Fellow blueliners Kris Russell (groin) and Kent Huskins (ankle) are still on IR which brings the Blues down to only five healthy defenders (Jackman, Colaiacovo, Pietrangelo, Polak, and Shattenkirk) who can play on Tuesday night.

Cade Fairchild (image TSNphotography)

So it’s pretty obvious that the Blues are going to have to recall a player from the Peoria Rivermen. Considering their play as of this season, the top two options for a recall, in my mind are Cade Fairchild or Danny Syvret.

Fairchild, a rookie out of the University of Minnesota has made a big impact  for the Rivermen this season already. His 17 points (4 goals, 13 assists) have helped the Rivermen to a 17-15-2-1 record this season.

He’s already had one call up this season, and he didn’t look out of place in his only game played. He finished the night with a clean score sheet, an even +/- and no penalty minutes. He’s my number one option of getting a recall in fill in for Cole.

Danny Syvret (image TSNphotography)

Syvret is not to be looked over also, as a potential call up. His 20 points (3 goals, 17 assists) leads all defensemen on the Rivermen squad and tied for fifth among AHL defensemen this season.

What Syvret brings, however, which could give him the heads up on Fairchild is his experience.  His 59 NHL games and 10 playoff games rank much higher than Fairchild’s one game, and that alone could give Syvret an edge  in his chances of being called up. He has 3 goals, 4 assists in those 59 regular season games while recording zero points in his ten playoff games.

If I was in Doug Armstrong‘s shoes, I’d go with Syvret. He gives you the experience, he plays an offensive game but isn’t inadequate defensively either. While the call up is likely only going to be for the three games, it doesn’t force the Blues to put to much pressure on the call up either.

While I could see positives for Fairchild, I’d like to see him develop a little more in the AHL this season and get his call ups next season when he’s a little bigger, stronger, and more experienced.

Yet again, however, I’m not Doug Armstrong, so the call up could eventually be between two entirely different defenders. Watch me debate Fairchild and Syvret, then Mark Cundari gets the call up.

We should find out later today on who gets the call up.

However, Jaden Schwartz isn’t the only St. Louis Blues prospect starring for their native countries in the upcoming tournament. Dmitrij Jaškin, Blues prospect who hails from the Czech Republic is currently with the team, but they have yet to make final cuts to their roster.  While Jaškin isn’t likely to be cut, stranger things have happened in history.

Jani Hakanpää has to be a game changer for Team Finland. Photo by Tumo Tenhunen/NPI

Jani Hakanpää, the towering defender from Finland is, however, on the final roster for the Finnish team and will be wearing the assistant’s ‘A’ on his sweater as well.

Hakanpää, 19, towers at an intimidating 6’5″ and, while he still needs to fill out, at 218 lbs, he isn’t easily pushed around.

The two-way defender will be a big part of the Finnish World Junior team this season. Hakanpää is top pairing defender who sees minutes in every situation in the game. With his booming shot, he’ll likely run on the second powerplay unit, and with his long reach and ability to read the play well, he’ll likely be playing big minutes on the penalty kill as well.

It’s no secret that Team Finland has a stellar group of forwards. They already have one of the tournaments top players in Mikael Granlund. The kid showed his skill at the World Championships last year and is expected to be a dominant force in this tournament.

Adding to Mikael’s talent, Teemu Pulkkinen, Joel Armia, and Markus Granlund will give the Finnish forward core plenty of talent. Their defensive core, lead by Hakanpää and Konsta Mäkinen will have to be strong if Finland is to have a chance at getting a medal this year.

Their goaltending is solid, but most consider teams USA, Canada, Russia, and Sweden to have better goaltending.

This is where Hakanpää will have to make a difference for team Finland. He’ll be leading the defensive core and will have to be a difference maker in every game. He’s got experience on this team, but being pretty much the number one guy on the blue line, Hakanpää’s impact will have to be on the positive side.

With Hakanpää and team Finland ready to take on Jaden Schwartz and team Canada in just a few short hours, we’ll really be able to get a really good look at two of the top teams this year in the World Junior Hockey Championships.

