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Jeff Quirin

GameBlog 03-06-10: Blues vs Avalanche

By Jeff Quirin on March 6, 2010

Colorado Avalanche

vs.

St. Louis Blues

Pregame

Since the Olympics ended the Blues are 2-0-0 following decisive wins in Phoenix and Dallas. In both games, the starting netminder for the opposition was chased. Tonight’s task against the Colorado Avalanche will be much more difficult. If the Blues want a chance to split the season series (they are 0-2 so far) and gain ground on the 8th spot in the West, the post Olympic trends need to continue.

- Quick puck movement.
- Responsible defensive play by all five on the ice.
- Speed through the neutral zone (I’m watching your David Perron).
- Three lines producing goals.
- Chris Mason plays like its March 2009 all over again.

Colorado is no push over team. They are no “Cinderella” anymore either. While they did surprise most of the NHL nation by not being in the bottom three, they have maintained that high level of play all season. After the Olympics they have been presented with a challenge. Their #1 center was the #1 center for Team USA and is likely a little tired following his Silver Medal performance. They have made multiple deals at the deadline, altering their team chemistry. Since the Olympic break they are 1-2-0, giving up 3 goals in and at least two power play goals in each game. The Avs are at a cross roads. They can either gain their winning ways back as they open a  three game home stand with the Blues or slip down as teams like Nashville and Detroit move up. After these three games Colorado has six of their next nine on the road. Colorado needs a big game.

The Blues need to prepare for that big game and early jump from the Avs. The Avs have beaten the Blues twice and will use that to build confidence and momentum.

The Blues need the prototypical road game. Tight checking, high energy, smart decisions and timely goaltending. One key will be getting pucks on net. In each of the Avs last three games they have yielded at least 30 shots on goal against Craig Anderson. Anderson has been good, but he has seen a lot of rubber and let in more goals than usual. The Blues recent finishing ability needs to continue.

The play of the Steen-McClement-Boyes line needs to continue as well. Boyes has two goals in the last two games. Steen and McClement each have one. Timely secondary scoring will be huge of Colorado and shut down either the Backes or Berglund line.

John Kelly FYI’d on Twitter today that Milan Hejduk will be back tonight. Big boost to their offensive punch coming back. Hejduk, Stewart, and Mueller down the right side…not too shabby.

I haven’t heard about who is in net for the Blues yet, my guess would be Mason. I would also think that Davis Payne doesn’t alter the lines and pairings. We shall see. I will be out this afternoon, so if I catch any updates I will get them posted as soon as possible.

UPDATE @ 630pm:
Dan O’Neill has the Morning Skate blog up for StlToday today.

Line-Up FYIs:
King and Sydor Scratches.
Janssen Suspension (out)
Winchester back in (my guess is w/ Crombeen and D’Agostini).

O’Neill also talks about Alex Pietrangelo being named the #1 rookie to watch for 2010 by The Hockey News. Sorry Dan, that’s old news. We got the story here before today. ;)

First Period

It was a rough first 90 seconds, but the game started flowing after that.

The Blues did a good job matching the Avs physical presence and pace.

Barret Jackman had a couple of mental gaffes. NOt sure why he felt the need to cross over in front of Polak.

Blue shad good possession and chances on the power play, just no conversion.

Brewer got a shot through and Perron tips it home. Avs quick strike back and make it 2-1 at the end of the period.

Mental breakdowns defensively have left Mason out to dry on both goals. EJ has been good save the blunder with him and Brewer behind the net leading to Stewart’s goal.  Who, by the way, is killing the Blues with 4 goals and 3 assists in 2 games and 1 period against the Blues this season.

Second Period

The Avs sure have Chris Mason’s # this season. After the Blues chase teh starter in two straight, Mason is chased in the second.

As much as the first two were on the 5 skaters on the ice in front of Mason, the next two were on him.

Chris Stewart…though the second he now has 6 goals and 4 assists in the three games against the Blues this season.

The Avs have just capitalized on their chances where the Avs have really locked down the Blues second chances. Between Anderson’s rebound control and the Avs blocking out, the Blues aren’t generating much after the initial shot.

Every time the Blues crawl back, the Avs stomp on their hands, not much longer before the fall.

Where was the response to the Ryan Wilson hit? He’s creamed Oshie already and now D’Agostini. Was the only “tit for tat” Backes on Hejduk at the end of the second?

Speaking of Backes, where has that line been tonight? The 4th line has created more than the Backes line has. Not that impressed with all three dfensive pairings. No impact from Colaiacovo. Weaver is Weaver. Some mental mistakes by Johnson, Brewer, and Jackman have lead to goals. Polak is Polak.

Two out of three ain’t bad?

Final Thoughts

In big games, your best players need to step up. Colorado had theris, but the Blues best did not.

Where was the Backes line? Did The 6 defensemen decide to just half ass it? Did Chris Mason need to sit in favor of Ty Conklin? Should Payne have played the historical stats for once? Lots of questions, but not so many answers.

This game had a 1st half of 09-10 feel to it. Wishy-washy goaltending, lots of shots and many low % in tight chances that Colorado boxed out. The Blues had matched pace and play, but were run down by the blitzkrieg like counter attack of the Avs. David Backes said it very well in teh post game interviews. We (Blues) didn’t play our game and didn’t have guys winning battles.  When we lost battles they transitioned back up ice (paraphrasing). What the Avs did to the Blues is what they did to the Coyotes and Stars. Pressured them at every turn and took their game away. The Blues stood and watched a period (like Backes said) and it cost them the game.

