Could Kyle Okposo be St. Louis bound? Should he be? (image via Flickr/BridgetDS)

Prior to the removal of Davis Payne and the installation of Ken Hitchock the Blues were prime targets for the rumor mill. Swimming, well more like drowning, in the standings as much as Jaroslav Halak was in his crease. A shakeup was needed and trades are often used to send a message from the front office down to the locker room. Would it be TJ Oshie or Patrik Berglund sent packing to make a point? What about blue line stalwart Barret Jackman or even Halak since Brian Elliott started off hot.

Thankfully, any temptation to do as such was resisted and a different path was taken. One producing immediate, positive results. The Blues have lost only once in regulation in Hitchcock’s first seven games with a 4-1-2 mark. With success should come a cessation to inter-franchise transaction speculation, right? Not in today’s NHL.

Talk that the New York Islanders top pick in the 2006 draft, Kyle Okposo, could be available has made the rounds lately. A post by infamous rumor blogger Eklund Tuesday indicates that the Blues are interested.

The rumor this morning is definitely surrounding Kyle Okposo. The Isles are in the market for a move to be certain, and I am pretty shocked to see Kyle may be available for the right price. A player I would grab were I a GM.

So far, Columbus, Toronto, St. Louis an Winnipeg are teams I am hearing have interest.

Use that little packet of salt left over from lunch to remind you that a General Manager is consistently talking to many of his 29 counterparts. Keeping tabs on player values and laying foundations for when the time is right. Acknowledged interest in and subsequent discussion of a player doesn’t always mean more than just what it is. The GM doing his job. In the case of this rumor at this time, that’s all that’s happening.

Should the Blues have interest? Of course they should. Okposo has the potential to be a powerful force in the NHL. Possessing that rare size, speed and skill combination that the likes of Chris Stewart and David Backes have.

The level of interest is determined by the cost to acquire. The phrase ‘may be available for the right price” says it all. Basically the Islanders are not looking to deal Okposo unless a team is willing to pay fair value for NHL production plus perceived potential or overpay outright. Nor should they. The scenario is very similar to that of Oshie rumors last season. How did that end up?

Not to say former high potential first round draft picks can’t be traded. Blues fans know they can be. Situations change. Erik Johnson went from franchise cornerstone to trade bait less than a year after completing his ELC. The 2006 draft class is full of examples. Not only Johnson and Stewart but Phil Kessel, Peter Mueller and Michael Frolik. Okposo joined Derrick Brassard of Columbus who opened the waiting list earlier this season.

If a deal is to be made, its likely a problem swap. Save for Kessel, the deals have trades made out of the 2006 class have been based on hopes that a change of scenery actualizes more potential and changes the troubled player for the better. An inconsistent Johnson swapped for an inconsistent Stewart. Slumping Mueller sent packing for up and down producer Wojtek Wolski. Frolik acquired for a log jammed Jack Skille.

With Columbus allegedly interested as well, maybe Brassard ends up swapped for Okposo. Such a trade would fit the trend.

The Blues have another “problem” type player in Patrik Berglund. Ironcically, a 2006 draft pick as well. While such a deal may work for the Islanders, it wouldn’t work for the Blues unless they Oshie and Stewart factored out of the plans going forward. Matt D’Agostini is a better option in the Hitchcock system for to be the third right wing than Okposo anyways. Less money ($1.5mil per vs. $2.8 mil per) and plays a better overall game. Moving Oshie to center could address the issue, but he is much better suited to playing on the wing. Don’t forget the Blues want Vladimir Tarasenko in North America next season. Why block his path further?

One possibility for a deal to work out would be including D’Agostini in the deal. BJ Crombeen could also be sent with D’Agostini transitioning to the 4th line and Okposo taking the 3rd line right wing position. This type of move could certainly benefit Hitchcock’s style of play. Taking the bruiser out of the lineup and adding more speed, skill while not sacrificing a physical presence.

