Bluenotes 1-27-11: 5 Questions | Blues Updates | NHL Links

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Questions the Blues (& Fans) Should Be Asking

While this may be unpopular with a few BNZ readers and tweeps, I agree with Bernie Miklasz’s article today on STLToday.com.

We all love the Blues for some very good reasons. John Davidson and Dave Checketts rode in like white knights to keep hockey in the heartland. We want hockey life in St. Louis to work out the way we envisioned it when JD and Checketts painted a picutre of the future in 2006. They never said it would be easy, pretty, clean or quick. They said be patient and the good times will come.

Patient the puckheads have been. Watching games that were tough, ugly, dirty and trying to understand a personnel development process going much slower than their counterparts accross the NHL.

At some point, even saints lose their patience and Saint Louis might be at her whits end.

I’m not going to rehash Bernie’s article because you’ve seen it all before. Injuries happen. Real depth takes time to grow. Investor/Ownership turmoil. Yada, yada, yada. There are real issues holding this club back. However, those issues don’t excuse the half hearted effort on the ice seen in the Blues 2-7-2 month of January.

Blues fans don’t want excuses. No matter how legitimate those excuses are, we’ve had them for five years. We want to see results. If we’re not seeing results, we’re going to ask questions. Because we want answers.

Between today and tomorrow’s Bluenotes blogs I will pose and answer what I see are vital questions. Without further delay, the questions:

1. While the budget may be tight, was there no “rainy day” fund worked in to the figures to allow a deal to be made if the worst case scnario hit with injuries?

2. After nearly three full seasons, what can we realistically expect from Erik Johnson?
a. If we expect less than a top two defenseman, do the Blues need to add external help on the back-end?

3. Did the organization miscalculate the abilities of the significant signings in relation to their pay?

4. Is this team too young?

5. Where has the effort gone?

Blues News & Links

A midday hockey show…on the radio? Yep. Chaser and Panger once a week from 1pm to 3pm on 590 AM. [InsideSTL.com]

The Blues are going HBO 24/7 with their “Blues Inside Access” series to air on Fox Sports Mid West. The show starts Saturday. If you saw the game last night and the second intermission you got a little taste of what’s to come. [Blues.NHL.com]

Phil McRae and Nikita Niktitin are heading back down to Peoria for the All Star Break. Interesting that Stefan Della Rover isn’t heading down as well. [Blues.NHL.com]

The Blues official site has an All Star Game page set up. You can get info there or just by reading the nitty gritty below.

All-Star Fantasy Draft on Fri., Jan. 28 at 7 p.m., VERSUS
Honda SuperSkills on Sat., Jan. 29 at 6 p.m., VERSUS
2011 NHL All-Star Game on Sun., Jan. 30 at 3 p.m., VERSUS

Where will Backes go in the draft? Not sure, but I’m putting my monopoly money on Nik Lidstrom drafting him.

EJ’s own goal last night is not the way the Blues want to appear in national hockey media coverage. [Yahoo Puck Daddy]

An update to Vladimir Tarasenko’s injury. According to Russian hockey expect Alex Seren Rosso, Tarasenko will only miss one month of action due to a shoulder injury. Original speculation was that it could end his season and may have jeopardized his arrival in North America this summer. [SportsHaze.com]

NHL News & Links

The Washington Capitals have extended Alex Semin for another season. Meaning the Russia sniper will be rocking the red in to the 2011-12 season. Paying him $6.7 million for his point producing capabilities. [HockeyIndependent.com]

Nope, still don’t like Sean Avery. Flaunting himself for charitable cause or not. [Puck Daddy]

Sad to see former Blue Craig Conroy hang ‘um up. When Jarome Iginla says good things about you, you know you played the game the right way.

NHL Network is doing a mock ASG draft tonight at 8pm EST. [NHL.com]

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