Observations from tonight’s game

[dtkblueshockey]

I went to the game for the first time in 3 years tonight.

I had a great time even though The Blues lost in a SO.

I definitely think management should strongly consider pivoting to their youth sooner rather than later. Specifically at the forward position.

Dvorsky is a very safe and conservative player. He positions himself well on plays and seems to have good hockey IQ for his age. He is not overly big but he is effective at the position. They should keep him up here and let him play. He looks better than Schenn and Sundqvist at center. Even when Thomas comes back they should keep him up and take this opportunity to move Schenn to wing.

Speaking of Schenn, his days at center should be done. He’s a good leader and mentor. You can see how well he communicates to the team on faceoffs etc but he simply is not the Schenn of 5 years ago. He is behind on skating and he’s starting to lose it when he is with the puck.

Mailloux is still making mistakes but I see why the Blues had their eye on him. He has talent but he’s definitely going to need to keep playing to get used to this league. There’s going to be growing pain with him like there was with Parayko.

On the defense and team D - in general it was the best game they had defensively since the start of the losing streak. The cough ups that led to goals were cross up - pressure plays by Vancouver forwards and tbh Sherwood just has the Blues #…..he is a Blues killer.

Snuggerud was a gamer tonight. The guy is starting to put it together and he’s looking more and more like a compete forward. I was very impressed with him.

Holloway and Suter both had good games. Kyrou was being checked a lot but overall he is always in the play.

Sunny at wing I didn’t hate - I liked him there better than C due to him being a slower player now a days.

Buch is….frustrating. He just looks like he’s trying too hard and makes too many mental errors when playing. Instead of just going out there and feeling the game he’s trying to force plays that aren’t there. He doesn’t shoot when he should and when he does he isn’t burying the goals.


The biggest thing for me is Blues depth is really shallow. Toropchenko, Walker, Joseph, etc all just feel like JAGs and aren’t really doing much. There are times where they forecheck well and try to do something but they overall do not have talent enough to finish. They don’t feel dangerous to me on plays.

I think they should start giving the young guys more ice and just get away from the has beens at forward.

On D - Broberg, Parayko, Fowler and Tucker all stood out. Mailloux will get there but is def a project. Faulk I feel like just move on.

[skeezix]

I agree completely with the comment about lack of depth. The losses of Neighbours and Thomas bring that to the forefront. The drop-off between the skilled players and the JAG's is dramatic. It may destroy the Blues' possibility of making the playoffs.

[ManitobaBlues]

Let’s take a look at where this team might be in two years and who could be in the lineup. There’s a hockey show here in Winnipeg where they often discuss this kind of long-term planning when it comes to NHL teams.

A couple of key questions to consider:

• Will Buch be part of the roster in two years?

• Will Schenn still be here in two years?

It seems that Armstrong may still be operating with an older mindset. Around the league, many teams are bringing their prospects into the NHL much more quickly, adapting to the modern game. The league is evolving, but Armstrong doesn’t appear to be keeping pace. In today’s NHL, it’s not uncommon for a first-round pick to step in and contribute right away.

[Frank Underwood]

Good comments. To me, the Blues have always had a shortage of smart players. I’m talking hockey IQ among the key players. Guys like Buch, Kyrou, and even Parayko seem to have a shortage of hockey IQ. I saw it again last night with Parayko. Now I love Parayko, but at the end of regulation, he iced the puck with like 4 seconds left for no reason. It gave Vancouver an unnecessary faceoff in the Blues end right at the end of the game.

Thankfully, that seems to be changing. Dvorsky is a smart player, Snuggerud is as well, and Neighbours also seems to fit in that category. From what I have seen, guys like Stenberg and Carbonneau also seem to have high hockey IQ’s, as well as talent.