The Lightning are lead by one of the leagues brightest stars, Steven Stamkos. Stamkos, only 21 years of age is tied for the team Tampa’s team lead with 16 points (10 goals, 6 assists). He shares the spotlight with a surprising name, Marc-Andre Bergeron. Bergeron’s three goals and 13 assist have him atop the NHL with points by a defensemen.

The 31 year old defender is on pace to shatter his career high in points. His highest season offensively was back with the Edmonton Oilers back in the 2005-06 season in which the offensive defender registered 15 goals, 20 asssists for 35 points. Bergeron is on pace to more than double that point total, if he continues to produce.

With the Lighting coming to St. Louis, it’ll be the first time former Blues captain, Eric Brewer, returns to the city he played in for six years. While he struggled with injuries and his hot-and-cold play here with the Blues, his leadership in the locker room was unquestionable. It should be a good reunion for the 32 year old veteran.

Peter Pupello wrote an article on Brewer’s return to St. Louis. for the Tampa Bay Lightning’s official webpage. In the article, Brewer expressed his desire to return and face his former teammates, “I’m looking forward to having a quick chat with a lot of the guys,” Brewer added. “I played with a lot of them for a long time and we had some really good times there. I have nothing but good things to say about their organization.”

Brewer has played in 15 games this year for the Lightning, registering four assists and eight penalty minutes.

Newly acquired defensemen, Kris Russell, will be in the line up tonight as Ian Cole will be the healthy scratch for the Blues. Blues head coach Ken Hitchcock stresses that this isn’t because of Cole’s play and this doesn’t mean Cole with become the 7th defender, he just wants to get Russell into the game and make him apart of the team early one. You can read more about that in Jeremy Rutherford’s blog over on Stltoday.com.

Brian Elliott is in for Jaroslav Halak tonight as Ken Hitchcock wants to see what Brian can do between the pipes for the Blues. Interesting move as Halak is has played well his last three games.

In other Blues news, the 2012 All-Star Ballot is out and voting is set to begin the 14th of November! The St. Louis Blues have three players on the ballot this year. Captain David Backes, sophomore defensemen, Alex Pietrangelo, and goaltender, Jaroslav Halak. For more information, head on over to the Blues official webpage for more!

Matthew Hulsizer’s group is still bidding for the St. Louis Blues as the deal still has not been finalized. While there was spectulation weeks ago that Hulsizer and the St. Louis Blues had signed a purchase agreement, neither side have publicly acknowledged the deal.  For more information on the sale of the Blues, Jeremy Rutherford brings us all up to speed, check it out.

In between then and now, the Blues have gone through a slew of goaltenders. Passerby’s like Grant Fuhr, Fred Brathwaite, Roman Turek, Curtis Sanford, and Chris Mason. Former Red Wings castoffs, Chris Osgood, Manny Legace, and most recently, Ty Conklin.

Though when the Blues acquired goaltender Jaroslav Halak from the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for prospects Lars Eller and Ian Schultz, many felt that they had acquired the young, up-and-coming goaltending stud they’ve been missing.

Jaroslav Halak - image via BridgetDS (Flickr)

Yet in the Blues first season with Halak, they had their highs and lows. Halak’s 7 shutouts ranked 4th in the NHL last season. Yet his overall stats have Halak’s season ranked about 15th-18th or middle of the pack against all the starting goaltenders in the NHL last season.

Many people, myself included, had higher for Halak in his first season. Injuries played their hand as the Blues lost key players for large amounts of time and saw Halak need to stand on his head nearly night after night. Some nights he did, others he couldn’t steal the games needed.

Bad luck also set in for Halak, like putting the puck in his own net against the Wings.

He did have his fair share of highlight reel goals, from his huge stick save against the Predators, his great glove stop against the Sharks, and his pad save against the Red Wings late in the game. He was a bright spot in a rough season for St. Louis, and he’s expected to be the backbone of the Blues this season.

They need Halak to be able to keep them in games and steal them games now and then. He’s got to be the goaltender the Blues expected him to be when we acquired him last off-season.

That said now, Halak isn’t going to be the only goalie in St. Louis next season.

Most teams go into training camp knowing who their number one and number two are in net. This isn’t the case in St. Louis. The back up job is up for grabs in training camp this year. It’ll be between the St. Louis kid who has developed in the Blues system, Ben Bishop, or it’ll be the veteran signed in the off-season, Brian Elliot.

