a smell of green grass wrote: ↑06 Oct 2025 22:06 pm
You know how I know that I was spot on with my comments?
Not one of the Army Mom's said anything close to this...
Army signed Hofer.
Army waived Ellis.
This is because Army evaluated Hofer higher than Ellis for the long-term. GMs don't let their best talent get away. If Ellis turns out to have a significantly better career than Hofer, Army made a mistake.
Do you know why they didn't connect these dots in their reply?
It is for 2 reasons:
1) They don't trust Army's evaluation ANY MORE THAN I DO.
2) They hold Army blameless for every move he makes, and they are just setting the table now for protecting Army if Ellis turns into something special.
No one really wants to respond to your extreme effort to blame Army for anything, including something that may never happen. Plus, MNF is on.
What would YOU do? Right now...not 3 years from now???
Hofer is at this moment the better goalie. There is no doubt. Ellis is 25 y/o. Goalies are notoriously hard to predict, there is nothing the Blues could do.
You are creating a scenario to push your agenda. It's tiresome.
It's amazing how a GM can be so unaccountable. When a draft selection is solid, Army gets the credit. When a draft selection fails, the player gets the blame. When a player is waived, the circumstance gets the blame.
So let's update our logs for GM transactions for which there was nothing else that Army could do. He is blameless for them. Add "Ellis". He can join
- Bolduc
- Pietrangelo
- Barbashev
- Mikola
- Perunovich
Good Lord. ALL of the players you listed were NHL players, Ellis was not.
Three of them were UFA or pending UFA, one was a hockey trade, one was a guy who ultimately got outplayed by 6 or 7 other defensemen on the roster.
b-a-a-a-rclay wrote: ↑06 Oct 2025 22:31 pm
There isn't 1 GM who thinks Ellis will have a better career than Hofer. Hofer has a 35-22 record with a 2.71 gaa .907 sv % in 69 NHL games.
Ellis has a 30-26 record and a 2.82 gaa .919 sv % in 64 AHL games. He has played in 0 NHL games and he is just 3 months younger than Hofer.
By the way, NHL shooters/scorers are better than AHL shooters/scorers.
We only know that Army believes that.
If you and Army are so confident in Hofer then why are you worried about Army being blamed for losing Elllis in the future? 3 years from now, Army will have a gold star on his paper regarding goalie, correct?
EVERY GM could have traded for Ellis and given up peanuts compared to the cost of acquiring Hofer. I am not one bit worried about DA being blamed for losing Ellis. Ellis may turn out to be Marty Brodeur but no one is expecting that. If it happens, EVERY GM will have underestimated him. Projecting players is an inexact science. See Nail Yakupov (1st overall). Or see Brett Hull (117th overall).
You often live in fear when it comes to prospects and you always live in hindsight when it comes to trades ... which makes you think you are smarter than professional hockey people.
b-a-a-a-rclay wrote: ↑06 Oct 2025 22:31 pm
There isn't 1 GM who thinks Ellis will have a better career than Hofer. Hofer has a 35-22 record with a 2.71 gaa .907 sv % in 69 NHL games.
Ellis has a 30-26 record and a 2.82 gaa .919 sv % in 64 AHL games. He has played in 0 NHL games and he is just 3 months younger than Hofer.
By the way, NHL shooters/scorers are better than AHL shooters/scorers.
We only know that Army believes that.
If you and Army are so confident in Hofer then why are you worried about Army being blamed for losing Elllis in the future? 3 years from now, Army will have a gold star on his paper regarding goalie, correct?
You are purposely and expectedly being obtuse.
If you don't know the circumstances that caused a 25 y/o goalie to go on waivers, when the Blues already have one of the best goalies in the NHL and a backup (who is roughly the same age as Ellie) that is ready to take the #1 job, you lost all logic.
Not sure what you expected the Blues to do. You have offered no alterative plan.
