher since before the Blues drafted him and was hoping he would be picked by them. I think Fisher will be a top 4 D at some point. Just no clue personally who the Blues 3LD end up being 3-4 years from now.
Broberg
Fisher
Lindstein
Ralph?
Good chance we acquire another LHD via trade
Why? If there is one position that we have a lot of potential prospects that make the NHL it's LD. If we need a vet to manage the bottom pair in 3 years, then sign a FA. I hope Broberg/Lindstein are our top 2 on the left side in three years because we have bigger holes to fill with our assets in a trade. I would think one of Ralph, Fisher or Burns would be 3rd pair worthy.
seattleblue wrote: ↑01 Feb 2026 15:34 pm
they finally just noticed he wasn't on the bench
Fischer just manhandled Jiricek on the 3 on 3 and took possession away
Did that play say more about Fischer or Jiricek?
better play by Fischer than "poor" play by Jiricek. rugged separation. but indicative of how Jiricek is so offense oriented he will sometimes force offense even if it costs him defensively. it was 3-on-3 and Jiricek can do that play he did in the WJC where he scored that world class goal in OT but he can also get separated through inappropriate aggression with the puck. wonder if bluesfan1978 saw that play the same way
Yes I did. I also think Fisher is a bit more developed physically and there’s other players that Jiricek could have pulled away from. I’ve liked Fisher since before the Blues drafted him and was hoping he would be picked by them. I think Fisher will be a top 4 D at some point. Just no clue personally who the Blues 3LD end up being 3-4 years from now.
Broberg
Fisher
Lindstein
Ralph?
Good chance we acquire another LHD via trade
Why? If there is one position that we have a lot of potential prospects that make the NHL it's LD. If we need a vet to manage the bottom pair in 3 years, then sign a FA. I hope Broberg/Lindstein are our top 2 on the left side in three years because we have bigger holes to fill with our assets in a trade. I would think one of Ralph, Fisher or Burns would be 3rd pair worthy.