The argument for Brian Elliot is his experience. Elliot has over 140 NHL games under his belt, and a career record of 61-53-16. The 9th round draft pick went from hockey unknown to  a potential number one goaltender. Time was needed for the young netminder from Newmarket, Ontario native to develop, yet injuries to Ottawa’s goaltenders threw Elliot into the spotlight a lot earlier than expected.

His development halted and Elliot became spotlight of ridicule. Many people ignoring the skills that the 6’3″ 201lbs goaltender has. He has great lateral movement in net. Top notch vision, along with a strong glove hand are key points for Elliot’s game. His great side-to-side movement makes him one of the better goaltenders when facing 2-on-1 situations.

Elliot fell into disfavor in Ottawa then was traded to an abysmal Colorado team last trade deadline. He was not retained and was brought in as a potential back up to Jaroslav Halak.

Ben Bishop will be pushing for the backup role in St. Louis next year.

Ben Bishop is standing in his was however, and it’ll be a battle between Elliot and Bishop in training camp to decide who gets the back up position in St. Louis and who gets sent down to the Blues AHL affiliate, the Peoria Rivermen.

Bishop, doesn’t have near the experience as Elliot does in the NHL. Only 13 games with the Blues makes Bishop’s shot at getting the back up role out of camp a lot harder. His 4-5-1 record doesn’t help him either, yet he has shown the Blues he is a very good American Hockey League goaltender as he’s posted very solid numbers for the Peoria Rivermen the last two seasons.

This will be the fourth season with the St. Louis Blues organization and it’ll be a battle for a role he’s been groomed for. He’s been brought up in the last two seasons and he’s shown the club he has the skills to be an NHL goaltender.

Bishop uses his great size and his positioning skills to stop the puck consistently. He is a big man, standing at 6’7″ and weighing in at 215lbs. He is the tallest goaltender ever to play in the National Hockey League, and he uses his size to his advantage.

Being 6’7″ tall, he has a massive wing span and gets his arms all over the net. When he is down in his butterfly, there is literally no room to shoot as he covers the entire bottom portion of the net. His only weakness is his agility. He’s a big guy and moving into the right position takes a hair longer than the smaller goaltenders, giving shooters a little bit longer to take a shoot. While I don’t see this stopping him from being an NHL goalie, I do worry on how it might hinder his quest to be a number one netminder.

It doesn’t matter which of these two goaltenders backs up Jaroslav Halak in St. Louis, the Blues will rely on them for a good 20 or so games and will need them to be able to stop pucks on a regular basis, other wise the Blues will struggle to be a team that pushes for the post season.

This was Bill Armstrong’s first draft as the head scout of the St. Louis Blues since taking over the job from Jarmo Kekäläinen as Jarmo was named general manager of Jokerit of the Finnish Elite League (SM-liiga). What a find job he did in helping the Blues gain even more depth in the junior ranks as well over in Europe. We stock piled a few nice prospects in every aspect of the game, offensively, defensively, and in between the pipes as well.

So who did we get? What do they project to be? What’s their chance of making it to the NHL? Who do they compare too? We have all that and more right here on the Bluenote Zone.

The Blues went without a first round pick this year, the first time going without a first round pick since 2002. The Blues first pick, the 32nd overall pick, was acquired in the deal with Colorado that sent Erik Johnson, Jay McClement, and 11th overall to Colorado in exchange for Chris Stewart, Kevin Shattenkirk, and the 32nd pick.

Ty Rattie had a superb year with Portland of the WHL this season before being picked by the Blues, 32nd overall (image via winterhawks.com)

The Blues had options with their first pick, and used it to draft right winger, Ty Rattie.

Rattie, native of Airdrie, Alberta played this season for the Portland Winterhawks of the WHL.

He had a successful season with Portland, registering 28 goals, 51 assists for 79 points for Portland in the regular season this year. In the playoffs, Rattie put up nine goals, 13 assists for 22 points in just 16 games. His offensive talents were displayed for Portland as they made it to the WHL finals before losing to the Kootenay Ice in five games.

Rattie is a great passer who is blessed with a set of ‘soft hands’. His passing is superb, one of the better playmakers in the draft this season.