Moves will be made throughout the season to bring the personnel in line with the coaching and game planning philosophy. That is for sure. Ones of this magnitude are possible, but not likely while the wins and points are streaming in. Right now there just isn’t a major need for change. There was and change came. A proposition worth remembering for a later date, but not something to be concerned with in the short term.

With the 2011 NHL Entry Draft kicking off Friday the official start to the off season quickly approaching. St. Louis Blues General Manager Doug Armstrong and 29 of his counterparts are in full prep mode to begin the building of their 2011-12 lineups.

Expectations are high and predictions are countless. The murky crystal ball is going to clear up very soon. Recent news around the NHL indicate as such.

One tidbit sticks out above all others. Per many MSM sources, including Bob McKenzie of TSN, the salary cap is increasing significantly.

I’m told the upper limit of the 2011-12 NHL salary cap will be $64 million. The lower limit, or floor, will be $48 million.

The roughly $4 million raise will require the Blues to match in kind to stay cap compliant.

Another tweet from Sunday, this one from Eklund , has grabbed attention.

Tomorrow will be a huge day. I am hearing rumors of up to three trades early in the week. Look to Ottawa, st Louis, la kings, flyers….

Skeptics will scoff, but in the rumor industry smoke is smoke. Sometimes the source is a campfire. Sometimes a bonfire. Strength of the flame may not be known, but there surely is fuel to sustain.

The ageless wonder, Nik Lidstrom, is returning to the Detroit Red Wings for his 20th season per the team’s official Twitter account.

With Brain Rafalski’s retirement, a large chunk of salary is opening up to reel in a big UFA fish. Someone along the lines of Joni Pitkanen, Christian Ehrhoff or Kevin Bieksa. Add in a Hall of Famer showing no signs of slowing down and the Evil Empire will be as virulent as ever.

Another division rival, the Columbus Blue Jackets, seem intent on upgrading their roster for the next 82 game campaign and beyond. The rumors linking the Jackets to Philadelphia Flyers sniper Jeff Carter haven’t seemed to dissipate entirely. Nor has the speculation that they’ll move the 8th pick in the draft to acquire a top line forward. GM Scott Howson is legitimately looking to up the ante in the Central.

The last nuggets of info that ties everything together comes from a Monday morning article from St. Louis Post Dispatch beat writer, Jeremy Rutherford. In which JR discussed with Armstrong the philosophy and directives heading in to the draft.

Here are a few choice quotes from Armstrong:

“Our focus now entering the draft, we’re not against using draft picks to improve our team for next season.. The success of next year’s team is going to come from the players on our roster now.”…

I know for a fact that we’re not going to be moving a roster player for a draft pick or to move up in the draft. Our future is now… We’ve been given a budget that’s going to allow us flexibility to add some of those players who can accent our group.”…

“I’m not trying to build up any false hope. So many things have to go right to make a trade — our vision, their vision, your need, their need. I know that we have the assets to be involved in some of these things. Whether it happens or not, you just have to be fluid at the time.”…

A few other FYIs:

- The payroll budget has been set and Armstrong says, “They’ve been good with me.”

- Acquisition priority is two fold. An experienced top 9 forward and an experienced defenseman. Both methods, free agency or trade, have not been ruled out.

What connections should blue bleeders make?

No matter what, payroll is going up. When healthy the Blues $44-$45 million payroll was competing right where it should. In the 5th to 12th range. All that was missing was about $4-$5 million in depth players. The net change in payroll is minimal when assuming everyone is retained. Since they’ll be forced to add $4 million to hit the cap limit, they should have the ability to keep up with the Jones’.

..and keep up they must. Detroit is not going away. Chicago is still a playoff team. Nashville is still a playoff contender. Columbus looks to be adding to push their way up the charts. Inactivity and failure to address needs will only spell doom for the Note. Taking a chance is a must.

Armstrong will get his chance. If he is happy with the available funds to throw at the players he needs, then Dave Checketts has given the green light to front load the spending. A scenario that shouldn’t be a big surprise. Far too much has been made of “shallow pockets”. At least regarding this summer.

Think back to Checketts’ comments regarding his purchase of the Blues and Chris Pronger.