Blues fans should give credit to the Avs. They are no push over team. They have high end talent with Stastny and Hejduk supported by a solid supporting cast that is well coached. They can attack and score with the best of teams. The Blues had no answer tonight. The right answer would be better goaltending and smarter play from first to last whistle. That just didn’t happen tonight. Anderson out performed Mason, big time.

The Blues need to look at this game as a reminder of what can go wrong when you don’t work hard enough from player 1 to player 20.In the first three games of this trip, the Blue shave 2/3 of the possible points, 4 out of 6. In a maintenance scenario where you are already in the post season, that’s fine. When you need to climb and will spend Sunday through Wednesday off, you need 5 of 6 or 6 of 6. Perhaps that is unrealistic, but its what would have to happen.

If there are any bright spots for the Blues it would be the play of the Berglund and McClement lines. Those 6 players combined for 3 goals and 6 points in the game. Steen continues to take his game to another level as does Berglund. D’Agostini played another solid game on limited ice time.

Winchester started hot and finished bland. A growing trend that is very troublesome as the Blues need Brad to create needed energy and enthusiasm.

I know that Backes and Johnson are tired and want to go home, but the Olympics are not a valid excuse when they played as well as they did in the two games prior.

The Blues now have 4 full days off before their next game on Thursday against the Islanders in New York. The reset button was pushed and the third period began the process. Now comes the time for the players to recharge and right their ship again. Blues fans were flying high after two good games, now comes a dose of reality. The Blues are close, but have a very difficult task. The games aren’t that easy adn teh team as a whole needs to remember that.

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Gameblog 03-04-10: Blues vs. Stars

By Jeff Quirin on March 5, 2010

There was a pretty important game played down in Dallas last night. Abut 18 Blues skaters and a goalie showed up. Dallas had about 6 and no goalie. In what was the biggest game for Dallas to date, they failed (fail is the operative word here) to show up. Hence, the Blues win 6-1 down in big D.

The Blues performance (save for some time in the second) was down right masterful. They looked like a top 5 team. The pressured Dallas at every opportunity, took away space, and most importantly made the neutral zone theirs. As Kelly and Pang alluded to during and after the game, the Blues did a great job of generating speed and pressure through the neutral zone. I know Jackman and Brewer aren’t ideal puck movers, but the team is getting it done with smart, decisive play (just like how Chicago does it).Dallas rarely, if ever, took time and space from the Blues entering the zone. That might have been the easiest time the Blues have had crossing the blue border line all season. Dallas just opened the door and said, “come on in, our goalie will not stop you”.

In a way I feel bad for Turco. He was a very fine goalie. HOwever, it seems he is going the route of JS Giguere. Time for Marty to have a change of scenery. I also feel bad for Eriksson, Neal, Richards, Riberio, Benn, and Robidas. In my opinion the only Stars who really showed anything and pressured the Blues.

As far as the Blues go, they were just too much. The spacing, passing, speed and decision making were some of the best we’ve seen all season. The Backes line has been strong and the top line for quite a while now. Does the team really have a second line? They haven’t till McDonald-Berlund-Perron started clicking. I would call last night that lines coming out party. Those three combined for a goal and two assists with good offensive zone pressure. The Steen-McClement-Boyes line was also very good as Steen and Boyes both scored very nice “goal scorers” goals.

The blueline was aggressive and physical. The EJ v Benn bout was fund to watch. EJ is going to use the Olympics to spring board on to his next stage of development and we saw that last night. Drop the gloves every once in a while to keep the forwards honest. Can anyone touch DJ King? Not Barch.

Mason was solid. I know that’s an odd comment on a 6-1 win, but he faced 30 shots. He came up with timely saves on Eriksson  and Skrastins to keep Dallas at bay.

3rd Star – Chris Mason
2nd Star – Berglund Line
1st Star – Backes Line

Next Up for the Blues are the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday night. Blues are now just one point out of the 8th spot with Calgary and Detroit to leapfrog.

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A Tough Deadline Day for the Blues

By Jeff Quirin on March 3, 2010

The feeling I had this morning, crawling out of bed after tracking the late night chatter, was that of a kid on Christmas. You’ve asked for things you think you can get, even though it might be hard for mom and dad to swing it. You’ve been good enough to deserve the coming gifts. You wake up and run to the tree….then realize you need to brush your teeth and eat breakfast. Ok, so that’s out of the way and you get to the tree. You and your sibblings open up all the boxes. Some get really cool toys, some get money to do what they want later. What do you get? A gift card to the bookstore, clothes, and a winter coat instead of that brand new computer. Yea, you can read the books you buy and wear the coat and clothes…but that computer lets you learn for tomorrow and have fun today.

The Blues (and their fans) were that kid today.

The trade deadline came and went today as 30 teams postured and positioned themselves to be a better team now or later. The St. Louis Blues are one of those 30 teams.  The Blues were able to cut multiple deals between March 1st and March 3rd. Were those deals impactful? Do they assist this team in making another improbable second half run? Do they make this team better coming in to the 10-11 season? I think are answers are maybe and maybe. I’m thinking it looks like a pair of Jeans and a puffy coat.

