Let's Go Blues

sanscrit wrote:This is a good move from a business perspective. You avoid a long-term committment to pronger and get smaller contracts to younger players. Pleau/Laurie are getting this team in a position to sell and at this point it is looking good. Weight and Tkachuk are probably available to any team that wants them and might make good deadline chips. I'm not sure whats left on Weight's contract, but with Tkachuk looking to take a big pay cut next season he should be a hot commodity. There is no point in the Blues keeping him around if they are going to field the team that they have.

At this point I think that our focus as blues fans is to hope that we get something out of Weight and Tkachuk at the deadline and we get a good owner ASAP.

Does anyone know if a team acquires a player at the deadline if his entire contract value counts against hte cap or just hte remaining balance?

Remaining Balance.

You are all looking at this the wrong way. Brewer is a restricted free agent. So essentially the Blues have traded Pronger for the chance to sign a free agent (Because there aren’t very many of those around ) and two minor leaguers.

The Blues would have been better off letting him walk and taking the four first round compensation picks. (That is if they’d use them to pick someone who was not projected to go in the third or fourth round.)

So in the end we get near nothing for Scott Stevens.

The Red Baron wrote:You are all looking at this the wrong way. Brewer is a restricted free agent. So essentially the Blues have traded Pronger for the chance to sign a free agent (Because there aren’t very many of those around ) and two minor leaguers.

The Blues would have been better off letting him walk and taking the four first round compensation picks. (That is if they’d use them to pick someone who was not projected to go in the third or fourth round.)

So in the end we get near nothing for Scott Stevens.

You might want to do a little more research on how compensation works before formulating your opinion. The ONLY way the Blues wuold have gotten 4 1st round picks is if Pronger accepted an offer over $5M from another team and the Blues not matched it. Considering teams never offer RFA's contracts, the chances of that happening were pretty much zero. Had the Blues let Pronger walk, they would have gotten absolutely nothing.

As for the "two minor leaguers", you're talking about two minor league defenseman with a decent amount of potential. Typically we call them prospects.

It sucks that we won't ever see Pronger in the Bluenote again, but I'm glad that Pleau pulled the trigger on this deal now rather than waiting until the trade deadline. For one thing, we get move value for him now and save payroll, but we also avoid the headache of that looming deadline and how it would have affected Pronger's play and the rest of the team. It would've been a huge distraction, as someone pointed out the other day. Now we get to start the season fresh with our new lineup and just work on building our team.

Bye bye Pronger.

Not sure how I feel about this. I need to see Wykiwowow in action.

The Red Baron wrote:You are all looking at this the wrong way. Brewer is a restricted free agent. So essentially the Blues have traded Pronger for the chance to sign a free agent (Because there aren’t very many of those around ) and two minor leaguers.

The Blues would have been better off letting him walk and taking the four first round compensation picks. (That is if they’d use them to pick someone who was not projected to go in the third or fourth round.)

So in the end we get near nothing for Scott Stevens.

1. As a RFA, he cannot just "walk". He has to be given an offer from another team, and with the importance of high draft picks under the new system, nobody was about to give up 4 first round picks for anybody.

2. If the Blues let him walk at the end of the season as a UFA - there would be no compensation involved.

3. If Brewer declines to sign a l/t deal with the Blues, they can simply let him walk at the end of the year, then use that money to sign a replacement as good or better from a draft pool that will start at age 29.

I hate to see Pronger go, but I really like this trade. Look at the size of the Blues D now. Jackman is one of the smaller guys. We got 2 basically first round draft picks (Lynch is close enough) and a proven stud defenseman for an injury prone aging former Hart winner (to describe him the worst way possible). Look at our D for the years to come.

Jackman 6'0 209 lbs
Brewer 6'3" 220lbs
Backman 6'3" 208 lbs
Walker 6'3" 227lbs
Woywitka 6'2" 209 lbs
Lynch 6'3" 214 lbs

That is a scary blueline.

Now take Weights contract off the books by trading him at the deadline for a young forward. KT goes down to 3.4 mil next year (or you can take him off the books too) That opens alot of cap space for FA signings next year and next years crop of forwards is better than this years.

