St. Louis Blues 2017–2018 – mitä seuraavaksi?

[Diablo]

Happy camper. Täytyy antaa tunnustusta Armylle, että tajuaa joukkueen tilanteen ja myy. Vaikuttaa, että Bluesin TDL oli tässä. Ensi kesänä off-season vielä myydään Berglund/Gunnar/Jbo.

En ole Bluesin otteita niin seurannut, niin voitko vielä hieman avata tilannetta.. Onko se sen verran huono, että kannatti laittaa Stastny lihoiksi, eikä pleijareista saati cupista kannata tällä kaudella haaveilla? Ehkä tuo Bluesin nippu ei sitten kuitenkaan ole riittävän hyvä tavoitellekseen cuppia. Olikos siellä esim. isompia loukkaantumisia tällä hetkellä..

 

[Ranksu]

En ole Bluesin otteita niin seurannut, niin voitko vielä hieman avata tilannetta.. Onko se sen verran huono, että kannatti laittaa Stastny lihoiksi, eikä pleijareista saati cupista kannata tällä kaudella haaveilla? Ehkä tuo Bluesin nippu ei sitten kuitenkaan ole riittävän hyvä tavoitellekseen cuppia. Olikos siellä esim. isompia loukkaantumisia tällä hetkellä..

Blues on yksinkertaisesti huono ei Cup contender. Stastny on erittäin hyvä 2c, mutta pisteiden lomassa on pelannut alle tasonsa. Scheifelen takana hän tulee olemaan erittäin hyvä palanen. Uskon, että häntä käytetään shutdown sentterinä. Noh, loukkaantumisia on ollut Fabbri, pitkin kautta on ollut Schwartz, Berglund. Sitten kun nyt on ulkona Edmundson ja #1 maalivahti Allen umpisurkea, mutta myös joukkue hänen edessään on pelannu huonosti niin tulokset näyttävät tältä.

Lou Korac@lkorac10

Jake Allen is now 2-13-0 his past 15 starts to fall to 19-19-2. Just mind-boggling. What's even more mind-boggling is the Blues have scored a grand total of 16 goals in his 13 losses, or 1.23 goals per game. That's ridiculous to ask any goalie to win with those numbers


Muutaman pvän vanha tilastot.

Before December 10th

Jake Allen Carter Hutton
17-6-2 (3rd) Record (NHL Rank) 4-2-0 (43rd)
2.53 (21st) GAA (NHL Rank) 1.88 (6th)
.913 (34th) SV % (NHL Rank) .936 (6th)
Since December 10th

Jake Allen Carter Hutton
2-12-0 (60th) Record (NHL Rank) 11-4-2 (14th)
3.12 (58th) GAA (NHL Rank) 1.86 (7th)
.896 (65th) SV % (NHL Rank) .938 (10th)

 

[Ranksu]

Feb. 26: Armstrong on trade deadline - YouTube

Feb. 26: Yeo after the deadline - YouTube


Jeremy Rutherford

✔@jprutherford

Armstrong had talks with several teams about top-six help but he wasn’t willing to part with Thomas, Kostin, Thompson and Kyrou for 12-18 month stop gap. #stlblues



Hattu pois päästä, että piti päänsä ettei myynyt meidän top prospekteja.

 

[aessi]

“Two or three weeks ago I didn't envision this being an option today,” Armstrong said. “We were, I don't want to say comfortably in (the playoffs), but we were in the top portion of our conference and our division, and the last couple of weeks we haven't played to a level that kept us there. I started to look at what was best for us moving forward.

“I talked to Paul on Thursday and said, 'I hope that we play well on Friday and Sunday and this isn't an issue, but if we don't turn it around, I have to do my job also,' and he was a pro about it and he understood. We didn't have the results we needed on Friday and Sunday, so an opportunity came to gain two valuable assets in a first-round pick and a young prospect, and we decided to go that direction.”

“Well, that was the hardest part and that's why I hoped we wouldn't get to this point,” Armstrong said. “But how we're playing right now was an indicator that there was no guarantees that if we just kept the status quo that there was a light at the end of the tunnel. It's one thing when you believe you're playing well and then not getting the results. There's puck-luck, there's bad luck, there's the other team is just on a roll. But we haven't been to the level of competitiveness on enough nights recently to think that we were just a slight tweak away from getting it back.”

Why the Blues said goodbye to Paul Stastny and what the surprising trade means for the spiraling club – The Athletic (paywall)

Nyt perään seitsemäs tappio, jos tuo tilanne on pelaajillakin ollut tiedossa niin aika munaton esitys oli ensiksi Jetsiä vastaan ja sitten Predatorsia vastaan.