Let’s take a look at these trades and go from there. FYI – a full listing is on our Trade Deadline Blog.
*I’m throwing out the Wagner and Toivonen deals.

Trade 1
to St. Louis: F Matt D’Agostini
to Montreal: F Aaron Palushaj

At first glance this trade looks to be a minor one. An AHL winger traded for an AHL/NHL Tweener winger. When we dig deeper we see a prospect fairly well touted by the Blues traded for an inconsistent player who hasn’t really found much consistency at the NHL level. No, this isn’t Robbie Schrempf. Matt D’ Agostini posses a good shot and has been a scorer at levels below the NHL, but has yet to “get it” in the NHL. Matt has joined the Blues roster in Dallas where they play the Stars tomorrow night. His addition means the return of Derek Armstrong to Peoria. What does his addition mean when the Janssen suspension is up and Tkachuk returns from his pinkie injury? The Blues will have a few too many forwards. In that same line of thinking, where does D’Agonstini play? He isn’t a “grinder”, but the Blues wing positions are all filled up save for the “4th line”. Does he replace Winchester? With Armstrong’s leaving the Blues don’t really have a 4th line center, unless Brad Boyes moves back there. Maybe Boyes centers Steen and D’Agostini while McClement moves down to play with Winchester and Crombeen?

Aaron is still a smaller player and has encountered injury issues in Peoria already. That doesn’t mean he cannot strengthen his body to take the abuse of professional hockey in North America. The Blues gave up on quite a bit of long term upside to gamble on an inconsistent player they really don’t have room for on the NHL roster. At the same time, D’ Agonstini could find chemistry with his new Blues line mates and become an impact player. Right now, this trade is a toss up with potential to be good and bad for both teams.

Trade 2
to St. Louis: F Pierre-Cedric Labrie
to Vancouver: F Yan Stastny

This is yet another AHL trade made following the Bell, Wagner, and Toivonen trades. Yan Stastny was a tweener that couldn’t carve a spot out in St. Louis. Jay McClement did his job better than Yan could and there was no other room for him. YAn went to Peoria and played well as their Captain. Vancouver wanted a depth forwrd and they got one. Yan can play a limited role and kill penalties.

Pierre-Cedric Labrie is a big, physical forward who can bang the body. Does he have offensive upside? He has 15 goals in 175 AHL games. That should tell you all you need to know. My impression from some quick internet searching…the Canadian version of Brad Winchester.

Its a nice deal to acquire some size for Peoria’s stretch run, but Pierre really has little or no chance of making it to the Blues roster. This is a move to help Peoria, not the NHL club.

I want to be sure I clarify this. I do not think the Blues failed today. My review of the two deals are not to be taken that way.

The Blues were in an odd position. They are 3 points back of the 8th spot in the West. They also need to fend off the Minnesota Wild 3 points behind them and still leapfrog 4 other teams. That’s to easy task. You could also make the case that the Blues can win without Colaiaovo and Boyes. Both have been inconsistent producers, under Murray and Payne. They were assets that could be moved to acquire more assets for a later need and not cause a great detriment to this teams competition level. I agrue the same can be said about Paul Kariya. I love his play on the Backes and Oshie line, but he does not factor in to the long term plans. If you can move him, you do it. If you can’t, he gives you a great chance to push for the playoffs.

I implore Blues fans to keep that in mind when judging this trade deadlines level of activity (or lack there of). Fans are not privy to the offers the brain trust received. Is a 2nd Rd pick worth trading Brad Boyes and his production before this season? I don’t think so.  In reality only a few deals could have made sense to move Paul, Brad and Carlo. If those deals (or similar ones) didn’t materialize, there is no need for the trade.

Take the alleged Avalanche offer. Supposedly they offered Wolski or Lilies for Boyes. In a one of one deal, is that worth it? Liles would add another $4mil to the blueline and Wolski has been as inconsistent as Boyes. Should Colorado over pay? Hence no deal. Perhaps the Canucks wanted Berglund, Eller, Pietrangelo, etc in a package deal to get Schneider? The Blues won’t pay that (rightfully so) and Vancouver walked away. Their GM later came out and said no one got them an offer they thought was right for Schneider. Maybe LA didn’t want to part with Bernier so they settled for secondary guys like Halpern and Modin.

I do agree that the timing of the announcement of the season ticket price increase right before the deadline with little movement is great fodder for bloggers, columnists, and message board threads. Why tell me you are raising my prices and do little to improve the product I am seeing now? In all fairness to the Blues, you won’t pay more till next season and that gives the Blues the draft and off season to justify your rate increase.

Dan O’Neill of the St Louis Post Dispatch put up a blog today about the players reaction to the deadline. In it Kariya reiterates that he was not asked to waive his NMC (which to me says they had no viable offers). Brad Boyes was also disappointed that he was made available. News flash Brad…you haven’t produced and you didn’t start playing a consistent game till Payne arrived. The Blues as an organization have some hard decisions to make regarding player retention and external upgrades. You eat up $4mil of our cap space and a combined $8.5million in salary over the next two seasons. It’s human to feel hurt, but its logical to understand that your value and roster spot are in question. Interesting tidbit from the article…Chris Mason has again said he wants to stay here. If Chris in 2010 can be the Chris of 2009, he has a chance. Assuming Armstrong doesn’t want Turco and/or the Blues decide not to peruse a goalie like Schneider, Harding, etc. Would you pay Mason more than he makes now? Maybe a two year deal with most of the money loaded in to next year’s salary? That’s a whole other blog.

