I will not be one of those people looking to jump off the bridge, though, if the Blues start slow. This team is built to win at all phases of the game, in all zones and at all places, and they are led by a man – head coach Ken Hitchcock – who has done this playoff thing a time or two, including one Stanley Cup Championship with the Dallas Stars in 1999 and another Cup Finals appearance with the Stars in 2000, as well as several playoff runs with the Philadelphia Flyers, the only Playoff appearance for the Columbus Blue Jackets thus far and playing a role with Team Canada 2010, which won the Olympic Gold Medal in Ice Hockey. Jamie Langenbrunner, as told by just about anyone that the media will listen to on the matter, is thought of as the team leader in the clubhouse, and he was a member of both the 1999 and 2000 Stars Cup Finals teams as well as the 2003 Stanley Cup Champions, the New Jersey Devils. This version of Hitchcock, a kinder and gentler version of the gruff disciplinarian that those previous teams knew and either loved or despised, still knows what it takes to lead a team through the grind of a postseason run. You don’t forget how to do that when you’ve been in this business as long as he has.

Other players on this roster who have had their names engraved on the Stanley Cup include Jason Arnott (2000 Devils) as well as Kent Huskins and Andy McDonald (both prominent members of the 2007 Anaheim Ducks Cup-winning team). You can also bet that current Blues front office member, Al MacInnis, can impart some of his knowledge from many Cup runs by the Calgary Flames, including their 1989 Stanley Cup title year. There is enough veteran presence on this team, making me less concerned about the abundance of youth on this roster headed into the postseason.

While the Blues defeated the Sharks in all four regular season meetings between the two clubs, I do not expect this opening round series to be easy. That said, I do expect the Blues to win this series handily. It’s very odd how this works, but surely it will turn out this way, as did the 2009 series between the Blues and Vancouver Canucks, a series in which the Blues had chances to win all four games but lost all four. I expect this to be a similar series to that.

What do you think, folks? You may have fears about how this team will fare in the playoffs as we all do, but do you expect them to falter in the first round? Leave a note in the comments.

It’s Kyle Clifford . . . in PURPLE AND GOLD! Image via underactive/Flickr

Last night’s game was beyond frustrating but was bound to happen eventually. The St. Louis Blues lost 4-3 to the Anaheim Ducks in a game where it appeared the Ducks really wanted to have more than the Blues, which has not happened too often this year. Fights? There were none, so the Blues stick and stay at 37 fighting majors on the season, still tied for ninth in the National Hockey League in that category with the Chicago Blackhawks. The Blues’ fight record stays at 15-5-17. Not too shabby.

The Blues now head across town (basically) for a date at the Staples Center with the Los Angeles Kings, a team that is battling for one of the last Western Conference playoff spots. Being as such, this could be a possible playoff preview, though this Kings team scares me coming down the stretch. They retooled near the deadline both by calling up youngsters and making some key trades, including one defense-for-forward swap that changed the face of both franchises in one dramatic swing. We’ve covered the Kings a few times already (October 18th, November 22nd and February 3rd). Ever since making the aforementioned moves, though, the Kings have been less pugilistic and more finesse, though they have plenty of big bodies in their stead. The Kings are in 20th place in the NHL with 27 fighting majors collected on the season, sporting a relatively-bad overall fight record of 5-11-11.

The Kings are led in fights by Kyle Clifford (6’2”, 208lbs, 1-3-4) with eight fights on the season. Following him is former Blackhawk Colin Fraser (6’1”, 191lbs, 1-5-1 including a draw with Scott Nichol that shouldn’t have even counted as a fight) with seven fights. Veteran brawler Kevin Westgarth (6’4”, 234lbs, 1-0-2, has been a lineup scratch every game since February 16th) and former Flyers Captain Mike Richards (5’11”, 199lbs, 1-0-2) have each fought three times, and Willie Mitchell (6’3”, 208lbs, 0-1-1) has fought twice. The Kings have four solo fighters, namely Jordan Nolan (6’3”, 227lbs, Win), pancake-eating extraordinaire Dustin Penner (6’4”, 242lbs, Draw), team Captain Dustin Brown (6’0”, 204lbs, Loss) and Matt Greene (6’3”, 232lbs, Loss).

