urbanSTL

Blackhawks have the offense and the Blues don't .. Either way its very evident what the Blues need the most and thats offense. Martin St.Louis is very good but he's a veteran and what the Blues need is a good young offensive talent to compliment Taraesnko. I be open arms in trading off Backes Oshie and Berglund and getting Pajarrvi was a waste of a lost talent in Perron that will comeback to haunt us even getting rid of Stewart was a very bad move... I'll let Miller go and implement Jake Allen and serious the team needs a new identity a new direction i'll also be open arms in letting the team be the worst in the league for about 3 years to get some good young talent specially with the offense .. Look at colorado and what they've done...Just my opinion though

We lost 2 games by 1 goal. 1 game by 2 (but does an empty net really count?) and I. The last game we had 28 shots on goal to their 11 after 2 periods.


Don't let the fact we got worked over one period distort your perceptions of this team. They were a top 10 offensive team all season.

This blues playoff team had 10 Olympians. Gotta include miller.

^ OTOH, of their two victories, they had to score in the last two minutes of regulation both times and one of those was a 6-on-4. Chicago was 3 mins away from a sweep if you want to look at it a different way.

Chicago had 10 Olympians as well but they advanced to the 2nd rd. Blues have a real problem that needs to be addressed.. Chicago had them beat in first 2 games but came up empty handed. The fact is the Blues haven't won a regulation game in 10 games that's alarming. I expect a few big trades for offense no one is off limits.. I love the Blues but you gotta beat the great teams in the playoffs if you want to become a great team like the Blackhawks and Bruins ...

Keep in mind the blues had 8 injured players to end the season. Most of those players ended up playing but they weren't at 100%. Oshie admittedly returned too early from the concussion and backes was lost. I think we're in the 2nd round had we played anyone else or a few picks went our way. I also think we win the series had we been healthy.

The Ave's going down in OT and the Sharks blowing a 3-0 lead make me feel slightly better

beer city wrote:The Ave's going down in OT and the Sharks blowing a 3-0 lead make me feel slightly better

It takes the sting off just a teensy tiny little bit.

But I'm still pissed.

That should NEVER happen. It's not a Blues sweater. It's a fine alternate, but they don't look how the Blues are supposed to look (brighter blue, yellow numbers, large Blue note). I have few qualms with it as an alternate, but I go on the offensive when the possibility of it being a primary comes up, haha.

As for the team itself, took me a while to get over the sting, but this is still a very good hockey team and people shouldn't overreact. It's the best roster the club has ever had IMO. A poorly timed downturn and a silly new playoff format (shouldn't have played the Hawks until the third round) cements their legacy as another disappointing one.

But there's no need to blow things up. Make needed improvements is all. Paul Stastny is the absolute best move the team could make this off-season. Let's hope the Avs let him hit free agency.

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/columns/ ... bc0f6.html


Blues pass on Ryan Miller. An experiment that went bad, will cost the Blues down the road. I do not think this deal is up there with the Courtnall, Momesso, Ronning, deal, but it is close. They Blues might have been better off with Halak and Elliott. The Blackhawks success is proving the Blues are a legit contender and not that far away. They gave the Hawks all they could handle, just collapsed in Game 6. I think they need a Center for Tarasenko and Schwartz, as well as a true scoring winger. They may use the money saved on Miller, to pursue that. I hope Allen wins the job and keeps it for years to come. I've always like him. I like Elliott too, but in a back-up/mentor role. We've seen him start. The fact he resigned, says that there may not have been a huge market for him as a starter. He said that is what he wanted, after the season ended. Guess we'll see. All we know as Blues fans is there's always next year!

It was an experiment gone bad, but I question overstating the negative impact it had. The Blues didn't likely miss Halak or Stewart. Halak maybe would have played a little better than Miller, but it's unlikely he would have been a difference maker. Stewart has the ability to be the goal-scorer the Blues lacked, but he was traded because he so inconsistently was.

So the bigger issue are the draft picks that were given up. And while you'd always rather have them than not—especially the first rounder in 2015. But in truth, that pick will likely be near the end of the first round, and you those players are hit or miss in hockey. And even if you hit, you don't reap the rewards until years down the line. Those players have to develop. The other pick will remain at 2016 third since the Blues didn't advance to the Western Conference Final or re-sign Miller.