The deadline was exciting if you are a fan of hockey and the nHL in general. The Caps made moves to keep up with the Pens. Carolina went in to full swing with their rebuild (expect for not moving Whitney). The Coyotes made big moves to get Wolski, Stempniak, Morris, and Mathieu Schneider. I will be back later tonight with a  blog on my thoughts on the other 29 teams.

For now the Blues move on with Matt D’Agostini to take on Dallas and continue their playoff charge Thursday night.

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Blues Acquire Matt D’Agostini from Montreal

By Jeff Quirin on March 3, 2010

Aaron Palushaj - Image via mlive.com

Late night reports from Blues Insider Andy Strickland indicate that the Blues have traded former 2nd Rd Pick Aaron Palushaj to Montreal in exchange for Matt D’Agostini. The deal is also being confirmed by KMOX Blues announcer Chris Kerber.

In Palushaj’s first professional season with the Blues AHL affiliate, the Peoria Rivermen, Aaron has 5 Goals and 22 Points in 44 Games Played. Aaron had a productive training camp with the Blues this past fall. His NHL projection is a skilled “Top 6-ish” scoring winger. Injuries have hampered Aaron’s play time in Peoria this season. The knock on him is size. He has the height, but not the bulk. When I saw him this summer at the Susan G Komen walk, he looked like a SLU soccer player, not a professional hockey player.

Matt D’Agostini - Image via habsnews.ca

Matt D’Agostini, 23, has appeared in 40 NHL games this season, amassing 2 Goals and 4 Points. In the 08-09 Campaign D’Agostini chipped in 12 Goals and 21 Points in 53 Games Played. He is listed as roughly 6′1 and 200 lbs. In his NHL career Matt has 94 Games, 14 Goals, and 25 Points.

With the addition of D’Agonsiti, the Blues have another “Top-9″ type forward on their NHL roster. Could this be a move to add NHL depth to the roster pending a deal to move Brad Boyes or Paul Kariya (or Keith Tkachuk)? D’Agostini has a scoring touch that they hope he can develop in St. Louis.

D’Agostini is a Restricted Free Agent this summer. He should give the Blues another option for a cheap roster filler.

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Who to follow for deadline deals?

By Jeff Quirin on March 3, 2010

Everyone you need to be checking in to on Twitter is on this list.

http://twitter.com/BlueNoteZone/nhl-trade-deadline

Of course, we woudl love fo you to keep track of all the info from the trade deadline on BNZ, but we understand if you want to go peruse Twitter as well. Hey, we do it too.

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Trade Deadline Blog

By Jeff Quirin on March 2, 2010

The point of this blog will be pretty simple. From “now” till the deadline on Wednesday BNZ will keep you up to date on all the trade happenings. Be sure to also check out our Blues buddies over at Frozen Notes, they have a Live Deadline Blog as well. Hockey Independent also has a Live Chat with some well known names going as well. Puck Daddy @ Yahoo has a Live Chat and Blog as well.

Deals Done March 3rd

to Colorado: F Stephane Yelle & Harrison Reed
to Carolina: F Cedric Lalonde-McNicoll & 6th Rd Pick

to Nashville: F Dustin Boyd
to Calgary: 4th Rd Pick

to Edmonton: Aaron Johnson & 2010 3rd Rd Pick
to Calgary: D Steve Staios

to Vancouver: Andrew Alberts
to Carolina: 3rd Rd Pick

to Anaheim: D Lubomir Vishnovsky
to Edmonton: D Ryan Whitney

*BNZ Analysis – Big upgrade for the Ducks. Whitney just wasn’t the right guy for Anaheim. Ray (S)hero wins another trade.

to LA: F Fredrick Modin
to Columbus: Future Considerations

*BNZ Analysis – LA ended up not taking Whitney, Poni, Torres, Kariya or any other impact forward. Instead they take an aging Swede and Jeff Halpern. GOod moves for depth, but doesn’t really help THAT much in my opinion.

to Washington: D Joe Corvo
to Carolina: F Oskar Osala, D Brian Pothier & 2nd Rd Pick

*BNZ Analysis -This is a good deal for the Caps in their “win now, at all else” attitude. Osala could have been important since they could lose soem forwards while trying to find money to lock down Backstrom long term. I’m a Corvo fan (not just because he is on my keeper league team), he should do well pounding shots from the point in the nation’s capital.

to Phoenix: F Lee Stempniak
to Toronto: 4th & 7th Rd Picks

*BNZ Analysis – Phoenix adds another experienced player to their roster with former St. Louis favorite Lee Stempniak. I am honestly happy for Lee. After getting dumped in Toronto he gets to move to a playoff contender where he can contribute and not have too much expected of him.

to Washington: D Milan Jurcina
to Columbus: 6th Rd Pick

*BNZ Analysis – Not sure what is up here. The Caps can’t take on too much salary. Something else has to be coming for them to absorb Belanger, Walker and Jurcina.

to Atlanta: Clarke MacArthur
to Buffalo: 3rd & 4th Rd Picks

*BNZ Analysis – MacArthur helsp bolster the credentials of the Thrashers forwards. He adds size and a scoring touch. Replacement for Kozlov if he is moved?