There is more value in a successful team than a shell of one. Both he and TowerBrook know the only way to get maximum value is to put a winning product on the ice.

Green light means go…creative. By now Armstrong’s mandate is clear. Win games now. Just do it with an eye on tomorrow. Hence deals like Aaron Palushaj for Matt D’Agostini. Lars Eller for Jaroslav Halak. Erik Johnson for Chris Stewart and Kevin Shattenkirk. Moving long term assets of value for assets of greater value today, but still with some for the future.

Repetition of history is very likely, but who is on the short list? Most would place TJ Oshie at the top. Had Vladimir Tarasenko made his way over the Atlantic there would be a strong argument for moving Teej. Since Tank elected to stay one more term the risk of losing cheap, flexible depth is too great.

Who fits the bill better? Ian Cole.

With the “emergence” of Nikita Nititin, growth of Alex Pietrnagelo, arrival of Kevin Shattenkirk and commitment to Roman Polak an interesting dynamic is repeating itself. The Blues have good amount of young defensemen capable of excelling long term. Much like how David Perron, Oshie, Patrik Berglund and David Backes formed a core that left Eller on the outside.

Is Cole this summer’s Eller? A highly valued prospect on the cusp of breaking in full time to the NHL. To be moved for a more established commodity?

Connect the dots and read the smoke signals. It’s a very strong possibility.

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Blues vs Avs Quick Hits

- Yes, the Blues are tired. There are 29 other teams that are on February 23rd. The bottom line is playoff caliber teams find ways to win these types of games. Second half of back to back set, at home, against a team lower in the standings. Just like how playoff teams find ways to win a home and home series. The gaffes in this two game set carry the same impact as the losses to Minnesota two weeks ago. Missed opportunity in the face of adversity.

- This game showed how will, heart and experience can trump skill. There is little doubt that the current version of the Blues is more skilled than the 2008-09 club. There is little doubt that group had more experience and mental fortitude than the post EJ trade crew. All opportunities to resurrect the Boston Miracle have failed. Last night was a chance to find that magic again. It just isn’t there this time around.

- The goal by Paul Stastny was masterful, but also caused by TJ Oshie, Patrik Berglund and Kevin Shattenkirk careless play with the puck in their own end. Trying to avoid contact to make a play rather than taking the hit to prevent a scoring chance.

- Ty Conklin just wasn’t very good either. Stopping just 23 of 27 shots against. Some have question marks about Ben Bishop taking over, I saw bring him on. It’s an equal roll of the dice. At least with Ben they can save some cash to spend to upgrade the five guys in front of him.

- Peter Budaj is the new Dwayne Roloson. End of story.

- Anyone else noticing a recurrence of a nasty trend? Blues being locked out of the middle of the offensive zone by five guys collapsing in the slot? Shots don’t get through and the little plays around the net can’t be made because there is no room.

- Barret Jackman looked out of it again. Starting to play similarly to his poor stretch at the end of last season before he was shut down due to an injury. Part 2?

Diarrhea of the Mouth

I’m glad Erik Johnson is gone. I can finally feel like giving an unfettered opinion of the former #1 pick isn’t an unfair thing to do.

I’ve been critical before, so what is different now? Well, when he started running his mouth about “making Armstrong pay”… I had a little “WTF” moment.

Where was this fire and passion in St. Louis? Most of his answers on camera (at least) we’re standard issue cliched athlete lingo. All of a sudden he has some real intensity brewing? To be honest, as someone built up and bulked up to be a physical monster on the back end, he never consistently showed that controlled raw emotion to earn such potential.

I am NOT a fan, in any stretch of the imagination, of spouting off what you can’t back up. Looking back at his two seasons since the knee injury, he hasn’t really had a reason to claim he was wronged in the trade.

He hit few, if any, standards or benchmarks that a first overall selection is expected to. Little consistency. Regression of his hockey IQ. Never really could take over a game. Failed to lead his team to any significant (positive) placements in the standings. He wasn’t even the top defensemen in the lineup most nights. Alex Pietrangelo took and succeeded in more pressure situations than Johnson did.