If Nolan and Ryan Reaves were to go at it, that would be awesome, actually. In that matchup, you would have the son of a former football player squaring off against the son of a former hockey player and coach, and it would be brilliant. But I seriously doubt there will be any fighting tonight, especially with the Blues coming off a loss last night.

Get back to winning, and get back to being road warriors.

LET’S GO BLUES!!!!!

Information obtained via the incomparable Fried Chicken’s Hockey Fights

Chances are pretty good that TJ Oshie is be the best bet tonight.

Jaden Schwartz debuted in the Blues last game in Tampa Bay against the Lightning. The kid scored, but he didn’t have the first of the night. That dubious distinction went to Patrik Berglund. The Techno Viking went vroom vroom and was der party starter with a shorty for his 17th of the season. We had many guesses, but none knew how to do the Bergie.

Who will score first for the Blues tonight? Give us your best guess!  Remember, you just need to comment on this post to be entered into the contest; the person with the most correct guesses at the end of the season will win a Blues themed prize (prize still TBD).*Comments must be dated/time stamped prior to the game start time*

Game Info:

Location: Honda Center in Anaheim, CA.

Opposing Netminder: Jonas Hiller (per Daily Faceoff)

Blues Probable Line Combos: (per Jeremy Rutherford)
Forward Lines:
Perron – Backes – Oshie
Schwartz – Berglund – Langenbrunner
Sobotka – Arnott – Stewart
Crombeen/Porter- Nichol – Reaves/Crombeen

Defensive Pairings:
Jackman – Shattenkirk
Colaiacovo – Pietrangelo
Huskins  – Polak

Starting Goalie:
Jaroslav Halak

A blast from the past . . . George Parros, then with the Kings, fighting Matt Walker, then with the Blues, in 2005. Image via MPR529/Flickr

That’s more like it. To earn a playoff spot, the St. Louis Blues needed to beat the teams that they were clearly better than on paper, and the Tampa Bay Lightning would be one of those teams. And with the 3-1 victory Saturday over that squad, the Blues DID earn that long-elusive playoff spot and put themselves closer in their run for the top playoff seed. As anticipated, there were no fights in the contest, so the Blues stick and stay at 37 fighting majors on the season, which is now tied for ninth in the National Hockey League in that category with the Chicago Blackhawks. After recalibrating the win-loss-draw total (AGAIN), the fight record now stands at a very stout 15-5-17.

Across the country the Blues go, stopping first in southern California for two games, starting with the Anaheim Ducks tonight. While the Ducks are still mathematically alive in the playoff hunt, recent play has dictated that they will not reach the postseason despite a valiant push in February to get near the Top Eight in the conference. They are not to be taken lightly, as they possess a great deal of firepower. We’ve covered the Ducks a few times already (October 16th, December 8th and March 8th). As those who pay attention to this segment are aware, the Ducks are one of the more willing fight participants in the NHL, as evidenced by their current sixth place standing amongst fight participants with 40. Their fight record is very comparable to that of the Blues’ record, actually, at 15-9-16.