Edit: Almost forgot Pius Suter. What a great addition, despite the team’s slow start. Now that is a good, smart hockey player. How in the world did Vancouver let him get away? He does all the right things, and he has pretty decent skill. He has 25 goals last year, so it’s not like he had an off year. What a solid player and I hope he’s around longer than the 2 years on his current contract.

[a smell of green grass]

I went to the game for the first time in 3 years tonight.

I had a great time even though The Blues lost in a SO.

I definitely think management should strongly consider pivoting to their youth sooner rather than later. Specifically at the forward position.

Dvorsky is a very safe and conservative player. He positions himself well on plays and seems to have good hockey IQ for his age. He is not overly big but he is effective at the position. They should keep him up here and let him play. He looks better than Schenn and Sundqvist at center. Even when Thomas comes back they should keep him up and take this opportunity to move Schenn to wing.

Speaking of Schenn, his days at center should be done. He’s a good leader and mentor. You can see how well he communicates to the team on faceoffs etc but he simply is not the Schenn of 5 years ago. He is behind on skating and he’s starting to lose it when he is with the puck.

Mailloux is still making mistakes but I see why the Blues had their eye on him. He has talent but he’s definitely going to need to keep playing to get used to this league. There’s going to be growing pain with him like there was with Parayko.

On the defense and team D - in general it was the best game they had defensively since the start of the losing streak. The cough ups that led to goals were cross up - pressure plays by Vancouver forwards and tbh Sherwood just has the Blues #…..he is a Blues killer.

Snuggerud was a gamer tonight. The guy is starting to put it together and he’s looking more and more like a compete forward. I was very impressed with him.

Holloway and Suter both had good games. Kyrou was being checked a lot but overall he is always in the play.

Sunny at wing I didn’t hate - I liked him there better than C due to him being a slower player now a days.

Buch is….frustrating. He just looks like he’s trying too hard and makes too many mental errors when playing. Instead of just going out there and feeling the game he’s trying to force plays that aren’t there. He doesn’t shoot when he should and when he does he isn’t burying the goals.


The biggest thing for me is Blues depth is really shallow. Toropchenko, Walker, Joseph, etc all just feel like JAGs and aren’t really doing much. There are times where they forecheck well and try to do something but they overall do not have talent enough to finish. They don’t feel dangerous to me on plays.

I think they should start giving the young guys more ice and just get away from the has beens at forward.

On D - Broberg, Parayko, Fowler and Tucker all stood out. Mailloux will get there but is def a project. Faulk I feel like just move on.

Thanks for spending time on this. Good info and read.

[11WSChamps]

Well I don't know how many teams that can lose two of their top 6 and #1 center and have the quality depth to cover that.

As far as Walker and Torp they were two thirds of the WTF line last season which arguably spearheaded the drive to make the playoff and were a driving force in the series against the Jets. Now all of a sudden not so good as 4th line players?

I won't argue about top level talent and dead weight..no disagreement there.

The team not playing as a five man unit and the top money players not being able to finish are the main problems as I see it.

[Frank Barone]

I went to the game for the first time in 3 years tonight.

I had a great time even though The Blues lost in a SO.

I definitely think management should strongly consider pivoting to their youth sooner rather than later. Specifically at the forward position.

Dvorsky is a very safe and conservative player. He positions himself well on plays and seems to have good hockey IQ for his age. He is not overly big but he is effective at the position. They should keep him up here and let him play. He looks better than Schenn and Sundqvist at center. Even when Thomas comes back they should keep him up and take this opportunity to move Schenn to wing.

Speaking of Schenn, his days at center should be done. He’s a good leader and mentor. You can see how well he communicates to the team on faceoffs etc but he simply is not the Schenn of 5 years ago. He is behind on skating and he’s starting to lose it when he is with the puck.

Mailloux is still making mistakes but I see why the Blues had their eye on him. He has talent but he’s definitely going to need to keep playing to get used to this league. There’s going to be growing pain with him like there was with Parayko.