to Buffalo : F Raffi Torres
to Columbus: D Nathan Paetsch & 2nd Rd Pick

*BNZ Analysis – The rumored 1st Rd pick for Torres was way too much. A depth player and 2nd rd pick isn’t too bad. Torres replaces MacArthur

to Calgary: G Vesa Toskala
to Anaheim: G Curtis McElhinney

*BNZ Analysis -Why? A more “capable” back up for Mikka?

to Washington: F Eric Belanger
to Minnesota: 2010 2nd Rd Pick

*BNZ Analysis – Given the history between Belanger and current Cap Chimera, its an interesting deal. Not sure if the CAps need another forward, unless another is moving out.

to LA: F Jeff Halpern
to Tampa Bay: F Teddy Purcell & 3rd Rd Pick

*BNZ Analysis – Sounds like an even swap of bottom 6 forwards with Tampa geting a draft pick.

to Phoenix: D Mathieu Schneider
to Vancouver: Sean Zimmerman & Conditional 6th Rd Pick

*BNZ Analysis – Phoenix adds another defensemen to their corps of blue liners. What’s important here is power play help and experience. Phoenix is trying to make sure they stay in the Top 8 teams in the West.

to St. Louis: F Pierre-Cedric Labrie
to Vancouver: F Yan Stastny

*BNZ Analysis – Randall has a blog up and will provide more thoughts. Vancouver got it’s depth Forward as Yan can be a good energy, 4th line guy who kills penalties. Too bad Cory Schneider wasn’t the Canuck to come back…as so many Blues fans were hoping to see come from Vancouver.

to Phoenix: F Wojtek Wolski
to Colorado: F Peter  Mueller & F Kevin Porter

*BNZ Analysis – Good deal for the Avs as they move out an inconsistent forward for a younger and cheaper inconsistent forward. Rumor is that the Avs had interest in Boyes, but were not interested in a straight swap for Wolski or JM Liles.

to Washington: F Scott Walker
to Carolina: 7th Rd Pick

*BNZ Analysis – CAps add more grit and toughness to their forward depth. I heard this likened to the Pens picking up Roberts.

to Edmonton: F Ryan Jones has been claimed off waivers from the Nashville Predators

*BNZ Analysis – Edmonton wants to obtain young players with upside to kick off their rebuild. Take Jones off waivers is a low risk acquisition.

to Anaheim: D Aaron Ward
to Carolina: G Justin Pogge & 2010 4th Rd Pick

*BNZ Analysis – Anaheim gets a little physical and defensive toughness on their blue line for a stretch run. Also gives them a warm body to replace Whitney or Wisniewski.

to Florida: F Craig Weller, F Byron Bitz, & 2nd Rd Pick
to Boston: D Denis Seidenberg & D Matthew Bartowski

*BNZ Analysis – Boston gets a “better” player in Seidenberg than what they had in Morris. Boston is still trying to find a scorer up front. Trading their 2nd Rd pick makes their second 1st Rd pick too valuable to trade?

to New Jersey: D Martin Skoula
to Toronto: 2010 5th Rd Pick

*BNZ Analysis – Not a shcoking trade. Burke is doing whatever he can to acquire young assets. Skoula had to come with Caputi to make the Poni deal work. NJ likes adding defensemen depth at the deadling (remember Salvador?). Burke gets another pick to play with.

to Phoenix: D Derek Morris
to Boston: 2011 4th Rd Pick

*BNZ Analysis – The deal opens up cap space for Boston to add a scorer. This also gives Phoenix depth on their blueline. However, Phoenix still needs to address their gap in the Top 6 with Upshall out. The lack of scoring was apparent against the Blues last night. Soem early thoughts are that Boston will run at Torres now. Might over pay as the rumor mill has indicated and use their 1st Rd pick and hold on to Toronto’s.

to St. Louis: F Matt D’Agostini
to Montreal: F AAron Palushaj

*BNZ Analysis – Blog Here. If Keith Tkachuk wasn’t injured, I would think this deal would signal his movement. D’Agostini is a guy with a scoring touch who could help now with a change of scenery. He is 6′0+ and around 200 lbs. Size the Blues need on their roster. Matt is a RFA at season’s end and give the Blues a cheap, internal option to fill an open roster spot for a UFA like Tkachuk or Winchester. It’s a good deal for Montreal adding an offensive upside winger who has a fair amount of skill. Aaron was pretty good at camp for basically coming straight out of College (Michigan). However, his size is an issue. He looked like a soccer player this summer, not a hockey player. With that said, Aaron has a lot of raw skill and could turn in to a productive player with size and experience. Something else is likely in the works if they are moving a touted player with some upside.