There’s a logjam at the top of the Ducks fighters list, but the chief among the conglomerate – perhaps to no one’s surprise – is big George Parros (6’5”, 228lbs, 7-1-2, find the big man on Twitter here) with 10 fights on the season. Following him are Matt Beleskey (6’0”, 204lbs, 3-2-3) with eight fights and Sheldon Brookbank (6’1”, 202lbs, 2-2-3) with seven fights. Luca Sbisa (6’2”, 207lbs, 1-0-2) has fought three times while Francois Beauchemin (6’0”, 207lbs, 1-1-0), team Captain Ryan Getzlaf (6’4”, 221lbs, 0-0-2) and Corey Perry (6’3”, 212lbs, 0-1-1) have each fought twice. Six Ducks have fought once each with the Ducks, and they are Jean-Francois Jacques (6’3”, 231lbs, Win, currently with Syracuse of the AHL), Bobby Ryan (6’2”, 209lbs, Draw), Mark Bell (6’4”, 220lbs, Draw, currently with Syracuse of the AHL), Rod Pelley (5’11”, 200lbs, Draw as a Duck and 1-0-1 overall, acquired in trade from the Devils in December), Andrew Cogliano (5’10”, 188lbs, Loss) and Lubomir Visnovsky (5’10”, 197lbs, Loss).

Despite the truculent ways of these two squads, in three games there have been no fights between them. I expect that to change tonight. I’d love to see Parros go at it with BJ Crombeen. Otherwise, look for the unexpected.

Just because a playoff spot is guaranteed doesn’t mean the Blues need to let off the gas. Win more.

LET’S GO BLUES!!!!!

Information obtained via the incomparable Fried Chicken’s Hockey Fights

(46-19-8)

vs

Anaheim Ducks

(31-32-11)

At

Honda Center

Game Time 9:00 pm CT

TV-FSMW(HD) Radio- KMOX

Blues Team Recap- The St. Louis Blues were the first team to clinch a playoff birth in the 2011-2012 NHL season. The Blues with 100 points on the year head out west to finish up their road trip with three games. The Blues will look tonight to clip the flailing Ducks and snatch up another W in a quest for home ice advantage in the play offs and only their second presidents trophy in their 44 year history. The Blues are also on the mend. Alex Steen is skating with the team in a fresh red no contact jersey and Matt D’Agostini has begun skating with the team as well. With Kent Huskins back and Andy Mcdonald looking to get back into the line up sooner then later the Blues organization and especially coach Ken Hitchcock could not be happier. All of the pieces of the Blues puzzle are starting to fall together and if they all make it back prior to or for the start of the playoffs the Blues will be sitting in a very good position. Defensemen Kris Russel has been reported to be close to returning for the Note and has been given the nod by Hitch to be back in the line up as soon as he knocks on the skippers door. It is becoming an exciting time here in St. Louis and for good reason. The Blues are headed for the playoffs and the buzz can be felt in the warm breezes of spring. Look out NHL… The Blues are here to stay!

The starting line ups for the Blues can be found here.

Ducks recap- The Ducks have all but fell out of contention for a play off birth this season. Hanging on by a mathematical thread the Ducks are but a few losses away from getting out the golf clubs come april. With the likes of Getzlaf, Perry, and Ryan having seasons that did’t get kickin until it was too late fans in southern Californina are left to shake their collective heads and wonder just why in the Hell the last two seasons the Ducks play god aweful until January. By the time Anaheim decides to start playing they have failed to collect enough early season points to make a play off push almost impossible. Blues fans, count your four leaf clovers on account of the massive amount of points the Blues racked up in the early portion of the season.

Ty Rattie- The Blues prospect playing for the WHL Portland Winterhawks is headed to the WHL playoffs having had one block buster of a season. With 57 goals and 64 assists on the season Rattie more then doubled his production from a year ago as a sophomore in the WHL. Ty will have a chance this fall to come to Blues camp and see if he can impress the likes of Doug Armstrong and company. Should Russian prospect Vladimir Tarasenko remain in Russia next season Ty Rattie could have an outside shot at making the Blues roster. Rattie will not be eligible for the AHL Peoria Rivermen as he did not turn 18 years old in time to qualify. It will not hurt Rattie to have to be returned to Portland for one more season but it would be interesting to see if the youngster can work his tail off and earn a spot.

Get your game faces on and get those chants going. It’s time for BLUESSSSSSS HOCKKKEEYYYYYY! LET’S GO BLUES!