 

[Ranksu]

Tänään on vastassa WIngsit ja enkä odota, että joukkueen peli muuttuisi nykyisen peliosoitusten suhteen. Btw vieläkin ihmettelen ettei bookkerit ole reagoineet Bluesin surkeaan peliesitykseen vaan ovat jopa suokkari Wingsejä vastaan Scottradessa.

Berglund ei pelaa tänään vaan on päässyt poppareille.

Jeremy Rutherford Twitterissä: "Yeo on Berglund: ”He’s a guy that his teammates love and a guy I’ve seen play very good hockey for us. But he’s not playing to the level that he can right now. I feel like he’s lost right now, as far as his identity, his role and what he’s doing when he’s an effective player.”"

 

[larzzon]

Blues on yksinkertaisesti huono ei Cup contender.

Runkohan on ihan jees ja potentiaalinen, vieläkin. Aika monena vuonna Bluesin meno on pudotuspeleissä hyytynyt maalivahtipeliin. Se ei aina ole ollut huonoa, mutta eipä se koskaan ole ollut myöskään vahvuus, jolla on käännetty otteluita ja sarjoja.

Army yritti taannoin ja hankki Millerin, mutta ei jäänyt lapsille kerrottavaa.

Ei Bluesissa kannata mihinkään tyhjennysmyyntiin ryhtyä, mutta ehkä tällainen tulevien UFA-pelaajien myynti ja joukkueen uudistaminen on ihan paikallaan. En pidä ihan mahdottomana, että joku kausi osuu ja Blues ostaa siirtotakarajalla myymisen sijaan.

 

[Ranksu]

#stlblues injury news: Bouwmeester will miss the remainder of the season with a left hip injury. Upshall will be re-evaluated in four weeks with a left MCL sprain.

Jeremy Rutherford‏Varmennettu tili@jprutherford 2 min2 minuuttia sitten
Bouwmeester suffered the hip injury Dec. 10 vs. Buffalo. He had the option of surgery or injection and keep playing. He decide to put off surgery until after the season but re-injured it Saturday in Dallas. He’ll now undergo surgery and be out 4-6 months.

Other injury updates: Army said no timetable on Edmundson, who is skating today ... Soshnikov has a neck injury and Blais (San Antonio) also has a neck injury. Sanford (San Antonio) is back in the Rampage lineup.

Viimeisin uutinen on, että mahdollisesti Jbo ostetaan ulos. Tässä nuottien tämän hetkinen top6 pakisto, ei näytä oikein rapialta.

Dunn - Pietro
Gunnar - Parayko
Butler - Bortuzzo
Schmaltz

Mutta jos halutaan jotain positiivista niin junnut ovat pelanneet omissa seuroissaan hyvin. Alla olevasta linkistä niistä enemmän.

Kyrou becomes first OHL player to reach 100 points this season | NHL.com

 

[Ranksu]

Mikäs ex-Capitaali Zach Sanfordin tilanne on? Katselin että on ollut koko alkukauden pelaamatta, jotain loukkaaantumista ilmeisesti taustalla? Onko paluusta tietoa?

Tässä Sanfordin viimeisimmät kuulumiset loukkaantumisesta ja itse kuntoutuksesta.

March 6, 2018 Zach Sanford by Rampage Radio | Free Listening on SoundCloud

 

[Ranksu]

Ville Husson haastattelu

Spoileri

ANAHEIM, Calif. — On June 28, 2014, the Blues traded Roman Polak to the Toronto Maple Leafs for Carl Gunnarsson and a fourth-round draft pick. That same day, the club used the pick to grab goaltender Ville Husso No. 94 overall.
The Finnish native was the ninth netminder taken in the draft, following Calgary's Mason McDonald (No. 34), Vancouver's Thatcher Demko (No. 36), Carolina's Alex Nedeljkovic (No. 37), Washington's Vitek Vanecek (No. 39), the New York Rangers' Brandon Halverson (No.59), Buffalo's Jonas Johansson (No. 61), Columbus' Elvis Merzlikins (No. 76) and the New York Islanders' Ilya Sorokin (No. 78).

It takes time to crack the NHL at the position, as evidenced by the limited exposure the 2014 draft class has had in the league thus far. In the three-plus seasons since the draft, the eight goalies taken ahead of Husso have combined for just two NHL games — Nedeljkovic played one with Carolina in 2016-17, and Halverson had one with the Rangers this season.