So that stinks, of course. But I still loved going for it when they did, so I just can't complain too much. And I still think Miller is a very good goalie, we just didn't get that unfortunately.

In any case, the Blues did the wise thing in the present. Rather than feel like they had to still make the trade a success, they cut their losses, saving their their 2014 first round pick and not over investing in years or money in a position we know is never a sure thing.

Goaltending obviously matters in the playoffs. The teams still around are there in large part because their goaltenders are on fire. On the other hand, these aren't all world class goaltenders. Corey Crawford has been outstanding this spring, but he's a slightly above average goalie overall. The lesson is to have good goaltenders, and hope they hold up and then some under pressure come playoff time.

The Blues now have top prospect Jake Allen ready to step up and Brian Elliott to push him. You could see Elliott grasp the job as the starter with Allen as his backup, or you could see the reverse, or perhaps more likely you'll see the two split time relatively evenly for most of the year. And they'll only be spending $3.1 million (with a $3.3 million cap hit) total on the position (next year—it will rise incrementally each year with Elliott's contract and depending on Allen's next contract after 14-15). Compare that to last year when they entered the season owing Elliott and Halak a combined $6.4 million. And Miller will probably fetch $5+ million himself.

So this opens up cash to spend on skaters, specifically forwards, perhaps more specifically, a skilled center. If the Avs let St. Louis native Paul Stastny reach free agency, I believe the Blues will snatch him up. They should. If he doesn't play for Colorado next year, the Blues have to make sure he's playing for St. Louis. Aside from that, Jason Spezza and maybe even Evgeni Malkin will be available on the trade market.

So there's moves to be made, and the Blues created flexibility with which to make them. I know the season had a disappointing ending, but I'm excited about what this off-season can bring.

I still think the trade for Miller was, without question, the right move at the time and I don't think it really effects them long term. Miller will be requesting between $5-$6 million per year in the free agent market so that makes Elliot's deal look pretty sweet. Now they need to find a goal scoring forward.

I think the last 8 cup winner didn't have a 40 goal scorer.

^And I don't think the Blues need a 40-goal scorer either.

They need a skilled center who can bury maybe 20-30 and/or another forward good for 30ish. If someone can bury 40, that's a plus, but in and of itself isn't the issue.

So it looks very likely that Jake Allen will be the Blues new starting Goalie ...

^Not saying that you were making this point..

The fact that Scottrade/Kiel opened around the same time, does not worry me. I think the Scottrade Center was done the right way from the start, unlike the Dome. This to me, is still one of the better NHL arenas. With all of the improvements over the years, I can see it being around a long time. It could use some restroom improvements, but I really like the Scottrade Center. I wonder why the Shark Tank is already considered outdated. I do not think the article is accurate, in saying NHL venues need replacing every 25 years. That may be the case in the NFL, but not the NHL. No matter the sport, if the venue is done the RIGHT way from the start, it will not need to be replaced every 25 years.

Pretty much all upgrades to arena's are "investment for further revenue streams," so I don't think that invalidates the upgrades that have been made. Those upgrades include:

A new video board, new ribbon boards, reupholstering the seats (there's still purple, but remember when seats used to be purple, pink, and bright blue because '90s?), a new paint job around the interior, a large group of club seats in the lower bowl, a credit and debit card accepting point of sale system throughout the concession areas, and I believe upgrades to the lockerroom(s).

No, the arena hasn't underwent a major renovation, but it's been well-maintained. It's not the best arena in the league, but it's great shape and allows for a nice experience.

It shouldn't require a massive renovation at any time soon. Steady investment should do the trick.

I've been to the United Center. It's a great venue, though it's not nearly as intimate as Scottrade.

It's nicer in the little details. And it's got a nicer underbelly if you will (in a previous job, I got to experience those areas).

I'm not claiming the Scottrade Center is in the upper echelon of arenas. The only claim I'm making is that there is nothing wrong with it. Nothing that will require a massive overhaul. If they want to upgrade the details they can, but that doesn't make or break anything.

The Honda Accord gets you from A to B safely, with great gas efficiency, and very few bothers. And they last a long, long time.