Derek Dorsett gets rag-dolled quite a bit. Image via BridgetDS/Flickr

First place overall in the entire National Hockey League? That’s totally awesome. The St. Louis Blues made that happen with help from a 3-1 win over the Anaheim Ducks. The downside? Well, partially because George Parros was in the press area for this game, there were no fighting majors handed out during the contest. I’ll take the win, thanks. The Blues remain at 32 fights on the season, now good for 13th in the NHL by themselves, and the team’s fight record stays at 13-6-13.

The first of a home-and-home with the Columbus Blue Jackets takes place in St. Louis tonight, and it’s been well-documented how lowly this team has been this season. That said, the Jackets are coming off four wins in a row heading into tonight’s action after trading off assets to receive useful bodies and draft picks in return. We’ve covered the Jackets on three occasions this season (November 27th, December 18th and February 14th). The Jackets, not surprisingly, are one of the most active fighting teams in the NHL, having fought 47 times thus far in the season, good for fourth in the league by themselves. Their fight record, though, is relatively average at 17-19-11.

The Jackets are led in fights by Derek Dorsett (6’0”, 192lbs, 5-8-3 including a Loss to BJ Crombeen) with 16, followed by Jared Boll (6’2”, 219lbs, 5-5-3 including a Draw with Ryan Reaves, on IR with a broken foot) with 13 and Cody Bass (6’0”, 205lbs, 2-3-1 including a Win over Reaves, currently with Springfield in the AHL) with six. Three Jackets have fought twice each, and they are Derek MacKenzie (5’11”, 180lbs, 1-0-1, out indefinitely with a concussion), Derick Brassard (6’1”, 202lbs, 1-1-0) and Dane Byers (6’3”, 204lbs, 0-0-2 including a Draw with Roman Polak, rumored to be recalled from Springfield this weekend). Six former and current Jackets have fought once each this season, and they are current Blue Kris Russell (5’10”, 172lbs, Win, still out with a concussion), James Wisniewski (6’0”, 208lbs, Win), Fedor Tyutin (6’2”, 216lbs, Win, out with a broken hand), new Jacket Jack Johnson (6’1”, 231lbs, Win, acquired in trade from the Kings), Colton Gillies (6’4”, 208lbs, Draw, claimed off waivers from the Wild) and RJ Umberger (6’2”, 220lbs, Loss).

Being that there will be two games in two days against each other, feistiness will likely be in order for one or both of these games. Expect there to be multiple fights in one or both of these games, and involve more than several fighters to be active this weekend.

Keep. Winning. Hockey. Games.

LET’S GO BLUES!!!!!

Information obtained via the incomparable Fried Chicken’s Hockey Fights

Geore Parros had quite a size advantage on Barret Jackman here. Image via BridgetDS/Flickr

So not only are the St. Louis Blues allowed to play home games, they’re allowed to win them as well. They’re even allowed to win them in blowout fashion over fierce rivals, which is exactly what the case was Tuesday in a 5-1 rout of the Chicago Blackhawks. As anticipated, there was a duel in this one, and it was a heavyweight tilt between local kid Brandon Bollig and local favorite Ryan Reaves. While I made the case for this fight to be ruled a draw in this Fight Card piece, all signs are pointing to a victory by Bollig, which – with the way that fight ended – is something I really can’t argue with. So the Blues now have fought 32 times on the season, still tied for 11th with the Blackhawks and, now, the Colorado Avalanche in that category. With the loss, the Blues’ fight record now “slips” to a still-impressive 13-6-13 mark. I’d say that’s not bad.

It was a mere few months ago that tonight’s opponent, the Anaheim Ducks, seemed dead in the water (no pun intended) with no hope for escape from the mess they were in. Well, after a coaching change that could only be described as “inevitable”, our friends from the frozen pond in southern California dug themselves out of that hole, only to slip up in the recent week, leading some to believe it might’ve all been “too little, too late”. I’m thinking those folks who believe that may not be far from the truth, but a lot of things can happen over the course of 15 or so games. We’ve covered the Ducks a couple times already (October 16th and December 8th). As those who pay attention to this segment are aware, the Ducks are one of the more willing fight participants in the NHL, as evidenced by their current sixth place standing amongst fight participants with 39. Their fight record is very comparable to that of the Blues’ record, actually, at 14-8-17.