BTW, I hope Ellis thrives. Good kid. I also hope the Blues can reclaim him once Buffalo figures out what the h#ll they are doing. Talk about a directionless front office.
He may not be doing it on purpose. That's the sad part. He lives in fear. He already has Bolduc in his column of DA failures. Now add Ellis to the list of DA failures ... even though he has played in 0, exactly zero NHL games.
Like you, I am hoping for the best for Ellis. I also really like Bolduc. And I don't regret either situation. Hofer and Mailloux have better chances of being higher impact players.
b-a-a-a-rclay wrote: ↑06 Oct 2025 22:31 pm
There isn't 1 GM who thinks Ellis will have a better career than Hofer. Hofer has a 35-22 record with a 2.71 gaa .907 sv % in 69 NHL games.
Ellis has a 30-26 record and a 2.82 gaa .919 sv % in 64 AHL games. He has played in 0 NHL games and he is just 3 months younger than Hofer.
By the way, NHL shooters/scorers are better than AHL shooters/scorers.
We only know that Army believes that.
If you and Army are so confident in Hofer then why are you worried about Army being blamed for losing Elllis in the future? 3 years from now, Army will have a gold star on his paper regarding goalie, correct?
You are purposely and expectedly being obtuse.
If you don't know the circumstances that caused a 25 y/o goalie to go on waivers, when the Blues already have one of the best goalies in the NHL and a backup (who is roughly the same age as Ellie) that is ready to take the #1 job, you lost all logic.
Not sure what you expected the Blues to do. You have offered no alterative plan.
BTW, I hope Ellis thrives. Good kid. I also hope the Blues can reclaim him once Buffalo figures out what the h#ll they are doing. Talk about a directionless front office.
He may not be doing it on purpose. That's the sad part. He lives in fear. He already has Bolduc in his column of DA failures. Now add Ellis to the list of DA failures ... even though he has played in 0, exactly zero NHL games.
Like you, I am hoping for the best for Ellis. I also really like Bolduc. And I don't regret either situation. Hofer and Mailloux have better chances of being higher impact players.
I never said that Ellis is a confirmed DA failure. I said that it is a potential failure. Barbashev for Dean is a confirmed failure.
Anyone that denies these failures are ignoring the fact that GMs are paid to evaluate talent, keeping the best.
For prior evidence of Army Mom coverups, just consider Barbashev. They will tell you that Barbashev/Dean was inevitable, because Barbashev just wanted out. However, THERE IS NO ADMISSION THAT DEAN HAD NO NHL VALUE, and our scouts are responsible for seeing that.
b-a-a-a-rclay wrote: ↑06 Oct 2025 22:31 pm
There isn't 1 GM who thinks Ellis will have a better career than Hofer. Hofer has a 35-22 record with a 2.71 gaa .907 sv % in 69 NHL games.
Ellis has a 30-26 record and a 2.82 gaa .919 sv % in 64 AHL games. He has played in 0 NHL games and he is just 3 months younger than Hofer.
By the way, NHL shooters/scorers are better than AHL shooters/scorers.
We only know that Army believes that.
If you and Army are so confident in Hofer then why are you worried about Army being blamed for losing Elllis in the future? 3 years from now, Army will have a gold star on his paper regarding goalie, correct?
You are purposely and expectedly being obtuse.
If you don't know the circumstances that caused a 25 y/o goalie to go on waivers, when the Blues already have one of the best goalies in the NHL and a backup (who is roughly the same age as Ellie) that is ready to take the #1 job, you lost all logic.
Not sure what you expected the Blues to do. You have offered no alterative plan.
BTW, I hope Ellis thrives. Good kid. I also hope the Blues can reclaim him once Buffalo figures out what the h#ll they are doing. Talk about a directionless front office.
He may not be doing it on purpose. That's the sad part. He lives in fear. He already has Bolduc in his column of DA failures. Now add Ellis to the list of DA failures ... even though he has played in 0, exactly zero NHL games.