Deals Done March 2nd

to Toronto: F Luca Caputi & D Martin Skoula
to Pittsburgh: F Alex Ponikarovsky

to Ottawa: D Andy Sutton
to New York Islanders: 2010 2nd Rd Pick

to Chicago: D Nick Boynton
top Anaheim: Future Considerations

Deals Done March 1st

to Atlanta: F Evgeny Artyukhin
to Anaheim: D Nathan Oystrick & 2011 Conditional Draft Pick

to Pittsburgh: D Jordan Leopold
to Florida: 2010 2nd Rd Pick

to Edmonton: 2010 2nd Rd Pick
to Nashville: D Denis Grebeshkov

to St. Louis: G Joe Fallon
to Chicago: G Hannu Toivonen & D Danny Richmond

Deals Done before March 1st

to Minnesota: D – Cam Barker
to Chicago: D – Kim Johnsson & D – Nick Leddy

to Ottawa: F – Matt Cullen
to Carolina: D – Alex Picard & 2nd Rd Pick

to Montreal: Dominic Moore
to Florida: 2011 2nd Rd Pick

to Pittsburgh: D Steve Wagner
to St. Louis: D Nate Guenin

to Dallas: G Kari Lehtonen
to Atlanta: D Ivan Vishnevskiy & 2011 4th RdPick

to San Jose: D Niclas Wallin & 2010 5th Rd Pick
to Carolina: 2010 2nd Rd Pick

to Atlanta: D John Oduya, F Niclas Bergfors, F Patrice Cormier, 2010 1st Rd Pick, 2010 2nd Rd Pick
to New Jersey: F Ilya Kovalchuk, D Anssi Salmela, 2010 2nd Rd Pick

to Calgary: F Ales Kotalik & F Christopher Higgins
to New York Rangers: F Olli Jokinen & F Brandon Prust

to Toronto: D Dion Phaneuf, D Keith Aulie, F Fredrik Sjostrom
to Calgary: D Ian White, F Matt Stajan, F Niklas Hagman. F Jamal Mayers

//

to Toronto: G Jean-Sebastien Giguere
to Anaheim: G Vesa Toskala & F Jason Blake

to Washington: F Jason Chimera
to Columbus: D Milan Jurcina & F Chris Clark

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Blues Trade Targets

By Jeff Quirin on March 2, 2010

As the clock ticks down to 3pm Eastern on March 3rd, teams are scrambling to finalize deals coming out of the Olympic break. The Blues are no different. They are looking to pander off UFA parts for long term assets. In a previous blog we looked at Kariya and then revisited his options. For now let’s delve in to whom the Blues will look to buy. After all, a team can buy and sell at the same time.

Areas of Need

The Blues are losing Goalie Chris Mason, Forwards Paul Kariya and Keith Tkachuk, and Defensemen Carlo Colaiacovo and Mike Weaver to unrestricted free agency. This puts the Blues to task finding a starting goalie, a “Top 6″ and “Top 9″ Forward, as well as a power play Defenseman and a key penalty killer on the blue line.

A starting goalie and producing forwards will be the three most expensive pieces to replace come July 1st. It’s possible to address one of the three via free agency, but all three could be very pricey. Alex Pietrangelo or Jonas Junland are likely internal replacements for Colaiacovo. The penalty killing defensemen could be as well via Tyson Strachan or Ian Cole should he decide to leave Notre Dame. The Blues can likely address their defensive depth come the open market.  The goaltenders available come free agency are not young and that could be a lot of money put in to a declining product. The forward pool is very top heavy and the Blues need to fill Kariya and Tkachuk’s spot. For argument’s sake, let’s say the Blues go the route of replacing forwards via Free agency and upcoming prospect players and focus on goaltending at the deadline.

Goaltending

While most Blues fans will commend Chris Mason for his work in St. Louis, those same fans realize that Chris isn’t the answer for 10-11 and beyond. It’s sad, but true. In his mid 30’s, Chris just isn’t worth the type of deal someone might toss at him on the open market. Ty Conklin has been a starter, but he isn’t the answer either. Is Ben Bishop? One year of AHL play, a starter does not make.

Where are the Blues to go? Free Agency? Possibly, but as quickly digested above, it’s pricey in a geriatric market. This leaves the Blues the trade option. An option they explored last summer when kicking the tires on the Wild’s Josh Harding. AS we also saw last summer, teams were unwilling to part with said goalie for a “fair” price. Can’t say I blame them. I also can’t blame the Blues for not overpaying. The Blues have had rumored interest in Vancouver’s top netminder to be, Corey Schneider. The common theme? A team stable in their NHL net with a capable young standout waiting in the wings. Time to acquire an asset, no?

Who fits the “criteria”?
Jonathan Bernier – Los Angeles Kings
Jhonas Enroth – Buffalo Sabres
Cory Schneider – Vancouver Canucks
Josh Harding – Minnesota Wild
Michal Neuvirth – Washington Capitals

Jonathan Bernier - Image via frozenroyalty.cnet

Jonathan Bernier - Image via frozenroyalty.net

Jonathan Bernier – Los Angeles Kings
Hockey’s Future Profile

Bernier has been described as a quick hybrid goalie. In his last two season with the Kings AHL affiliate, the Manchester Monarchs,  Bernier has appeared in 101 games. In that time span he is 48-40-9, posting a 2.16 GAA and .926 Save %.

As stated in Kariya Blog #2, LA has the cap space and money to get in on Kariya if they cannot land someone like Poinkarvosky or Whitney. More pieces would likely need to be added, but this would allow LA to clearly define Jonathan Quick as the starter and acquire assets back for Bernier.

Jhonas Enroth - Image via InGoalMag.com

Jhonas Enroth – Buffalo Sabres
Hockey’s Future Profile

Jhonas was drafted 46th Overall by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2nd Round of the 2006 NHL Draft. Enroth helped to lead the Swedes to a Silver Medal at the 2008 World Junior Championships. Jhonas does lack size, he is listed around 5′10 and 180 lbs on most sites, but he plays a quick game and has good reflexes.