He also possesses great vision on the ice, along with his very valuable hockey sense allows Rattie to see the play develop before it even happens. That is a very valuable asset to possess as it helps him get into position to help deposit the puck in the back of the net.

Along with his exceptional passing skill, Rattie can also shoot the puck very well. His ability to get a shot off quickly and accurately helps keep defenders and opposing goaltenders honest when he’s skating down the rink.

A knock on Rattie is his size. He’s 5’11 and 170 lbs, and he plays that way. He stays out of the dirty areas and plays along the perimeter. This is something that needs to be improved for Rattie to take the next step in his game. He needs to improve his size and muscle mass, then he’s got to start pushing into the corners, along the boards, and around the net. If Rattie can do this, with his skill set, he could develop into a nice, top six, potentially top line forward in the NHL.

The Blues didn’t waste much time after selecting Rattie before they picked again, just nine picks later, they were up again. This time around they selected right winger, Dmitrij Jaskin.

Jaskin could use time to develop but preferably under Mellanby who's helped Berglund and Backes both break out (image via thehockeynews.com)

Jaskin was born in Russia, but grew up from the age of eight months in the Czech Republic.

Jaskin played for Slavia Praha in the Czech league this past year, posting a modest 3 goals, 7 assists in just 33 games. Looking at those stats, you’d think they weren’t that impressive. On the contrary, as the highest point total on the team was only 35 points.

He plays a big mans game. He’s a force on the puck and is very difficult to knock off of it. He’s got good vision, puck handling skills and hockey sense as well. Jaskin uses his size to his advantage and plays a physical game, and on top of all of that, he’s defensively responsible as well.

Jaskin, like Rattie, and every other prospect drafted has knocks against him. For instance, his shot. He has a below average shot. He lacks the strength in his wrist to get a shot off quickly, thus it’s easier to read as a goaltender or defensemen. Another knock against Jaskin is his durability. Said to have a few problems with one of his knees.

Jasking has top six potential, if he can improve on his shot. If not, he is defensively responsible enough, and has the big bodied presence to play in a defensive, bottom six role.

Jeol Edmundson is a big mean defensemen who who doesn't have any problems throwing his fists around. (image via i.pbase.com)

With their third pick in the second round, 46th overall pick, acquired in the deal for forward Brad Boyes, the Blues picked up towering defensemen, Joel Edmundson.

This shut down defensemen plays a rugged game with the Moose Jaw Warriors of the WHL. Showing a little offensive prowess, Edmundson primarily showed off his shut down ability this year as one of Moose Jaw’s top shut down defenders and was relied upon in key roles for Warriors this season.

One of the best assets Edmundson possesses is his shot. He was the winner of Moose Jaw’s hardest shot competition this year with a booming 98MPH shot. That is harder than a lot of NHLers can shoot the puck. If Edmundson can learn when to use his shot, he could add that feature to his game as well.

The big, 6’4 defensemen showed he wasn’t afraid to drop the gloves this year either, dropping the mitts seven times this season. Winning 6 of his 7 bouts on the year.

Edmundson has top four potential as a shut down man who could chip in the rare goal. I had him slated for the mid third, but I’ve learned not to question the Blues brass during the draft.

Heading into the third round, the Blues had two draft picks, the Blues finished the third round with two players, but only drafted one.

Jordan Binnington, a native of Richmond Hill, Ontario was the Blues only draft choice in the third round. Using the

Binnington was named Most Outstanding Goaltender at the Memorial Cup Finals (image via thegoalieguild.com)

88th pick acquired from Tampa in the deal that sent Brewer to the Bolts and that acquired defensive prospect Brock Buekeboom.

Binnington had an up and down year with the Owen Sound of the OHL this past season, but his moment came when it mattered most.

Being named Most Outstanding Goaltender of the Memorial Cup, Binnington had an outstanding goals-against-average of 1.42 and save percentage of .951. Tops of all goalies in the Memorial Cup. Binnington posted the only shut out in the tourny as he made 29 saves against the Kootenay Ice of the WHL.

His 27-12-1-4 record in the regular season doesn’t look bad, but his 3.05 goals-against-average and a .899 save percentage is a different story.

Binnington has to work on his consistency if he wants to make it into the NHL. He’s got time grow and develop that consistency in the next few seasons.