On the defense and team D - in general it was the best game they had defensively since the start of the losing streak. The cough ups that led to goals were cross up - pressure plays by Vancouver forwards and tbh Sherwood just has the Blues #…..he is a Blues killer.

Snuggerud was a gamer tonight. The guy is starting to put it together and he’s looking more and more like a compete forward. I was very impressed with him.

Holloway and Suter both had good games. Kyrou was being checked a lot but overall he is always in the play.

Sunny at wing I didn’t hate - I liked him there better than C due to him being a slower player now a days.

Buch is….frustrating. He just looks like he’s trying too hard and makes too many mental errors when playing. Instead of just going out there and feeling the game he’s trying to force plays that aren’t there. He doesn’t shoot when he should and when he does he isn’t burying the goals.


The biggest thing for me is Blues depth is really shallow. Toropchenko, Walker, Joseph, etc all just feel like JAGs and aren’t really doing much. There are times where they forecheck well and try to do something but they overall do not have talent enough to finish. They don’t feel dangerous to me on plays.

I think they should start giving the young guys more ice and just get away from the has beens at forward.

On D - Broberg, Parayko, Fowler and Tucker all stood out. Mailloux will get there but is def a project. Faulk I feel like just move on.

Very nice summary and thanks for taking the time. Agree that Dvorsky and Snuggerud stood out last night. IMO Dvorsky needs to stay at C when Thomas returns and Schenn would be the guy to move to LW on Dvorsky's line.

Agree that Mailloux is a project and they could use his athleticism in the top four but that is likely a ways off. Would like to see a 4th line of Torp/Joseph-Bjugstad-Sunny when everyone is healthy, but they'll have to go one day at a time to get there.

[dtkblueshockey]

Thanks for the comments and conversation everyone.

I felt like I had to makeup for my clickbait blunder the other day

[seattleblue]

wait wait wait wait ... Mailloux ... growing pains like with Parayko?

Parayko is a player who stepped into his NHL role in 15-16 and immediately cemented a top 4 role. Mailloux is hapless in his NHL debut. That's about as poor an analogy as there is for this situation.

[dtkblueshockey]

wait wait wait wait ... Mailloux ... growing pains like with Parayko?

Parayko is a player who stepped into his NHL role in 15-16 and immediately cemented a top 4 role. Mailloux is hapless in his NHL debut. That's about as poor an analogy as there is for this situation.

The analogy comes from the years when people were clamoring to trade Parayko after Pietrangelo left and he assumed the top pairing job and wasn't living up to it initially.

If I remember correctly, Edmundson and Parayko were the bottom pairing his first year for quite a time. I could be misremembering.

[seattleblue]

wait wait wait wait ... Mailloux ... growing pains like with Parayko?

Parayko is a player who stepped into his NHL role in 15-16 and immediately cemented a top 4 role. Mailloux is hapless in his NHL debut. That's about as poor an analogy as there is for this situation.

The analogy comes from the years when people were clamoring to trade Parayko after Pietrangelo left and he assumed the top pairing job and wasn't living up to it initially.

If I remember correctly, Edmundson and Parayko were the bottom pairing his first year for quite a time. I could be misremembering.

You look at Mailloux now and you think you're seeing a Cup champion caliber shutdown defenseman be asked to play more minutes than he should?

The comparison is fantastical in a bad way

[dtkblueshockey]

wait wait wait wait ... Mailloux ... growing pains like with Parayko?

Parayko is a player who stepped into his NHL role in 15-16 and immediately cemented a top 4 role. Mailloux is hapless in his NHL debut. That's about as poor an analogy as there is for this situation.

The analogy comes from the years when people were clamoring to trade Parayko after Pietrangelo left and he assumed the top pairing job and wasn't living up to it initially.

If I remember correctly, Edmundson and Parayko were the bottom pairing his first year for quite a time. I could be misremembering.

You look at Mailloux now and you think you're seeing a Cup champion caliber shutdown defenseman be asked to play more minutes than he should?