Similarly, Husso has had a long, winding road. He spent two more seasons in Finland after being drafted by the Blues, and then after coming over to North America in 2016, he bounced from the AHL's Chicago Wolves to the ECHL's Missouri Mavericks and then back to the Wolves. He's spent this year on loan to the San Antonio Rampage, who will be the Blues' AHL primary affiliate in 2018-19.

Husso, who is third in the Blues' organizational depth chart, remains a highly regarded prospect, and his numbers in San Antonio support that. The Rampage are sixth in the Pacific Division, but Husso has a 2.31 goals-against average, a .928 save percentage and four shutouts, which is tops in all three categories among AHL rookies.

Husso's fourth shutout of the season came in San Antonio's 4-0 victory over the Ontario (California) Reign on Sunday, which was part of a wild weekend for the 23-year-old. With the Carter Hutton dealing with a sore neck, Husso was called up to be the Blues' backup Saturday in Los Angeles, rejoined San Antonio for Sunday's shutout, and now he'll be backing up Jake Allen Monday night against Anaheim.

Even though Ontario is only about an hour away, Husso had a travel hiccup going from the Blues to the Rampage Sunday. In a Q&A with The Athletic after Monday's morning skate at the Honda Center, Husso had a good laugh about that, along with discussing the progress he's made the past two seasons and when he thinks he'll be ready to make the jump to the NHL.

When you got to North America in 2016, it was a steep learning curve for you. How did that go?
Ville Husso: “I played two games first in AHL and then I got sent down to East Coast. I was there for like two months. At that time last year, I was getting a little mad and pissed because I was playing there and I had a good season back home (in Finland) the year before. It's tough in North America because goalies are battling for the game time and spots on every team, so you just need to show that you deserve your spot. Now I'm thinking that was a pretty good thing for me. I learned a lot in the games there. Then after Christmas, I got a call back up to the AHL and I started to get a lot of games there. I enjoyed the time, learned the game. In the playoffs, I wasn't my best level, but it was a good experience for me. It was easier to come this year because I knew what was going on here.”

What was the toughest aspect of playing on the smaller ice surface, and how far have you come in becoming more comfortable?
VH: “I think the biggest thing, the game here is pretty fast and everything happens pretty quickly. In Europe you have a little bit more time in net, so you don't need to be that sharp every time. And here, almost every guy can shoot the puck absolutely 100 percent wherever they want. If you are late, you never have any chance to stop the puck. So that was the biggest thing, just be fast and quick.”

Did you think you had a good training camp with the Blues this year?
VH: “Yeah, this year I had a pretty good training camp. Like I say, it was easier to come over this year. I know a little bit of the guys and the coaches and everything. It's a really big change when you come over from Finland, so the first year I was really nervous and I didn't know how to do the things here, how everything goes here. But now it's so much easier and I just enjoyed the time in camp. I did my best, but I think now I'm so much better than in the training camp. My game is so much better and I feel comfortable in the net. I think I have been taking good steps during the season and I feel like I'm getting ready for the NHL.”

Was it a good situation when you arrived in San Antonio this year?
VH: “It was a big change from last year. St. Louis, they don't have their own AHL team. Maybe at first I didn't get that many games, but after Christmas, I have been playing pretty well and I have deserved the game time. I have like over 30 games, which is not that many, but we still have 15 games left. It's been a pretty tough season for us because we haven't won that many games, so I just need to do my best to help the team get some points and wins.”

Since being sent down to the AHL after training camp, this is the fourth time you've been called up to the Blues this season. What do you take away from these call-ups?
VH: “It's nice to see how Jake and Hutsy, how they're practicing and how they are like professional athletes every time, off ice and on ice. When they go on the ice, they take every shot like 100 percent and that's the biggest thing for me to learn — be there 100 percent every time for every puck. That's not easy, but I think that's the biggest thing for me. So it's nice to see how they do things. For me, I want to be someday here and be the first goalie, so it's good experience for a young guy.”

You were with the Blues Friday, then San Antonio on Sunday and now back with the Blues. How crazy have the last few days been and tell us about the issue you had with your equipment before Sunday's game with the Rampage?
VH: “I think if you looked at yesterday's game — shutout! — so it worked. Yeah, for me, it's nice to be here. I still like to play almost every (AHL) game so that's nice. It was good that (San Antonio) played an hour away from Anaheim, so it wasn't a long to get there. I don't care if I go up and down, up and down. I need to be ready for everything.