The Blues acquired Russian power-forward Evgeny Grachev from the Rangers yesterday. (image via zimbio.com)

The other pick that the Blues owned in the third round pick was trade to the New York Rangers in exchange for Russian prospect, Evgeny Grachev. Grachev has a lot of NHL potential and could crack the Blues line up out of training camp this up coming season. He is highly skilled and possesses a strong defensive game which could help the Blues next year.

You can read more about the trade and Grachev in Jeff, our lead writer’s blog, St. Louis Blues Acquire Grachev From Rangers.

The Blues held one pick in each of the next four rounds, in the fourth round, the Blues grabbed left winger, Yannick Veilleux. Veilleux plays for the Shawinigan Cataractes of the QMJHL.

He had a strong year for the Cataractes, posting 19 goals, 29 assists in 68 games and had 2 goals and 5 assists in 12 playoff games for Shawinigan.

The Blues picked Veilleux in the fourth round of the NHL entry draft (image via lhebdodustmaurice.com)

The scouting report on Veilleux is that he’s a big strong powerforward who doesn’t mind playing in the rough areas of the ice. He’s a force in front of the net and along the boards as well. He is a guy who finishes every check and he checks hard as well.

He is said to be a pure goal scorer who has a tremendous shot. He also has good vision out on the ice. One of the few knocks on him is his hockey sense. He doesn’t always make the most heads-up play which sometimes can result in the puck going the other way.

He’ll have plenty of time to develop in Shawinigan as there is absolutely no need to rush him. He has the potential to be a top six player but he’ll have to really up his game if he ever wants to meet his potential.

Lundstrom joins the Blues goaltending ranks. (image via cdnstatic.expressen.se)

Swedish goalie, Niklas Lundstrom was the 132nd pick, and the Blues second goaltender of the draft.

I’ll be honest, Lundstrom wasn’t high on my lists and I’m not a fan of this pick. He has talent, a fairly quick glove, a good butterfly, good lateral movement, but I’m not sold on him.

For some, myself included, believe his mental game isn’t very strong. We’ve seen what happens to  good, talented goalies with a weak mental game. Remember Marek Schwarz? Yeah, he’s playing over in the Czech league now. He was supposed to be our all-star starting goaltender by now, but the game in-between the ears ruined his game in the NHL.

I personally would have rather went with goaltender Benjamin Conz, the goalie out of Switzerland. Conz went undrafted and will become an unrestricted free agent as of July 1st.

Now I pray that Lundstrom can prove me wrong on all aspects that I think his game will go, but I don’t see him coming over from Sweden in the next three years and I don’t see him making the NHL but for maybe a few stints as a short term back up option.

Tesink is an underrated forward on both ends of the puck. (image via chl.com)

The Blues then regained my faith again as an antsy fan who wanted certain players by picking up the guy I wanted in the fifth round, Ryan Tesink.

Tesink in a 5’11, 160 lbs forward for the Saint John Sea Dogs. He is also a Memorial Cup champion, as he helped the Sea Dogs beat out the top teams in the OHL and WHL to win the biggest prize in Junior Hockey.

I had Tesink to be an early fifth round pick, yet he fell to us in the sixth round, so I was fairly surprised and quite happy when that happened. Now I’m fairly high on Tesink, I think he’s got the potential to be good NHL in his career.

He’s underrated offensively, posting eight goals and 27 assists on the Sea Dogs fourth line says a lot about his play.

To go along with his offensive skill, Tesink is a very solid defensive player and was  a staple on Saint John’s penalty killing unit. He’s a strong skater, who can get up and down the rink with ease, another plus to his game.

Tesink has time to fill out and develop in Saint John for the next few years and then he’ll likely play a few years in Peoria of the American Hockey League before stepping into the NHL in a defensive role.

The Blues finished the day by drafting Finnish defensemen, Teemu Eronen who played with Jokerit of the SM-liiga.

Teemu Eronen could be a nice sleeper pick as he's got a ton of offensive potential as a defensemen in the SM-liiga. (image via eliteprospects.com

Eronen is an offensively gifted defensemen who has the potential to quarterback a powerplay. He is a smooth skater with good offensive instincts. Yet there is a pretty big knock against this guy and it’s his physicality, or lack there of. He’s a ‘soft’ player who doesn’t like to battle in the corners or around the net.