Defensemen slower to develop or not. Injury or not. He hasn’t shown enough growth over the course of his time in St. Louis to say he shouldn’t be the one moved. Not when he is falling from the perch he was supposed to take over and couldn’t.

One word comes to mind. Expendable. Armstrong has to give to get and he HAS to be the impartial auditor that doesn’t care about what “EJ was supposed to be”. His job is to get the Blues from re-builder to contender. Erik factored himself out of that equation.

I’m sure he doesn’t like it. Nor should he. Bottom line is that his performances to date haven’t warranted such diarrhea of the mouth. Let your play do the talking first. Then talk.

He is the darling of the NHL and Denver today. We’ll see if he can keep it up.

Before you can say “what about Chris Stewart’s comments”, I feel 100% the same way about him. Keep the zipper closed and play the game first. Although, his three goals since the deal do carry a little more weight.

Standings Watch

The Blues are in 13th place with 63 points. Just 4 points ahead of Colorado and now 3 points behind Columbus. They are 5 points behind 8th place LA and 7 points behind places 5th, 6th and 7th.

Scoreboard watching: LA is at Anaheim, Edmonton takes on Colorado, Phoenix is in Tampa, and San Jose is playing in Pittsburgh.

Trade Scutlebutt

- Andy McDonald’s name has come up (via Eklund) in association to the Washington Capitals. They are still likely looking for a second line center. Would have to think the Blues want equal value. Another hockey trade. Without Eric Brewer a top pairing left handed defenseman to play a shutdown role next to Petro would (should) be high on the list. Jeff Schultz anyone?

- Say mention of Brad Boyes to Pittsburgh still. Adding James Neal nixed the possibility of Boyes heading to the Pens.

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As always, you are invited to follow @618_STLBlues and @BlueNoteZone on Twitter and on the BlueNoteZone Facebook Fan Page for in game updates and Blues news.

Sound off here Blue Bleeders. Tells us what you think about these Blues issues:

- Halak: Jeckyl & Hide or Growing Pains?

- Goaltending coach Hirsch is on Twitter (though many of us already knew this). Now publicized by the Blues, will he be inundated with Tweets on Halak from cranky fans? Should he be?

- How much closer could this team be with effective special teams play like they got last night?

- Alex Pietrangelo > Erik Johnson?

- …and we thought our announcers have issue with “homerism”, what about the Canucks?

- Missed boarding call on Winchester or a good “hockey hit”?

My Rant: Steve Hindle at HockeyBuzz floated the possibilty of the Blues trading Alex Steen. He says it’s because Steener isn’t part of the home grown core and says he is a center. More proof why the speculating that HB does = TMZ quality work. I do not like calling out or criticizing a fellow blogger, but some speculation is so devoid of logic it needs to have fingers pointed at it.

(Update: Allow me to clarify. I have been a HockeyBuzz reader and supporter for years. I do not think HockeyBuzz or Steve are “TMZ”, what I feel is excessive speculation is on that level. HB and Steve do far more than speculate. HB is the trend setter and key player in the hockey blogging world. They’re quality needs to be top notch and as free of message board banter as possible. It’s highly important for the rest of the non-traditional hockey media industry.

I apologize to Steve, because it sounds like he took it not as I intended. It’s the speculation, not him.)

Anything else? No good rant denied.

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“Us vs. Them” is Dumb and Old

Coming in to work on the Metro, I often spend my 20 minutes catching up on Twitter. Given the Blues loss (and my snoozing through the third) I needed to catch up on end of game thoughts.

I found it interesting that Panger, Kerbs and just about everyone else wasn’t on my Blues info list timeline. Good ole Louie was there chipping in, but it seemed like the late night game kept the tweets down.

Then I see Joe Strauss chime in. Far after the fact. His little bit of jousting with Tom Ackerman of KMOX was there to read too. Later in the AM I see Bernie jump in with a little tongue and cheek reply to Strauss.

Let me just say that I am honestly sick of this whole “us vs. them” garbage that seems to take place between the “#HockeyMafia / Blues Media” and “general media”.

