Arnott skating with team

[Shanahan19]

Not wild about Arnott, and I think there are bigger issues in the locker room...i.e Stewart, Perron.

Those two need to go. Period.

I would keep Halak for now, but I see him back East within 3 years. Allen showed some stuff while called up but he had something to prove. Without that, he may just be average or below/above average. We just don't know till he is in the NHL permanently.

There are a lot of things this team needs ranging from coaching to front office. To pile on three big injuries will be tough. But I see Ottawa grinding away with team effort with two superstars out. And I see the Blues just coasting. Team mentality and attitude. It starts way up at the top and filters down.

Anyone still wish we had Bishop?

[DaDitka]

Team mentality and attitude. It starts way up at the top and filters down.

We'll we've changed the GM once and the HC twice.....

This problem lies with the guys with numbers on their back.....is it a player or two that are the problem? Is it the lack of someone/something that's the problem?

I don't know....but I do know it's time to stop blaming the coaching and start holding these players responsible.

[theohall]

Team mentality and attitude. It starts way up at the top and filters down.

We'll we've changed the GM once and the HC twice.....

This problem lies with the guys with numbers on their back.....is it a player or two that are the problem? Is it the lack of someone/something that's the problem?

I don't know....but I do know it's time to stop blaming the coaching and start holding these players responsible.

Including star players who cost games with lazy play in the last 30 seconds of a game. That kind of crap deserves demotion to a 4th line for 1 or 2 periods or even a full game. Cut their ice time and see how they react. If they react by staying lazy with cut ice time, trade their sorry asses.

[ViPeRx007]

Isn't "Arnott skating" a bit of a stretch? Lumbering, perhaps.

[Shanahan19]

Team mentality and attitude. It starts way up at the top and filters down.

We'll we've changed the GM once and the HC twice.....

This problem lies with the guys with numbers on their back.....is it a player or two that are the problem? Is it the lack of someone/something that's the problem?

I don't know....but I do know it's time to stop blaming the coaching and start holding these players responsible.

That is assuming Hitch and Armstrong were/are the right choices. They are not.

I agree about the players. Perron and Stewart MUST go. That's the locker room cancer.

[cprice12]

Team mentality and attitude. It starts way up at the top and filters down.

We'll we've changed the GM once and the HC twice.....

This problem lies with the guys with numbers on their back.....is it a player or two that are the problem? Is it the lack of someone/something that's the problem?

I don't know....but I do know it's time to stop blaming the coaching and start holding these players responsible.

That is assuming Hitch and Armstrong were/are the right choices. They are not.

I agree about the players. Perron and Stewart MUST go. That's the locker room cancer.

I guess Hitch and Armstrong were the wrong choices last year and the first 7 games of this year too?
Perron and Stewart were on the team last year as well. Didn't see any evidence of them being a cancer then.

The bi-polar meter is officially off the charts in here now.
You guys seemingly want to get rid of a head coach, a GM, and two guys who are tied for 2nd on the team in goals and points.
All because of a bad month...and speaking of which, in our last 11 games, we are 5-5-1.
I'm as pissed off as anyone...but come on guys.

[dmiles2186]

Team mentality and attitude. It starts way up at the top and filters down.

We'll we've changed the GM once and the HC twice.....

This problem lies with the guys with numbers on their back.....is it a player or two that are the problem? Is it the lack of someone/something that's the problem?

I don't know....but I do know it's time to stop blaming the coaching and start holding these players responsible.

That is assuming Hitch and Armstrong were/are the right choices. They are not.

I agree about the players. Perron and Stewart MUST go. That's the locker room cancer.

The bi-polar meter is officially off the charts in here now.
You guys seemingly want to get rid of a head coach, a GM, and two guys who are tied for 2nd on the team in goals and points.
All because of a bad month...and speaking of which, in our last 11 games, we are 5-5-1.
I'm as pissed off as anyone...but come on guys.

Preach it, brother Curt!

[sseagle]

Team mentality and attitude. It starts way up at the top and filters down.

We'll we've changed the GM once and the HC twice.....

This problem lies with the guys with numbers on their back.....is it a player or two that are the problem? Is it the lack of someone/something that's the problem?

I don't know....but I do know it's time to stop blaming the coaching and start holding these players responsible.

That is assuming Hitch and Armstrong were/are the right choices. They are not.

I agree about the players. Perron and Stewart MUST go. That's the locker room cancer.

I guess Hitch and Armstrong were the wrong choices last year and the first 7 games of this year too?
Perron and Stewart were on the team last year as well. Didn't see any evidence of them being a cancer then.

The bi-polar meter is officially off the charts in here now.
You guys seemingly want to get rid of a head coach, a GM, and two guys who are tied for 2nd on the team in goals and points.
All because of a bad month...and speaking of which, in our last 11 games, we are 5-5-1.
I'm as pissed off as anyone...but come on guys.

You have no idea, these people will be pissed! If we ever win the cup, we didn't dominate enough!

[Shanahan19]

Team mentality and attitude. It starts way up at the top and filters down.

We'll we've changed the GM once and the HC twice.....

This problem lies with the guys with numbers on their back.....is it a player or two that are the problem? Is it the lack of someone/something that's the problem?

I don't know....but I do know it's time to stop blaming the coaching and start holding these players responsible.

That is assuming Hitch and Armstrong were/are the right choices. They are not.

I agree about the players. Perron and Stewart MUST go. That's the locker room cancer.

I guess Hitch and Armstrong were the wrong choices last year and the first 7 games of this year too?
Perron and Stewart were on the team last year as well. Didn't see any evidence of them being a cancer then.