Eronen still has the potential to make it into the NHL as a PPQB. Little guys who can play an offensive game have shown they can make it into the league for that reason along. Look at little Marc-Andre Bergeron. His booming shot has helped him stay in the league and he’s a guy knocked for not playing defense at all.

Eronen doesn’t have the shot of Bergeron but surly has the accuracy and puck moving ability to make it to this league. He is a late bloomer and an over-ager as he is 20 years old. He could potentially see time in Peoria this year if he signs a deal but there is no word on if he’ll stay with Jokerit or not just yet. That will develop later on in the summer.

Overall, the Blues came out with a good group of players and most of which I believe have shots at the NHL in the future. I love the deal to acquire Grachev who I think could develop into a second line, 20-25 goal guy in the NHL.

I’d like to give a congratulations to Bill Armstrong for a job in his first draft since being named Head Scout of the Blues. Good job Bill, thanks for keeping our prospect pool a promising one for the future.

Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it. Be sure to follow me on Twitter @randallritchey for all the Blues/NHL chatter you need!

David Perron (image via stltoday.com)

Then something changed, in game ten of the Blues season, Joe Thornton ended David Perron’s season, stepping out of the penalty box, blindsiding Perron and giving him a concussion, allowing him to play only ten games on the season. Thornton received a two game suspension on the hit. Many opposing fans, t.v. broadcasters, and even the crew at NHL on the Fly accused Perron of faking his injury. He did come back and score a goal in the win over the Sharks, so of course he was faking it right? Not quite, and the injury was the first of many for the Blues.

Next to go down is the always tenacious, T.J. Oshie. In a scuffle during a game against the Columbus Blue Jackets, Sami Pahlsson fell atop Oshie and broke the forwards ankle. This was a vital blow, as Oshie is one of the Blues on ice leaders. He plays with passion and is always giving 150% on the ice, which is contagious when you’re playing with him. Losing that, and his top six skill, you lose a very key member of your team. Oshie, before and after his return has posted respectable numbers, though not as offensive as most would have expected of him this season.

With 27 points in 41 games, Oshie has pushed his career numbers up to 41 goals, 73 assists for 114 points in a total of 174 games in the National Hockey League. Impressive for a kid coming right out of college, never playing a single American Hockey League game. Oshie is continuing to grow and his healthiness has been a big factor for the Blues as when Oshie is in the line up, there is always that extra jump you can rely on late in games.

Next the Blues saw Andy McDonald go down with injury. There goes an entire top six line, with the loss of Perron, Oshie, and McDonald. McDonald suffered a concussion of his own, after losing an edge in Edmonton, crashing into the leg of an Oilers player, and knocking him out of the Blues line up for a significant amount of time.

Losing three of your top six forwards is very difficult to overcome, but what happens when you start losing your key defensemen as well?

Roman Polak, Barret Jackman, Carlo Colaiacovo, and Nikita Nikitin have all missed at least 10 games due to injury this season. Jackman is back on IR due to a broken finger.

Jaroslav Halak (image via stlouisgametime.com)

Not to mention losing your starting goaltender for 11 games due to a fractured bone in his hand.

What happens when the team starts getting healthy again? Another round of injuries hit the club. Jackman who suffered a knee injury earlier in the year is out after having surgery to fix a broken finger sustained while blocking a shot. Alex Steen is out after crashing into the boards and sustaining a high ankle sprain.

Vladimir Sobotka along with Phil McRae are also out with injuries of their own.

In total, 284 man games lost, with an expected 334 man games lost, if the pace stays the same. That can truly hamper a hockey game from competing. It stopped a 9-1-2 team from dominating, the missing the post season.

Injuries always have an impact, no matter how bad the injury. A concussion or a ankle sprain, unfortunately for the St. Louis Blues, the impact destroyed their hopes for the playoffs, and yet again, we look to the future, hoping next year, the injury bug will stay out of St. Louis.