Do Kerber and John Kelly make valid points about coverage and the lack their of? Yep.
Do Bernie and Strauss make valid points about thin skinned, hot headed Blues folk? Yep.

So why are Blues fans so persnickety?

So what if Bernie is “outside the circle”? He has his fair share of good and bad reviews for the Blues. If you go just off Twitter, checkout his blogs/articles. Most are far from in depth, but he usually has a good point or two.

Strauss I can understand. He only seems to chime in when things go wrong. The simple answer is don’t follow him or ignore him. I’ve fallen in to the trap attention grabbing tweets that stir the pot. I don’t care for his slant, agenda, bias. Mainly because I was trained in College and in my career to support my opinions by covering both or all points of view. Strauss simply doesn’t do that with the Blues. As a paid, professional media member, he should be better.

I digress…

The bottom line to the ranting is that a certain subset of Blues fans need to move past this “us vs. them” nonsense. I’ve been on that bandwagon. The more I read, listened and thought about it, the coverage isn’t THAT bad. Could it be more? Sure. The Blues haven’t had enough sustained success to warrant a media divergence from what sells. Cardinals and the NFL.

To be honest, this is where bloggers have a huge opportunity to pick up the slack. It’s obvious in my two years running BNZ that there is a growing desire for more opinion and analysis in Blues coverage. Not just the matter of fact stuff, but deeper digs in to the failures and successes alike.

If the last few days of Strauss tweeting and Blues flopping has taught me anything, its that just one angle isn’t enough. Neither the more optimistic beat writers coverage and the hard headed criticism of “outsiders” is desired.

So the group of folks ribbing the critiquing tweeters, ease off. Instead ask yourself, what is going wrong with the team, not what is going wrong with the media coverage. There are much larger issues that need to be resolved. Don’t hate the media guys for bringing them up.

Blues Links

Eklund finally caught on to the KTRS 550 AM / john Hadley comments that the Blues are shopping EJ. Andy Strickland tweeted that such speculation / rumor is a rather bad rumor. Interesting that Eklund kind of calls out the Blues.

The Blues, this front office has a history of showing up to the dance, but never getting up from their table.

Andy McDonald’s new helmet comparisons. Must read…or at least see the pictures. [St. Louis Game Time]

Good news on the Andy McDonald front. Skating with the team. [St. Louis Post Dispatch]

THN Power Rankings – 19th

ESPN Power Rankings – 22nd

TSN Power Rankings – 22nd

NHL Links

Tough Decisions for the Florida Panthers [NHLHotStove.com]

Some Truth to the Matt Moulson trade rumors. [HockeyIndependent.com]

Monday’s Three Stars [Yahoo Puck Daddy]

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As always, you are invited to follow @618_STLBlues and @BlueNoteZone on Twitter and on the BlueNoteZone Facebook Fan Page for in game updates and Blues news. Please also check out the St. Louis Blues Blogs Facebook Fan Page for links to Blues blogs all over the Internet.

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Early Trade Discussions Regarding Erik Johnson?

Some interesting bit of “news” came about Sunday evening. The KTRS 550 AM Twitter account tweeted that their Sports Director reported that St. Louis Blues defenseman Erik Johnson is being shopped,

Wait? What?!

Add in Eklund’s latest blog and the all sorts of discussion kicked up. Twitter and message board bantering alike.

Rightfully so, emotions were sparked. Ranging from disbelief to defense of his stagnation to “bust!” verifications. The idea of trading the first selection in the 2006 entry draft is a scary one.

However, it should also be expected.

The Blues are struggling. Winning only two games 24 days in to a month will always beckon calls (and suggestions) of change. Doug Armstrong is in charge of effort to dress a lineup capable of winning games and making it to the playoffs. To upgrade areas of need, he must deal from surplus.

There is depth in the organization on the backend…

Don’t think if this scenario were to actually play out that Army would let EJ go without a king’s ransom in return. There is no financial, contractual or asset grabbing need to move #6. Injuries and learning curves are a legitimate issue regarding the Blues. Given Armstrong has had only this season to make major adjustments to the group JD and Larry Pleau, a little patience, like another offseason, could be needed to truly see this team take flight.