Like you, I am hoping for the best for Ellis. I also really like Bolduc. And I don't regret either situation. Hofer and Mailloux have better chances of being higher impact players.
I never said that Ellis is a confirmed DA failure. I said that it is a potential failure. Barbashev for Dean is a confirmed failure.
Anyone that denies these failures are ignoring the fact that GMs are paid to evaluate talent, keeping the best.
For prior evidence of Army Mom coverups, just consider Barbashev. They will tell you that Barbashev/Dean was inevitable, because Barbashev just wanted out. However, THERE IS NO ADMISSION THAT DEAN HAD NO NHL VALUE, and our scouts are responsible for seeing that.
b-a-a-a-rclay wrote: ↑06 Oct 2025 22:31 pm
There isn't 1 GM who thinks Ellis will have a better career than Hofer. Hofer has a 35-22 record with a 2.71 gaa .907 sv % in 69 NHL games.
Ellis has a 30-26 record and a 2.82 gaa .919 sv % in 64 AHL games. He has played in 0 NHL games and he is just 3 months younger than Hofer.
By the way, NHL shooters/scorers are better than AHL shooters/scorers.
We only know that Army believes that.
If you and Army are so confident in Hofer then why are you worried about Army being blamed for losing Elllis in the future? 3 years from now, Army will have a gold star on his paper regarding goalie, correct?
You are purposely and expectedly being obtuse.
If you don't know the circumstances that caused a 25 y/o goalie to go on waivers, when the Blues already have one of the best goalies in the NHL and a backup (who is roughly the same age as Ellie) that is ready to take the #1 job, you lost all logic.
Not sure what you expected the Blues to do. You have offered no alterative plan.
BTW, I hope Ellis thrives. Good kid. I also hope the Blues can reclaim him once Buffalo figures out what the h#ll they are doing. Talk about a directionless front office.
He may not be doing it on purpose. That's the sad part. He lives in fear. He already has Bolduc in his column of DA failures. Now add Ellis to the list of DA failures ... even though he has played in 0, exactly zero NHL games.
Like you, I am hoping for the best for Ellis. I also really like Bolduc. And I don't regret either situation. Hofer and Mailloux have better chances of being higher impact players.
I never said that Ellis is a confirmed DA failure. I said that it is a potential failure. Barbashev for Dean is a confirmed failure.
Anyone that denies these failures are ignoring the fact that GMs are paid to evaluate talent, keeping the best.
For prior evidence of Army Mom coverups, just consider Barbashev. They will tell you that Barbashev/Dean was inevitable, because Barbashev just wanted out. However, THERE IS NO ADMISSION THAT DEAN HAD NO NHL VALUE, and our scouts are responsible for seeing that.
Negative Nancy cannot stop. Bless her heart.
He needs to change his name to "I'm a clickbaitor."
b-a-a-a-rclay wrote: ↑06 Oct 2025 22:31 pm
There isn't 1 GM who thinks Ellis will have a better career than Hofer. Hofer has a 35-22 record with a 2.71 gaa .907 sv % in 69 NHL games.
Ellis has a 30-26 record and a 2.82 gaa .919 sv % in 64 AHL games. He has played in 0 NHL games and he is just 3 months younger than Hofer.
By the way, NHL shooters/scorers are better than AHL shooters/scorers.
We only know that Army believes that.
If you and Army are so confident in Hofer then why are you worried about Army being blamed for losing Elllis in the future? 3 years from now, Army will have a gold star on his paper regarding goalie, correct?
You are purposely and expectedly being obtuse.
If you don't know the circumstances that caused a 25 y/o goalie to go on waivers, when the Blues already have one of the best goalies in the NHL and a backup (who is roughly the same age as Ellie) that is ready to take the #1 job, you lost all logic.
Not sure what you expected the Blues to do. You have offered no alterative plan.