There’s a logjam at the top of the Ducks fighters list, but the chief among the conglomerate – perhaps to no one’s surprise – is big George Parros (6’5”, 228lbs, 6-1-2) with nine fights on the season. Following him are Matt Beleskey (6’0”, 204lbs, 3-2-3) with eight fights and Sheldon Brookbank (6’1”, 202lbs, 2-2-3) with seven fights. Luca Sbisa (6’2”, 207lbs, 1-0-2) has fought three times while Francois Beauchemin (6’0”, 207lbs, 1-0-1), team Captain Ryan Getzlaf (6’4”, 221lbs, 0-0-2) and Corey Perry (6’3”, 212lbs, 0-1-1) have each fought twice. Six Ducks have fought once each with the Ducks, and they are Jean-Francois Jacques (6’3”, 231lbs, Win, currently with Syracuse of the AHL), Bobby Ryan (6’2”, 209lbs, Draw), Mark Bell (6’4”, 220lbs, Draw, currently with Syracuse of the AHL), Rod Pelley (5’11”, 200lbs, Draw as a Duck and 1-0-1 overall, acquired in trade from the Devils in December), Andrew Cogliano (5’10”, 188lbs, Loss) and Lubomir Visnovsky (5’10”, 197lbs, Loss).

As much as I would love to see a heavyweight bout between Parros and Reaves, I always get the feeling that for whatever reason, this fight will never happen. These two teams have not squared off with each other in a fight this year, so this may be the night. Perhaps BJ Crombeen will go with Parros? Who knows? That’s what I’ll hope for, anyway.

Keep winning.

LET’S GO BLUES!!!!!

Information obtained via the incomparable Fried Chicken’s Hockey Fights

Word is that you MIGHT remember this guy. Image via BridgetDS/Flickr

Road wins are really cool, y’know. The St. Louis Blues were able to snag a big two points in Ottawa on Tuesday in Brian Elliott’s return to the place he called home to begin his National Hockey League career, earning a win over the Ottawa Senators 3-1. There was an early scrap between two familiar opponents, and it was recapped here. Zenon Konopka is ready and willing to throw down at a moment’s notice, and he did just that with BJ Crombeen, though the fight was largely unspectacular and ended in a draw. With that fight, the Blues move up to 26 fighting majors collected on the NHL season, still good for a 10th place tie with the Buffalo Sabres and Minnesota Wild in that category. With the draw, the team’s record moves to 12-3-11. That is still quite impressive, I would say.

Welcome to the swamp! The Blues’ road train moves to Newark, NJ to face the New Jersey Devils. You may recall that a recent popular figure on Blues teams of the past signed with this squad in the offseason, and while I’ll mention him later, you can only imagine how fired up he will be to see his old squad. As a result of some tough veteran members of the team, some youngsters needing to play because of injuries and some other acquisitions through various sources, the Devils have themselves a fisticuffs-ready club, top to bottom. The Devils are tied for seventh in the NHL with the Anaheim Ducks, each team having 28 fights. The Devils’ fight record is quite alright at 11-8-9.