In his two seasons with Buffalo’s AHL affiliate, the POrtland Pirates, Johnas has appeared in 102 games. His record is 43-40-7 while posting a 2.55 GAA and .916 Save %.

While Buffalo does have a balance scoring attack, they could be looking for a rental forward to help puck pucks in the net while not hurting the team defensively. That is the way Kariya has played under coach Davis Payne. Buffalo does have the cap space to take on Kariya’s salary. Buffalo could also be looking for some assurance on the blue line in the future. They have three UFA defensemen on their roster.

Corey Schneider - Image via InGoalMag.com

Cory Schneider – Vancouver Canucks
Hockey’s Future Profile

Cory has been successful at nearly every level of play. He had a solid career at BC and has been an outstanding net minder for Vancouver’s AHL affiliate, the Manitoba Moose. Cory was the 2009 AHL Goalie of the Year.  He is listed as 6′1 or 6′2 by most sites and about 185 to 190 lbs. HIs AHL career encompasses 120 games played while posting a 2.29 GAA and .916 Save %.

There is no disputing Cory can play, the question is taking that play to the NHL level. With the Roberto Luongo extension, Cory is now expendable to return assets. Kariya is on Vancouver’s radar, as could be Carlo Colaiacovo. The issue for Vancouver is money and taking back salary. They don’t have the room to take Kariya without moving multiple NHL players or Pavol Demitra. A prospect package could be had, but I don’t see the Blues selling off potential prospects for an unproven player at the NHL level. Consensus seems to say Schneider would be the Blues best fit, but Vancouver is not an ideal trading partner.

Josh Harding - Image via meltyourfaceoff.com

Josh Harding - Image via meltyourfaceoff.com

Josh Harding – Minnesota Wild

Harding has been a solid addition to the Minnesota Wild family. He has been a faithful back up to Backstrom for the last few seasons. Like the Lunogo/Schneider dynamic in Vancouver, Minnesota has the same issue with Backstrom and Harding. They have inked their veteran goalie to an extension and the young prospect is tradable.

Harding had a solid AHL career posting a 67-40-7 Record with a 2.38 GAA and .924 Save %. Harding also has 75 games of NHL experience posting a 24-35-4 record with a 2.56 GAA and .917 Save %. Harding is by far the most experienced goalie of this bunch with a total of 193 profesional games played.

This trade is a difficult one to make at the deadline since the Wild are less than five points out of 8th place like the Blues are. At the same time, it can be said that if the Wild are to make it, Backstrom will carry them there. Is Harding needed for today? Or can he bring back assests to help now and later? MInnesota has six free agent forwards on their roster, four of those are UFAs. They will need young and cheap offensive producers. Could this be a destination for a Perron, Palushaj, McRae? This deal is more likely to happen during the summer than by Wednesday, but we shall see.

Harding is my personal pick.

Michal Neuvirth - Image via Washington Post

Michal Neuvirth - Image via Washington Post

Michal Neuvirth – Washington Capitals

Neuvirth has been part of the Caps revolving door of goalies this season. He has shared some time with Theodore and Varlamov. It is very possible Neuvirth ends up log jammed behind Varlamov since it seems the team wants to go forward with Varlamov. The Caps need to address some issues on their blue line. A place the Blues might be able to help.

Neuvirth has 33 games of experience with the Capital’s AHL affiliate, the Hershey Bears. In those games Neuvirth has a 2.27 GAA and a .921 Save%. In his 22 career NHL games Michal has a 11-5-0 record while posting a 2.80 GAA and .910 Save %.

Neuvirth is one of the lesser known names in goaltending prospects to the average Blues fan. Do take note, Neuvirth lead the Hershey Bears to a Calder Cup Victory over Schneider’s Manitoba Moose last season. Both goalies posted a 2.11 GAA and Nuevirth barely edged Schneider in Save %, .926 to .921., in 18 Playoff games. Neuvirth is listed at 6′- to 6′1 and right around 190 lbs.

I am not sure the Blues could go “wrong” with any of these goalies. All have upsides and downsides. What will determine the deal is the price of the player(s) heading back. I the asking price is Lars Eller or Alex Pietrangelo, you rework the deal or walk away. If this involves Backes, Oshie, Johnson, Berglund…you rework the deal or walk away. The Blues cannot afford to give up future key core pieces to roll the dice on the goalies above. A second level prospect like Palushaj, Cole…that could be doable. Only time will tell where the Blues go for a goalie, or if they even do make a deal.

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Blues Trade Hannu Toivonen

By Jeff Quirin on March 1, 2010

The St. Louis Blues and Chicago Blackhawks announced a trade today.

Pretty strange. Yes, I know.

The teams agreed to swamp AHL goalies and move a defensemen. Here is how it shakes out.

Image via rivermen.net

Joe Fallon - Image via Rivermen.net

Hannu Toivonen - Image via icehogs.com

To Chicago’s AHL Affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs:
Goalie – Hannu Toivonen
Defenseman – Danny Richmond

To St. Louis’ AHL Affiliate, the Peoria Rivermen:
Goalie – Joe Fallon

-

Andy Strickland reported that Defenseman Daryl Boyle was also involved in the deal. The Blues did not announce this, but he is on the Rivermen’s roster on www.rivermen.net.

