cardinalkarp wrote:So the Blues trade Shattenkirk for a 1st rounder next year & a 3rd line centerman when the team that WAS behind them in the standings (LA Kings) decided to go it and pick up Iginla & Bishop.
I think it's obvious which team wants to make a run & which one has written off the season.
This is probably for the best. Honestly they need to retool. I just wish they'd sold off more pieces... but Upshall was probably the only one they could've realistically moved.
The biggest difference I can see between how the Blues and Blackhawks are run is they only look to lock up top end talent (Kane, Toews, Panarin, Keith, Seabrook). Role players get rotated out after a few years, and even when they make a mistake on a guy like Bickell, they package him with a perceived asset like Teravainen to get out from it.
We have top end talent locked up too (Tank, Petro, hopefully Schwartz again), but we also do it with either declining talent (Steen) or guys who were never going to be that (Gunny, Bergy, and worst of all, Lehtera). I'll even give a pass on J-Bo, who got hurt and hasn't been the same since.
I do agree with this for the most part, but the Blackhawks have had their not so great contracts as well. Seabrook's contract is worse than Steen's imo. He's no longer a top pairing guy being paid like one for 7 more years. They get by with this because Hjalmarsson's contract is and has been ridiculously good. Corey Crawford's contract was panned as well when it was signed since he had come off a great year, but had been terrible the year prior. Luckily for them he's kept up his play and been a good goaltender since, but that could've easily played out how the Allen situation has been playing out for us this year.
The Blackhawks have done so well because of contracts that are no longer allowed (Keith/Hossa) that keep caphits of superstars low and because they were gifted an ELC superstar in Panarin. They are definitely a better run team, but they've had some luck on their side as well.
Yeah, they have bad contracts, didn't mean to make it sound like they had zero. Kane and Toews will be bad eventually... heck, Toews is starting to trend that way. But they got 3 cups out of it, and that can't be emphasized enough.
Also Tarasenko implored the Blues to sign Panarin.
JCShutout wrote:Then we beat the Wild. This team is WEIRD!
Neutral zone goal at the very end aside, that was basically a perfectly played road game against a good team. He's not scoring, but that pass from Schwartz to Tank on the GWG was a beauty. Yeo is at least taking time away from Lehtera (no faceoffs taken in the 3rd), but if he could just bench him entirely that'd be swell. He was the only skater who still looked like garbage.
Looks like the NHL won't be publishing any teams protected lists when the expansion draft comes in June. Stupid. Why wouldn't you make this a televised event?
Blues lost 2-1, but a good game last night. I'm really glad to see how Parayko is continuing to step up and play well with increased responsibility. He is making some nice plays, and this experience has to be invaluable. I now just wish Sanford would get more time. Lets see what he has.
Its not hard to believe that getting Fabbri back, Brodeur getting Allen back on track, and experience for the young guys could lead to this team being pretty solid next year.