BTW, I hope Ellis thrives. Good kid. I also hope the Blues can reclaim him once Buffalo figures out what the h#ll they are doing. Talk about a directionless front office.
He may not be doing it on purpose. That's the sad part. He lives in fear. He already has Bolduc in his column of DA failures. Now add Ellis to the list of DA failures ... even though he has played in 0, exactly zero NHL games.
Like you, I am hoping for the best for Ellis. I also really like Bolduc. And I don't regret either situation. Hofer and Mailloux have better chances of being higher impact players.
I never said that Ellis is a confirmed DA failure. I said that it is a potential failure. Barbashev for Dean is a confirmed failure.
Anyone that denies these failures are ignoring the fact that GMs are paid to evaluate talent, keeping the best.
For prior evidence of Army Mom coverups, just consider Barbashev. They will tell you that Barbashev/Dean was inevitable, because Barbashev just wanted out. However, THERE IS NO ADMISSION THAT DEAN HAD NO NHL VALUE, and our scouts are responsible for seeing that.
Here's the admission. Not all prospects/trades pan out. You make the best decision with the information you have at the time and sometimes you're wrong. That's true for every single GM in the history of sports. Not just the NHL but all sports. Complaining about is like complaining about water being wet.
Army has missed badly on some and wildly succeeded on others. Most here think his successful decisions exceed his bad ones and that the organization by and large has greatly benefited from his stewardship.
So again is someone legitimately saying Army should have dealt Hofer to keep Ellis? What other option was there? Try to find a team dumb enough to trade for Ellis when they already knew the Blues would put him thru waivers? This is what happens when you draft and develop well you lose guys sometimes
This is dumb. Again. Daddy didnt love some one enough then he walked in on his mom getting tagged team by the lawn care guys. Classic psychological issues.
a smell of green grass wrote: ↑06 Oct 2025 16:28 pm
How we will be fine long-term...
If Hofer is better than Ellis
How we will be Barbarshev'd/Mikola'd again...
If Ellis is better than Hofer
My only question is this....
Where is the young prospect that the Blues can steal for cheap off waivers? Army, where are you?
Idk, where are they? Does one such player exist? What young player do you think he should have plucked from waivers? Or are you once again just complaining about Army with no real substance behind it?
See any great young players there that are clearly better than what we already have Army should’ve taken?
What I see is a 3-step, over and over.
Step 1. We lose young players because Army just can't possibly hold onto them for an assortment of reasons. Each time it happens I'm irritated that WE ARE NEVER on the winning side of these young casualties. Never.
Step 2. The young player plays a key role on a Stanley Cup championship.
Step 3. The young player signs massive deals with the Stanley Cup team.
Key Question:
How can a star-studded championship team make room for the young players that we can't hold?
Regarding the waiver wire.... I suspect that no team jumped for joy when Mikola's name hit the wire. Florida did because they know talent.
You didn’t actually answer my question, which tells me you’re trying to deflect the conversation to something else and that you’re well aware that there were no obvious studs on waivers Army should’ve taken.
Also, we’re never on the winning side of young casualties?!? Are you kidding me? We won quite possibly the 2 biggest examples over at least the last decade in Broberg and Holloway! If you were to rank the 32 teams in order of taking advantage of other teams not being able to hold onto their young players, the Blues would be ranked 1st. You’re so out to lunch it’s mind boggling and sad all at the same time.
Also, Florida didn’t get Mikkola on waivers so I have no idea what you’re talking about. Again, the “facts” in your head in no way match reality.
You’re also getting way bent out of shape over our 3rd string goalie with zero NHL games played. I really liked Ellis but the system worked precisely as designed - waivers are a tool so that young players aren’t stuck in the minors forever. Once they’ve played a certain amount of time or games in the minors, other teams can have their crack at them. This will give Ellis an opportunity. For the Blues I don’t like it obviously. But for Ellis, I say good for him. He gets a legit NHL shot now. But again, there’s a good chance he just finds himself back on waivers once their starter is back healthy again.