(Below is a list of players who have missed time with injuries and how many games they have missed)

B.J. Crombeen – 2 games
Alex Pietrangelo – 3 games
Alex Steen – 5 games – Currently on IR
Cam Janssen – 6 games
Jaroslav Halak – 11 games
Nikita Nikitin – 12 games
Phil McRae – 12 games – Currently on IR
Vladimir Sobotka – 14 games – Currently on IR
Carlo Colaiacovo – 16 games
Barret Jackman – 17 games – Currently on IR
Andy McDonald – 24 games
Roman Polak – 27 games
T.J. Oshie – 31 games
Dave Scatchard – 37 games
David Perron – 62 games – Shut down for the season.

A hit that landed the Canadiens forward in the hospital with a concussion and a fractured vertebrae, a career threatening injury. If you don’t know much about the hit, Zdeno Chara lead Habs forward Pacioretty’s head into the stanchion between the two teams benches. A vicious hit, which Pacioretty believed to be intentional. The puck had already been chipped past the two players and Chara hit him anyway.

What happened to Chara? Nothing, not a fine, not a suspension, nothing.

Something has to change in this league if something like this can happen, and Zdeno Chara gets off without any ramifications.

Players know the rink. Chara knew he was nearing the stanchion in the glass, yet he lead Pacioretty’s head into the turnbuckle and Colin Campbell nor Mike Murphy, the NHL’s Vice Presidents did nothing about the hit.

Hence the petition here. It’s a petition, asking for the resignation of NHL VP’s Campbell and Murphy.

It’s show a lack of consistency in the NHL’s disciplinary department and the recklessness it allows in the league.

I have signed and fully support this petition. It is time for change in this league, its time for protection of it’s players. I am all for the big open ice hit, or the big hit in the corners. Clean hits are fair, but this, this is a disgrace to the league.

You can find the petition, here.

The Sabres acquire Brad ‘High and Wide’ Boyes. In exchange, the Blues get the Sabres 2nd round pick in 2011.

Thoughts on this  trade? I don’t like it. If Doug Armstrong doesn’t acquire another top nine forward tomorrow by the deadline, you can effectively consider the Blues to be out of the playoff race.

Brad Boyes will next suit up for the Buffalo Sabres.

Brad Boyes, the former 40 goal scorer has lost his scoring touch, that is no secret, but lets not forget that prior to tonight’s trade, he was third on the Blues in points and had become a pretty decent playmaker. He started crashing the net and getting good scoring chances.

He got a lot of flack here in St. Louis because he went from goal scorer to playmaker, but if fans could recall, in Boston, he was more a playmaker than a goal scorer.

The Kariya-Tkachuk-Boyes line was the primary reason Boyes hit 43 goals three seasons ago. When Kariya went out with hip injuries, concussions and separated the pair in the final years of Kariya’s deal, Boyes’ play suffered considerably.

When Boyes was the shooter, he was on, when he had Kariya and Andy McDonald, two playmakers feeding him pucks, his life was a lot easier than it is now.

With 12 goals and 29 assists on the season, Boyes is no means by far a bad player. He’ll get his chance in Buffalo, and in all honesty, I hope he opens up and finds that scoring touch again.

For those of you who follow me on twitter, @randallritchey, you already know about the trade. If you don’t follow me on twitter, please follow and I’ll do my best to feed you information and opinions as often as possible.

Halak, 25, was acquired by the St. Louis Blues in a trade this past off-season from the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for prospects Lars Eller and Ian Schultz. He currently holds a 19-17-6 record with St. Louis, amassing 2.63GAA and a .907sv%.

The apparent injury was suffered in practice this week, to his right hand and will be out for at least a week.

Bishop, 24, has played 29 games this season with the Blues top affiliate, the Peoria Rivermen. Bishop has been very solid, going 15-12-1. Not to mention his impressive 2.52GAA and a .916sv%. Splitting time with Jake Allen, Bishop has help lead the Rivermen atop their division in the American Hockey League and just a point out of first place.

The St. Louis native was a Blues third round pick in the 2005 NHL entry draft, going 85th overall.

With Bishop being recalled to St. Louis, Peoria recalls goaltender Gerald Coleman from the ECHL Alaska Aces. Coleman signed to a deal this off-season will serve as back up to Jake Allen of the Rivermen.

Bluenote Zone : You’re playing for a powerful Sea Dogs team. You’ve recently secured the top position in the Maritimes Division in the QMJHL above the Acadie-Bathurst Titan and the Moncton Wildcats, what is making your team jell so well together at this point?