Before anyone says that Woywitka and Lynch are not worthy, notice that Woywitka is a first round draft pick that was expected to play for the Oil this year. He was very high on Phillys depth chart and was considered to be one of their, if not their, best prospect. Go to some Oil message boards and notice that their fans are more upset at losing Lynch than they are Woywitka. I think it is very reasonable to expect them to play for the Blues relatively soon.

ERIC BREWER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

:D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D

The only way it could be better is if Jim Hughson were becoming the Blues' play-by-play announcer.

Seriously, WAY TO GO PLEAU.

I'm hearing on another board that Pronger signed a 5-year 6.25 million dollar deal.

OS wrote:You might want to do a little more research on how compensation works before formulating your opinion. The ONLY way the Blues wuold have gotten 4 1st round picks is if Pronger accepted an offer over $5M from another team and the Blues not matched it. Considering teams never offer RFA's contracts, the chances of that happening were pretty much zero. Had the Blues let Pronger walk, they would have gotten absolutely nothing.

As for the "two minor leaguers", you're talking about two minor league defenseman with a decent amount of potential. Typically we call them prospects.

So you think no team would sign Chris Pronger? Teams salivate for players like him.

Perhaps in the new landscape they wouldn’t, but the Blues had until December to trade him or sign him (before he wouldn’t be allowed to play for the rest of the year). I’ll grant that teams payrolls will be filling up toward the cap the farther. But why not let him dangle a while? At least get a player that is already signed.

James636 wrote:ERIC BREWER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

:D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D

The only way it could be better is if Jim Hughson were becoming the Blues' play-by-play announcer.

Seriously, WAY TO GO PLEAU.

I knew you'd love this deal....

... but I still think Brewer is overrated.

The Red Baron wrote:So you think no team would sign Chris Pronger? Teams salivate for players like him.

I could be wrong about this, but I believe the Blues are the ONLY team ever to sign a RFA and give up the draft picks.

kodos wrote:I'm hearing on another board that Pronger signed a 5-year 6.25 million dollar deal.

His average will be $5.5M...a year...I heard his price starts higher and reduces but the deal was $27.5M total...New CBA counts on an average of the entire contract...

I like this trade for both teams. Edmonton gets Pronger and the Blues get Brewer and two young d-men that they can develop and hold onto for 8 or so years.

Solid pickup for Pronger when the alternative was losing him for nothing.

I think the team still needs a couple of scoring wingers, but this is a decent move.


My only question now is who is going to provide leadership in defense? Eric Weinrich?


A couple things to think about:

1. If the rumors of Prongers leadership being questionable, then this might be a positive move for the franchise.
2. "The Patrick Ewing Theory" - if You're a Bill Simmons fan, you'll understand this.

Essembi wrote:I like this trade for both teams. Edmonton gets Pronger and the Blues get Brewer and two young d-men that they can develop and hold onto for 8 or so years.

It's a good deal but it just sucks to lose Pronger...if Tkachuk was gone this might not sting so bad...

I'd like to read the Oiler fan's comments. Can someone please post a link to their message boards?

BringBackZezel wrote:My only question now is who is going to provide leadership in defense? Eric Weinrich?

This was my biggest fear about losing Pronger. I think it's time for the Blues to get MacInnis on the team in some capacity.

I'm a little surprised we got 3 defensemen, but I like Brewer a lot, and I think Woywitka will compliment Jackman very well (Woywitka being offensive-minded, and Jackman being all defense).

At least we won't have to hear about how Pronger is a cancer in the lockerroom anymore. Even when they gave MacInnis the 'C', it was still Pronger's team in many ways. Maybe this will free Weight to take his play to the next level.

ksbluesfan wrote:At least we won't have to hear about how Pronger is a cancer in the lockerroom anymore. Even when they gave MacInnis the 'C', it was still Pronger's team in many ways. Maybe this will free Weight to take his play to the next level.

I was thinking about this last night...didn't somebody say something here back in the day about how Mac had been quoted (off the record, obviously) as saying something to the effect of "If they give him back the C when he returns, we're fucked"?