The bi-polar meter is officially off the charts in here now.
You guys seemingly want to get rid of a head coach, a GM, and two guys who are tied for 2nd on the team in goals and points.
All because of a bad month...and speaking of which, in our last 11 games, we are 5-5-1.
I'm as pissed off as anyone...but come on guys.

Hitch and Armstrong aren't exactly Bowman or Burns (RIP) or ol Lou in NJ. Certainly better than Murray and Pleau. I wouldn't fire them yet. Players need some punishment first. What I am getting at is that we typically settle for OK. The hunger and culture of the organization comes from ownership on down. There seems to be no hunger. Just a bunch of players' heads down anytime they lose a face off or a goal is scored. At least lose like a man.

LA had the balls and hunger to get offensive weapons. Ottawa has lost just about as many important players in a season as team can and still fights tooth and nail game in game out. Chicago and Detroit were complete disasters of organizations and rebuilt every single piece to become powerhouses. Tampa beat us to a Cup. Anaheim...Anaheim! At what point are we shamed enough to grab every team by the throat and beat the life out of them? Instead, we hang our heads after a goal. Pity party. If 500 is what we got then let the Riverman play. Barely keeping even with Detroit and they have no defense.

Never been a fan of Stewart. Thought we should have gotten rid of him before he played a single game for us. Perron is a head case to the league and wants to do it all himself.

[Leedog]

I just want to see the "Governator Line" of Arnott. Schwartz, and Reaves.

[dmiles2186]

Blues choose not to re-sign Arnott.

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/hockey/b ... e4612.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Free-agent forward Jason Arnott will not be returning to the Blues after all.

Arnott, 38, who has been skating with the team for a week, was informed by Blues general manager Doug Armstrong that the club is moving on without him.

The Blues brought Arnott into the mix as a potential depth player because of the rash of injuries at forward, but Armstrong says that recent reports on Andy McDonald (knee) and Alex Steen (shoulder) are positive and even Vladimir Tarasenko has resumed skating again.

"When we brought Jason in here, we wanted to see where he was," Armstrong said. "To his credit, he looks like he's in great shape. He had a good practice week here. But with the information that we've gained, Andy and Alex look like they're going to return sooner than we maybe first expected.

"With that information and the understanding that we're now carrying three goaltenders and not two, I saw a potential issue with the 23-man roster. And once I added all those things to the equation, I let Jason know."

Arnott was not available for comment. The 17-year NHL veteran, who had knee surgery last offseason, may be facing retirement. He failed a physical with the New York Rangers earlier this year and now a chance to join the Blues has passed by.

Arnott joined the Blues last Sunday in Dallas and has been skating with the team ever since. At the time, McDonald was facing a "week to week" rehabilitation time and Steen was listed out indefinitely.

McDonald made the five-game road trip with the Blues and has been skating on most days. While he looks like he's moving well, Armstrong expressed some caution.

"Skating by yourself is different than skating with the team," Armstrong said. "In talking to Andy, we told him this was an injury that he'll let us know when he's ready and we're not going to rush him back, or Alex, or Vladi for that matter."

Steen's injury was originally considered "day to day," but then needed extra time. He did not make the road trip, taking a few days off, but he resumed skating late last week.

"Alex has taken some time and he feels better," Armstrong said. "He's on the ice now. Again, we're working under the assumption that he's getting stronger."

Armstrong said the possibility exists that the Blues could get McDonald and perhaps even Steen back on the upcoming three-game homestand. The club hosts San Jose Tuesday, Phoenix Thursday and Anaheim Saturday.

However following the homestand, the Blues begin a three-game road trip Tuesday, March 19, in Vancouver and then don't play again until Saturday, March 23, in Edmonton. So if Steen sat out through the homestand, he would get two extra days to heal; if he sat out through the first game of the next road trip, he would pick up six extra days of rest.

"Time is on our side after the homestand," Armstrong said. "So if we get him on the homestand, to me, that's a bonus. If not, it doesn't look like it'll be much pass the homestand."

The Blues aren't expecting Tarasenko back in the immediate future and Armstrong said the Blues aren't drawing any conclusions from the fact that the rookie forward went through a light skate Saturday in St. Louis.

"I don't talk too much about concussions, but it's not about skating," Armstrong said. "There's a lot of things. Not to be evasive, but I don't understand (concussions), so I just leave those to the medical experts. To me a concussion really is day to day until he tells us different.

"Whether he plays on this homestand, or he plays in the next two weeks, three weeks, the next month ... we hope to get him back as quick as we can. You're only creating false hope to your fans by putting a timetable on something that there isn't a timetable."

But while discussing the status of all three injured players, Armstrong said that he has to make "concurrent" decisions based on the "estimation of a return," and that's why the Blues decided not to sign Arnott.

The Blues are currently carrying the maximum 23 players on their roster.

Chris Porter, Adam Cracknell and Andrew Murray, who were called up to replace the injured players, could be returned to Peoria to make the roster numbers work. But had the Blues added Arnott, it could have created a situation in which the team had 14 forwards and then would have had to trim either its seventh defenseman (which the Blues would not do) or its third goaltender (which the Blues don't want to do right now).

Armstrong didn't want to handcuff himself, so he'll move on without Arnott and let the rest play itself out.

"That's exactly it," Armstrong said. "Right now we have the (roster) space. We're hoping to get players back, but we're playing four games between now and next Saturday. You hope nothing (injury-related) happens. But in this environment, I try not to worry about too much into the future...you just sort of deal with it day by day, when you have to make those decisions."

[sseagle]

Thank Polak for that!

ArNOTT

[STLADOGG]

Sweet.