The Ellis conversation is simple, he got too good too fast for what appeared to be the logically timeline. 1 year later and the Blues have more info to work with in regards to the big league hockey club and they deal Hofer or Binner. If Binner keeps playing the way he is where it seems like his game is still on the upward trajectory in terms of consistency, it's hard to see him not getting some kind of 3-4 year extension. Hofer elevates his game too much and he's going to get a starting level salary. Whether that's with the Blues and they field 2 starters or they have to move him, that's the next decision.
The Blues were hoping that Ellis would get to slide in there. Remember, 2 years ago Zherenko was the higher prospect. Things happen.
Harry S Deals wrote: ↑07 Oct 2025 09:12 am
So again is someone legitimately saying Army should have dealt Hofer to keep Ellis? What other option was there? Try to find a team dumb enough to trade for Ellis when they already knew the Blues would put him thru waivers? This is what happens when you draft and develop well you lose guys sometimes
This is dumb. Again. Daddy didnt love some one enough then he walked in on his mom getting tagged team by the lawn care guys. Classic psychological issues.
Just imagine, if you will, how the resident idiot would be crying and whining if the Blues traded Hofer and didn't get back Bobrovsky or Hellebuyck. The lack of understanding how the game works is beyond hilarious.
Georgiev is going on waivers because he is awful and has a league minimum contract. They thought they had their goalie of the future in Levi who was a standout at Northeastern but his game has regressed. UPL is their injured starter. They paid a meh Lyon a two year deal as insurance. They weren't planning on Ellis. He fortuitously fell in their lap when they realized that their backup plans were shaky at best. This has happened before ( and well happen against) especially to the Blues who have been forced to make choices with goalies in their system --- Bishop , remember losing Guy Hebert to the Ducks in the expansion draft ( Blues plucked him from nowhere D3 Hamilton College). People were stressing earlier this summer about the need to get Hofer signed because gms were coveting him as a potential offer sheet , Husso was "nabbed" by Yzerman thinking he was their future starter. Heck we could be in the same position next fall if Zherenko rebounds. A good problem for a team that for awhile was in the goalie wasteland wasting number one picks on Marek Schwarz or signing the likes of Curtis Sanford or retreads like Manny Legace or Chris Osgood hoping they were the answer.
callitwhatyouwant wrote: ↑07 Oct 2025 09:30 am
The Ellis conversation is simple, he got too good too fast for what appeared to be the logically timeline. 1 year later and the Blues have more info to work with in regards to the big league hockey club and they deal Hofer or Binner. If Binner keeps playing the way he is where it seems like his game is still on the upward trajectory in terms of consistency, it's hard to see him not getting some kind of 3-4 year extension. Hofer elevates his game too much and he's going to get a starting level salary. Whether that's with the Blues and they field 2 starters or they have to move him, that's the next decision.
The Blues were hoping that Ellis would get to slide in there. Remember, 2 years ago Zherenko was the higher prospect. Things happen.
So, in other words, let's just fire the scouting department. They have no job with the Blues. This trade is only a natural result of the universe in motion. Army and his scouts didn't even bother to evaluate both goalies. They simply go with the flow of the Universe.
And above all else, the scouting department is 1000% blameless no matter what happens with the traded players.
It is like everyone forgot what the waivers process is.
The choice is Ellis is at camp and exposed, or not at camp. Simple. Teams usually take the risk and get the player development camp time.
Buffalo is a team that is a mess within a mess via a dumpster fire of a goaltending. Taking a 3rd place depth player from St Louis is like inserting magic into their swill soup of draft picks. Not fun to have to lose a good guy like Ellis, the waivers process is a leveling out process. It has always been there to force teams rich in player depth to get picked a bit by teams weak in player depth especially at the start of the season. Call it the taxes for being NHL draft savvy.