You may recognize the Devils’ leader in fighting majors this season, as he is our aforementioned “Old Friend” (and one of my personal favorites due to his sheer perseverance). Yes, I’m talking about the one and only Cam Janssen (6’0”, 215lbs, 0-1-5), who has collected six fights this season. Following CamSmash is the veteran duo of Eric Boulton (6’1”, 225lbs, 4-1-0) and David Clarkson (6’1”, 200lbs, 3-1-1), who have each fought five times. Ryan Carter (6’1”, 200lbs, 0-2-1, Day-To-Day with a hand injury) has fought three times, but is not expected to play tonight. Brad Mills (6’1”, 195lbs, 1-1-0, recently sent to Albany of the AHL) has fought twice this season. Mark Fraser (6’4”, 220lbs, 1-0-0 as a Devil and 1-0-1 overall, traded to Anaheim in December and currently in the AHL) fits a special category as he HAS fought twice this season, but only one of them was with New Jersey. Other Devils “solo fighters” include another guy in that Anaheim trade, Rod Pelley (5’11”, 200lbs, Win, traded to Anaheim in December), as well as team superstar Ilya Kovalchuk (6’3”, 230lbs, Win), Tim Sestito (5’11”, 200lbs, Draw, currently with AHL Albany), Alexander Urbom (6’4”, 215lbs, Draw, currently with AHL Albany) and Calder Trophy candidate Adam Henrique (6’0”, 195lbs, Loss).

I’m pretty sure if Janssen plays, he will be fighting someone. Expect the opponent to be the guy who basically took his job, Ryan Reaves, if anyone. It would be hard to imagine him fighting anyone else.

Two wins in a row over the Eastern Conference would be mighty fun, for sure.

LET’S GO BLUES!!!!!

Information obtained via the incomparable Fried Chicken’s Hockey Fights

Suppose I should mention who’s scouting in the building: CHI, TOR, TB, PHX, PHI, NSH, NYR, STL. Not going to read anything into it.

— Eric Stephens (@icemancometh) February 9, 2012

For those who don’t know Eric Stephens is the Orange County Register beat writer. Not exactly the kind of guy to make stuff up.

Certainly the conspiracy theorists will say this is a sign that the Blues are hot on the tale of Tuomo Ruutu, Brian Allen or even Eric Staal. Maybe even Bobby Ryan!

Those with agendas much the opposite look ahead to the schedule and see Anaheim coming up on March 8th and the Hurricanes a week later on the 15th. They’ll also point out that Dave Taylor, Director of Player Personnel, lives near LA and likely takes in many Ducks (and Kings) games.

Team Yearbooks are so useful…

Honestly, reports of scouts typically don’t mean much. Teams do advance scouting quite frequently. It’s a staple of the business. A scout’s presence is just magnified in the stretch of games connecting the All Star Game and the Trade Deadline. Something must be going down if they’re there because those in the know say so.

No. Not always.

Yes, eyes are always open. Notes always taken. These guys are not fools. They don’t get where they are by being one. But going to a game to solely look at trade targets like raw meet on the slab at the corner butcher shop is not their job description. Seriously.

For those like me, who just want to see the connections, its pretty obvious in this case.

A tough stretch of games lies ahead over the next 6-8 weeks. The Blues need to be as prepared as possible. Advance scouting is a must. No games can be taken lightly in March. That said, Doug Armstrong is not the type of GM to be ill-prepared for February 27th. Two teams out of the playoff race are playing in LA and a pretty important person in terms of personnel evaluations and decisions (if you can’t tell by the man’s title…) lives near by the location.

Two birds. One stone. Makes a lot of sense.

Could Ducks defenseman Lubmir Visnovsky be on the move? HNIC thinks so. (Image via BridgetDS/Flickr)

The best produced and most informational discussion segment in all of hockey media is The Hotstove during the second intermission of Hockey Night in Canada on CBC. Sadly, many puckheads in the US miss this because they don’t have NHL Network or are too enthralled in their teams game that isn’t on HNIC. Fortunately there is this great “thing” called the Internet – I hear it will be all the rage in 2012! – and the video is posted to CBC’s website.

You can see last night’s here. It’s worth the less than 8 minute time investment. Just drink your coffee and eat your breakfast while you watch. Not because the Blues are directly referenced (they aren’t), but because connections can be made.