The comparison is fantastical in a bad way

No, I’m saying that Mailloux needs time to play up here and develop at this level, just like the other youth. He has proven he can play in the AHL so sending him back there is pointless. He needs to just comfortable and play and not be compared to Bolduc success in Montreal.

I really feel like the expectation levels are insane for him by the fan base in general. He should be making mistakes at this level because he quite simply hasn’t logged any meaningful minutes at this level up until this season.

My comparison between him and Parayko was simply on the fact that people wanted to jettison him after he was having a couple of hard years playing in a specific role and him being compared to Pietrangelo in the same way.

I am in no way shape or form saying Mailloux is going to be Colton Parayko. I’m saying people need to chill on being overly critical on his development and thinking he needs to just be Parayko instantly when he’s done nothing at this level yet.

[seattleblue]

wait wait wait wait ... Mailloux ... growing pains like with Parayko?

Parayko is a player who stepped into his NHL role in 15-16 and immediately cemented a top 4 role. Mailloux is hapless in his NHL debut. That's about as poor an analogy as there is for this situation.

The analogy comes from the years when people were clamoring to trade Parayko after Pietrangelo left and he assumed the top pairing job and wasn't living up to it initially.

If I remember correctly, Edmundson and Parayko were the bottom pairing his first year for quite a time. I could be misremembering.

You look at Mailloux now and you think you're seeing a Cup champion caliber shutdown defenseman be asked to play more minutes than he should?

The comparison is fantastical in a bad way

No, I’m saying that Mailloux needs time to play up here and develop at this level, just like the other youth. He has proven he can play in the AHL so sending him back there is pointless. He needs to just comfortable and play and not be compared to Bolduc success in Montreal.

I really feel like the expectation levels are insane for him by the fan base in general. He should be making mistakes at this level because he quite simply hasn’t logged any meaningful minutes at this level up until this season.

My comparison between him and Parayko was simply on the fact that people wanted to jettison him after he was having a couple of hard years playing in a specific role and him being compared to Pietrangelo in the same way.

I am in no way shape or form saying Mailloux is going to be Colton Parayko. I’m saying people need to chill on being overly critical on his development and thinking he needs to just be Parayko instantly when he’s done nothing at this level yet.

Nobody intelligent who's a Blues fan wanted to get rid of Parayko at that time for the argued reasons. yes I know there was a lot of it. but Doug Armstrong manufactured that for them by pronouncing a player who was not ready for a role as ready for a role. The "GOAT" made that dross for folks.

This is entirely different. Nothing left to prove in the AHL? This does not look like a very good AHL player to me. He does belong in the AHL for the whole year I think. You're alleging a player who is overmatched at this level has nothing left to prove at the level below? That really doesn't happen, and it's not what's happening now with this player. I have not seen a single flash of upside with him at the NHL, and numerous cataclysms.

[dhsux]

He had a rough night with the penalties last night, the trip in particular.

But he has shown improvement from game 1...I'd say significant...and he needs to be kept up here to see where that goes imo.

He has a very good skill set and needs to play smarter no doubt....but the Blues are going to try to find out what they have in him and he's going to play up here until they think he can't.

They will move him down if they deem that he's going no where up here.

[DawgDad]

Mailloux earned his seat in the pressbox but he's been serviceable since getting back in, they seem to have him on a leash offensively. The penalties? Nothing we haven't seen from Tucker.

He needs to play, play, play and not do anything to get himself scratched again.

[bgwinn01]

Well I don't know how many teams that can lose two of their top 6 and #1 center and have the quality depth to cover that.

As far as Walker and Torp they were two thirds of the WTF line last season which arguably spearheaded the drive to make the playoff and were a driving force in the series against the Jets. Now all of a sudden not so good as 4th line players?

I won't argue about top level talent and dead weight..no disagreement there.

The team not playing as a five man unit and the top money players not being able to finish are the main problems as I see it.

This.