There really isn’t much to this deal, at least from a Blues point of view. They use Toivonen to secure another young goalie in the system and Danny Richmond was not a factor in the teams NHL plans. Where this could have some impact is for Chicago. The deal brings them a goalie with some NHL experience. Assuming a trade is made in Chi Town by the deadline, they may need someone like Toivonen to start in Rockford. Current Starter Corey Crawford has been rumored to be involved in the Hawks trade plans.

I don’t think the Blues are done by any stretch. Keep an eye out over the next few days.

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Armstrong Recalled

By Jeff Quirin on March 1, 2010

Blues Forward Derek Armstrong - Image via blues.nhl.com

Hockeybuzz.com’s Andy Strickland reports that the Blues have recalled Forward Derek Armstrong from their AHL affiliate, the Peoria Rivermen. With Keith Tkachuk’s new injury (pinkie finger + surgery = out 10 days) and Cam Janssen’s 5 Game suspension, the Blues were down to 12 active forwards. With David Backes coming back from the Olympics (and a potentially tired Backes) the Blues were likely running with only 11 forwards at 100% coming out of the break. Armstrong’s recall will allow the Blues to carry 13 forwards as they await the return of Tkachuk and Janssen. With the first 6 games after the break being on the road, the Blues will likely need the depth.

Armstrong has five NHL games on the books this season. In those five games he has no points and is a Minus-2 while averaging a 7:34 in ice time per game.

If I were a betting man I would expect to see Armstrong centering a line with King or Winchester + BJ Crombeen to compose the Blues “4th line”.

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Cam Janssen Suspended 5 Games

By Jeff Quirin on February 25, 2010

The NHL met with Blues Tough Guy Cam Janssen on Thursday to discuss his late hit on the Caps’ Matt Bradley. The conclusion? A Five Game suspension.

Woah…5 Games?! Not fair!
Ridiculous. Pure BS.
This is hockey, its rough.

This is the type of response I’ve seen from Blues fans today.

I’ve got to be honest, I have to say I totally disagree. This suspension has really progressed my belief that Cam Janssen shouldn’t be on this roster.

Let’s review the hit.

In the video we can see Bradley make a play and is marked by a Blues player. As Bradley moves the puck he is looking at the play infront of him. That is to Boyes (marking him, it looks like) and back to the slot area of the ice where the pass went. Cam Janssen is coming in from his blindside (around the blue line), totally outside of the play. Janssen clearly leads with an elbow to the head of Bradley.

To recap, this is what we have.
- The offender is a repeat offender. (ask Kaberle what he thinks of Janssen)
- The offender was not in the play being made.
- The victim was blindsided.
- The victim was hit in the head directly by the elbow.

I’m sorry folks, I don’t know what part of the world that type of play is allowed. Sadly, Cam thinks it should be. The St. Louis Post Dispatch quoted Janssen as saying “He had his head down and I was doing my job.”…”The bottom line is, I’m going to play the same way.” News flash Cam, if you watch the replay his head isn’t down. Bradley’s head is turned to the play in front of him.

Cam Janssen - Image via blues.nhl.com

Cam Janssen came in with zero attempt to play the puck and hit Bradley in the head. Dare I say that a player skating out of his way to hit another player in the head is similar to what Patrice Cormier did to Mikael Tam? The outcome was different, Matt Bradley wasn’t on the ice in convulsions. However, I would argue that the play was similar. The offender came in to the play and made a path straight to the puck carrier and elbowed him in the head.

This is the play that scares me. Anytime you hit someone in the head, you are not only threatening their career, but also their way of life. There is no need for that type of physical play in the game of hockey. Players like Janssen are out on the ice for one purpose, stir the pot. Sometimes its a fight, sometimes its a big hit. These types of players walk a very fine line. The line between defensible and reckless. Some hits you can justify, this one can’t be. Can we justify this hit in hockey, can we defend it? I can’t.

The Blues are currently evaluating their roster going in to the deadline and for their off season plans. Both Janssen and DJ King are up for new contracts this summer. Both fill a similar role, Tough Guy / Enforcer. Can the Blues afford to pay two of these players when they are trying to raise the skill level of the NHL roster? Many fans may have forogtten King Kong and his brutal punches. This fan has not. I remember seeing him work hard and not look out of place on his shift. King can skate and play a game that is above average for the run of the mill “goon”. Janssen worked hard this past off season and looked to be a new improved Cam at Camp. However, that still doesn’t put him above a healthy King. Cam was brought in as a player to add “toughness” to the roster while not losing longtime Blue Bryce Salvador for nothing come unrestricted free agency in spring/summer 2008. When DJ King went down with injury to open the 08-09 Campaign, Cam became the full time #13 Forward. When DJ re-injured his hand this season, Cam’s spot was solidified again. Now DJ is healthy and playing again. Cam’s roster spot is now called in to question.

I know that he is a local boy. I know he has a big smile, big personality and seems to be a nice face to market for the Blues. Sorry, TJ Oshie and David Backes to a better job of marketing this team. They help this team win nightly without the antics. If Cam is here and his only benefit is PR, why is he on the roster? This suspension has to be the giant red flag that warns Blues fans to question Cam’s spot here. If DJ is back and Cam can’t match his play (or plays so poorly its a negative impact), is he worth keeping around?

My answer is no and has been since King returned. This is just my icing on the cake to hammer my thought home.

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