The panel of Ron McLean, Mike Milbury, Eric Francis, and Elliotte Friedman talk extensively about concussions. A topic the Blues are far too familiar with. I know many of you reading this are tired of the bopped noodle banter, but its interesting to note that when discussing Crosby, Francis talks about how players are constantly badgered which causes them to question how they actually feel. Milbury suggests sending players away from the team’s city to get them out from under any size microscope. Think back to when David Perron was missing from the lineup. How did GM Doug Armstrong handle the situation? Sent Perron home to Quebec, let him heal and micromanaged contact and updates on his status.

On the topic of ownership in Phoenix there is apparently significant interest and a potential scenario that can develop to lead the Yotes to Seattle. Basically the NHL, as of January 1st, 2012, has the ability to “shop” the team to other cities. The owner of the Chicago Wolves (AHL) wants to put a team in the Emerlad City. Friedman suggests there are no short term plans to engage in relocation talks. Perhaps that’s to deal with the Blues? Remember that NHL commissioner Gary Bettman placed a December 31st deadline on Matthew Hulsizer and Dave Checketts to close a deal. No deal was announced yesterday. Your move commish…

In the final 90 seconds or so the crew often talks trade rumors. Either to get news out or clarify reports. The names mentioned by Friedman should be of interest to Blues fans. Defensemen Tim Gleason of Carolina and Lubomir Visnovsky of Anaheim. With the Hurricanes already too far back of the pace UFA to be Gleason is generating a lot of trade interest according to the panel. Visnovsky would have to waive his no trade to be moved, but could to escape a deteriorating situation in SoCal. His offensive abilities on the backend will be sought after.

The Blues do struggle to score – an issue made woefully apparent the last two games – but their depth on defense is low. After number eight on the chart, Ian Cole, the list is dangerously thin in terms of acceptable replacements for injured blueliners. Shifting some of the forward logjam in to bolster the backend is looking more like a reality during the season. It’s just too difficult to add a key scoring figure by the deadline. The price is likely just too high. As he’s done before, Armstrong will probably look to add where he can without taking out a bad mortgage.

Both Gleason and Visnovsky fit squarely in to square holes.

Tim Gleason: A potential partner for Petro? (Image via BridgetDS/Flickr)

Gleason is a steady defense first type who has eaten many a minute for bad Canes teams. He was paired with one time Blue Erik Johnson on the Team USA blueline at the 2010 Olympics. So the knowledge and respect of his game is high in the front office. A game that would be a proper counter balance to current number one Alex Pietrangelo or number two Kevin Shattenkirk. At age 28 he’s entering the prime of his career and would give the Blues leverage in dealing with fellow UFA defenseman Barret Jackman this summer. His salary for this season is $3.5 million even though his cap hit is $2.75 million.

Visnovsky could help the Blues anemic power play. (Image via Bridget DS/Flickr)

Visnovsky is a veteran offense producer from the point. In his career, 727 NHL GP, he has registered 433 points. A 48.8 points/82 game pace. Visnovsky also owns 168 power play points in his career or 18.9 PPP/82 games. The numbers prove he can help the Blues not only score at even strength, but also on the man advantage. His status as a less than stellar defender may be less of a concern considering the improved play of Pietrangelo, Shattenkirk and the usually stingy forward back checking. Visnovsky boasts a large cap hit, $5.6 million this season and next,  but is only due $3 million in salary for the final year of his current contract.  His 11-12 salary is $5 million.

What say you blue bleeders? Wouldya either one? As always, not here to create or further rumors, just thinking out loud and pondering if a connection exists.

Personally, Gleason get’s my vote. Primarly because I tend to favor a balanced approach to constructing a defensive core. A left handed and right handed shooter on each pairing with one more proficient in their own end and another more proficient in the attacking zone. That said, Visnovsky makes the most sense. By the time a trade would be made, the majority of his salary would be paid, – reducing the Blues burden – his salary then reduces greatly but maintains a higher cap hit to make it easier to reach the floor all while adding a potent power play presence.

Hey, big cap numbers = wins, right?