Stephen MacAulay : I think the biggest thing with our team is that everyone gets along off the ice. When a team has great chemistry, it is easy to make sacrifices and work hard not only for yourself, but for every single guy in the room.

BNZ :  With 27 points in 46 games this season, this is well beyond your best season yet with St. John. Did you have a goal point wise, coming into this season?

SM : I didn’t really have a goal coming into the season number wise. On a personal level I just wanted to improve on the numbers I put up last year and add more of an offensive element to my game. I feel like I’ve done that so far so I hope I can keep it going.

BNZ : Growing up in Cole Harbor, NS, a place that produced the likes of Joe DiPenta and Sidney Crosby, it’s becoming more and more of a hockey hot bed. Does having current and former NHL players from Cole Harbour, does it give you more of a drive to make it to the National Hockey League?

SM : Obviously seeing guys from the same hometown I grew up in make the NHL and one being the face of the game (Crosby) is very encouraging but it hasn’t really given me more drive to make it. Making the NHL has always been a dream of mine since I started playing hockey as a kid.

BNZ : Most players idolize certain players and try to replicate their play within their own. Is there a certain player you try and base your play off of?

SM : I try to model my game around Jordan Staal of the Pittsburgh Penguins. He can kill penalties, play in his own end of the rink, take face-offs, as well as chip in offensively. I try to emulate his two-way style of play.

BNZ : Obviously the goal for the Sea Dogs is the memorial cup. With Windsor no longer being the powerhouse team they were with the likes of Taylor Hall and Cam Fowler moving on to the NHL, does it seem more like a possibility with the chemistry your team has?

SM : I think winning a Memorial Cup is a realistic goal for our team not only this year but next year as well. We are in first place in the CHL right now and the team put a bid in to host the 2012 Memorial Cup so there is definitely a buzz around the team that we can be a winning organization for years to come.

BNZ : Currently, Saint John is atop the QMJHL with a league high 46 wins and 95 points, a great season for sure, but what has been the most defining element of your team winning so many games this season?

SM : I think the biggest thing to our team winning is our offensive power. We have four lines that have the ability to contribute any given game. If one player or line has an off game or is injured others step up and can fill the gap on different lines.

BNZ : You were drafted in the sixth round by the St. Louis Blues, 164th overall. What was it like when those 163 other names were called before yours?

SM : I was just happy to hear my name called. Obviously you want to be drafted as high as you can but getting drafted alone is something to be proud of, but at the same time it’s just the start of your career and there is still a lot of work to be done.

BNZ : There have been successful NHL players drafted in the 6th round. Just from 2004, players like Adam Pardy (CGY), Patrick Kaleta (BUF), Roman Polak (STL), Matt D’Agostini (MTL), and Viktor Stalberg (TOR). Does it help knowing that there are successful players who have been drafted late and have made it to the National Hockey League?

SM : It’s encouraging to see that there have been guys that have been picked later who made long and successful careers as NHL players but at the same time you can’t pay too much attention to when you get drafted and just try to play your game and work hard to make it.

BNZ : You’re team is big on team play. You don’t rely one one guy to carry the team. You’re the highest scoring team in the QMJHL but only have two players (Jonathan Huberdeau, Zack Phillips, and Michael Kirkpatrick) in the top twenty points wise in the entire QMJHL. How does the team first aspect help keep the Sea Dogs on top of the league?

SM : We get contributions out of everyone on the team, from the 1st to the 4th line. The team is strong up front, on defence and in goal so there aren’t any glaring weaknesses to our game, so I think the team aspect of our game has been helping us stay on top of the league.

BNZ : Now you’re one of the lucky ones, provided with skills to play junior hockey and potentially pro hockey. If you weren’t playing hockey, what do you think you’d be doing right now?

SM : If I weren’t playing hockey I would probably be in university trying to figure out what to do as a career. I graduated high school last year so I would be in my first full year of university right now. I’m in university right now but my course load isn’t too heavy because of our busy schedule.

BNZ would like to thank Stephen for taking the time out to answer some questions and let us get a little more into the life of a NHL prospect. I wish him and the entire St. John Sea Dogs team in their quest for the Memorial Cup this season.

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