Waiting isn’t fun nor is it fair, but progress is rarely linear. Fans may want one type of team, but what may actually produce results could be something else entirely. The front office has to be cognizant of such realities. My money says they are.

I’d venture to guess that given EJ’s cap friendly contract and his yet untapped full potential combined with a growing trend of poor play pushing the Blues to seller status, other GMs are calling to do their homework. It’s Doug’s job to listen and know his players value. That’s the most likely explanation to Hadley’s report.

Just like the accidents on St. Louis icy highways today, don’t pause too long to look. You’ll miss what’s right in front of you. In the Blues case, a HUGE matchup in Colorado.

Links

Bad officiating. The Blues and the league in general. [Thrashing the Blues]

More Links! Monday style. [St. Louis Game Time]

Is Pekka Rinne’s save better than Jaroslav Halak’s? Check it out and vote “yay” or “nay”. [Yahoo Puck Daddy]

A Q&A with Patrick Marleau. [NHLHotStove.com]

The Blues aren’t the only team reeling right now. Poor Thrashers. [HockeyIndependent.com]

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As always, you are invited to follow @618_STLBlues and @BlueNoteZone on Twitter and on the BlueNoteZone Facebook Fan Page for in game updates and Blues news. Please also check out the St. Louis Blues Blogs Facebook Fan Page for links to Blues blogs all over the Internet.

Eklund advises the hockey world that the Blues want to have a deal done to get Heatley to St. Louis by Wednesday, two days before the draft.

I think we need a few grains of salt, a lemon wedge, and some good tequila to analyze that one.

AS we talked about here and many other sites have discussed, Heatley to St. Louis is very hard to imagine. While the Blues have the desire for a top flight player, can they truly afford him with out giving up Brad Boyes (which defeats teh purpose of getting Heatley) and if they can, which young stars do we lose?

Perron? Berglund? Oshie? Pietrangelo? Eller? Backes?

Who is traded now and/or later? Who cannot be re-signed?

It’s a this point I really hope that the front office politely says “no”.  No to thinning out our NHL level depth. No to moving out a young core member. No to tying up roughly 12-15% of the Blues cap hits in one player.

I know teams want to get that name power. You want that guy to drum up media support, to sell tickets, to sell jerseys. At the same time, this isn’t your dad’s NHL anymore. This is not so much a veterans game. This league is dominated by 3 players who have all gained the right to buy alcohol in the last 12 months. It is a young-man’s game now.

This is where the Blues can differ from other teams. Push away the old status quo and really stck with their kids. Will it be hard to keep your home grown talent when you could haeve offer sheets and high priced offers. However, at the same time the Blues have to believe that they can develop their rebuilt core and keep them around. With the cap going down  (for at least the next two years it looks like), you need to be able to control your contracts. The Blues will get great control over their group.

The young core of this team is as follows (argueably):
TJ Oshie
Patrik Berglund
Erik Johnson
David Perron
David Backes
Brad Boyes
Alex Pietrangelo
Jay McClement
Roman Polak
All of these players are under contract for at least 2 more years or will be RFA’s in that time period.

The current roster situation gives you a large amount of control over how much your core makes, allowing you to spend elsewhere. However, that control doesn’t mean you add a $7.5mil cap hit.

THe Blues have a chance to say “we have our core, we arent moving them and in the long term interest of this organization, we are going to retain these players”. How many teams will be able to do this? Not many. Edmonton  might. Phoenix has no money to begin with. Chicago has spent a ton (Campbell) and are going to have MAJOR cap issues retaining Kane, Toews, and Versteeg down the road.

By saying no, the Blues have the chance to do what few teams can do, kep their most important long term peices while they are still contributing now. Heatley all but kills that chance. The time is not now. The Blues got in to the Playoffs minus a top 3 forward and a top pairing Dman, lets see what Kariya and EJ give us first. Save the money now to dabble at the deadline if you want to add a body.