“On Sunday, our equipment got locked in a room at the hotel in L.A. Me, (Chris) Butler and (Sammy) Blais took an Uber straight to the game in Ontario at like 10:45 a.m. But our Uber driver had to sit in front of the hotel because they had to saw the door to get our equipment out. I was like, 'I hope they get it open.' It took like 10 minutes, but we were on time in Ontario.”

So now you're back with the Blues and Monday will be the eighth time you've been on the bench as the backup this season. What's it like to be so close to playing in an NHL game?
VH: “We have seen some other teams like Vegas had three goals get injured and guys from AHL are playing there. I just need to be ready and, if something happens, I need to jump in there and just go. Hopefully someday I will get my first full game and get a start, that would be nice.”

After two seasons in the Blues' organization, do you feel like you're further along than you expected?
VH: “Of course when you come over you're thinking that you're going to play in the NHL, but right now I'm feeling like I'm on my way. I know the last five years almost every goalie are over 25 when they play in the NHL. I think I'm on my way and that's a good way.”

What is your personal timetable? Do you think you could play in the NHL next season?
VH: “I think after this season I might be ready to be with the NHL guys and play some games. It's tough if you're a backup goalie and you get what, 15-20 games? That's not what I want. We've seen with Nashville, Juuse Saros, he has been up and down, getting some games in the AHL and NHL. It might be that way, I don't know. But just for me, I need to do my job now and enjoy the time and try to battle every practice.”

 

[bebeto]

Stastny-treidin jälkeen laiva on pikku hiljaa kääntynyt, viisi voittoa putkeen ja villi kortti-paikassa kiinni. Kai siellä kopissa jotain mätää oli sitten.

 

[Ranksu]

Ville Husso nostettu ylös. Saattaapi olla, että Husso tekee debyytin NHL vielä tällä kaudella. Joko sen on Chicagoa vastaan tai Coloradoa, tod.näk Avs.

Twitter

 

[IcePhoenix]

Viime yönä Bluesin kausi päättyi pettymykseen, kun Avalanche voitti taistelun viimeisestä playoff-paikasta. Tämä oli odotettua, sillä Bluesin peli ei ole ollut koko keväänä sillä tasolla, millä sen olisi pitänyt menetyksen saavuttamiseen olla. Blues jäi viimeksi pleijareiden ulkopuolelle vuonna 2011.

Jo syksyllä Fabbrin loukkaantuminen loi synkän varjon kauden ylle, mutta kuitenkin loka-marraskuussa nähtiin todella hyvä Blues. Schwartz, Schenn ja Tarasenko olivat liekeissä ja peli kulki. Lentokeli loppui kuitenkin Schwartzin Detroit-pelissä kokemaan loukkaantumiseen kuin seinään. Yhtäkkiä ratkaisijoita ei enää löytynytkään ja hyökkäys sakkasi. Varsinkin Tarasenkon ja Steenin olisi pitänyt pystyä parempaan suorittamiseen hyökkäyspäässä myös Schwartzin vamman jälkeen. Hutton teki maalilla mitä pystyi, mutta ilman maaleja on vaikea peliä voittaa. Edes Schwartzin paluu ei pysäyttänyt syöksyä, joskin hidasti sitä.

Helmikuun jälkeen mentiinkin sitten aika 50/50 voittojen ja tappioiden suhteen ja lopulta kausi päättyi siis pettymyksenä runkosarjaan. Noh, ei Blues Predatorsin olisi kyllä onnistunut kaatamaan, vaikka olisi pleijareihin yltänytkin. Toisena positiivisena asiana on, että Bluesilla on nyt teoreettinen mahdollisuus saada Rasmus Dahlin. Nyt onkin sitten koko organisaatiolla ja varsinkin GM Armstrongilla mietittävänä varsin tuttu kysymys: Mitä seuraavaksi?

 

[Ranksu]

April 10: Blues Press Conference | NHL.com

 

[Viljami84]

Edes Schwartzin paluu ei pysäyttänyt syöksyä, joskin hidasti sitä.

Ei nyt varsinaisesti suoraan liity aiempaan keskusteluun, mutta Schwartz taas loukkaantunut ja MM kisat ohi. Kaveri tuo mieleen kyllä Saku Koivun. Tosi taitava ja kun katsoi aikanaan Lehterän pelejä, niin tuli seurattua kaveria tarkemmin ja olihan hänen peliä ilo katsella, mutta todella iso harmi, että ei pysy kunnossa, ei sitten millään.