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Arnott skating with team

Posted: Sun Mar 03, 2013 1:28 pm
by DaDitka
Jason Arnott is skating with the team and and will discuss contract with Army after the game today.

This guy literally packed his bags and quit on the team last year. Personally, I find it quite alarming they are considering this.

Obviously pure speculation here....but my guess is that this means they expect Steen to miss more time the originally thought? It's also quite damning on how the team feels about McRae right now IMO.

I thought Jason play OK on the ice last year. But his locker room actions were inexcusable and really raises an eyebrow here.

Re: Arnott skating with team

Posted: Sun Mar 03, 2013 4:36 pm
by drwoland
What are we talking about here? Did I miss something with Arnott last year?..

Re: Arnott skating with team

Posted: Sun Mar 03, 2013 4:38 pm
by cardsfan04
This is a terrible idea. I liked Arnott last year until he literally took his ball and left.

Re: Arnott skating with team

Posted: Sun Mar 03, 2013 4:40 pm
by cardsfan04
drwoland wrote:What are we talking about here? Did I miss something with Arnott last year?..
During the playoffs, he was told that he wasn't going to play because his injury hurt his play to the point that it hurt the team to dress him. He said that if he's not healthy enough to play, he's not healthy enough to practice either, essentially quitting on the team during the playoffs.

Re: Arnott skating with team

Posted: Sun Mar 03, 2013 6:17 pm
by STLADOGG
STOOOOPPPIIIDDDDDD!!!!!1!!!!!!

Re: Arnott skating with team

Posted: Mon Mar 04, 2013 8:32 am
by dmiles2186
Nothing's been signed yet, so until it is, he's merely just getting some work in.

Re: Arnott skating with team

Posted: Mon Mar 04, 2013 8:56 am
by DaDitka
dmiles2186 wrote:Nothing's been signed yet, so until it is, he's merely just getting some work in.
I know......but they said Hitchcock already sat down with him and discussed how committed he would be, and that means there are/were at least considering signing him.

That is not a good sign.

Re: Arnott skating with team

Posted: Mon Mar 04, 2013 10:29 am
by sseagle
(Frank) NO

Re: Arnott skating with team

Posted: Mon Mar 04, 2013 11:06 am
by STLADOGG
Dumb dumb dumb dumb. :facepalm: :doh:

Re: Arnott skating with team

Posted: Mon Mar 04, 2013 11:57 am
by DaDitka
Per Stickland's twitter
stlblues and Jason Arnott back on same page...could sign by end of the week

So....does this mean Steen is much worse then originally expected?

Do they think he can fix the locker room?

What's the whole story here?

Re: Arnott skating with team

Posted: Mon Mar 04, 2013 12:45 pm
by cardsfan04
DaDitka wrote:Per Stickland's twitter
stlblues and Jason Arnott back on same page...could sign by end of the week

So....does this mean Steen is much worse then originally expected?

Do they think he can fix the locker room?

What's the whole story here?
It reeks of desperation and not being ready to make a trade.

Re: Arnott skating with team

Posted: Mon Mar 04, 2013 1:03 pm
by WaukeeBlues
cardsfan04 wrote:
DaDitka wrote:Per Stickland's twitter
stlblues and Jason Arnott back on same page...could sign by end of the week

So....does this mean Steen is much worse then originally expected?

Do they think he can fix the locker room?

What's the whole story here?
It reeks of desperation and not being ready to make a trade.
And no faith in the farm club. Excuse me but didn't Cracknell et al just come out of the AHL guns blazing and play spectacular for us out of the gate? Also agreed why McRae isn't getting another shot at the big club.

Or maybe they're not calling up anyone else because they want to have a guy around who can also stand being a healthy scratch from time to time. Maybe that's part of the discussion with Hitchcock; "Alright Jason, you can sign here, but you have to know we're going to be healthily scratching you when we have the depth to go it without you." I don't know.

I thought he played alright last year. Clearly his best years are behind him but still had a decent presence in front of the net on the power-play and made some good plays. Maybe the whole "I'm not employed" thing has shook him up a little bit.

Re: Arnott skating with team

Posted: Mon Mar 04, 2013 1:05 pm
by STLADOGG
You can never have too much depth, but Arnott will most likely be a disaster for us in the locker room.

Re: Arnott skating with team

Posted: Mon Mar 04, 2013 1:57 pm
by Oaklandblue
The ownership just proved to us a few things with this one:

1. They know that the players we need to ditch, with the possible exception of Perron, we will only get picks for, so why ditch them?

2. That they're too cheap to go out and sign help and would rather pay clearance/closeout prices for a has-been player whose best years are past him and not someone who can help carry and contribute to the team now (which might be the REAL overall problem for us.)

I'm willing to bet Hitch made the suggestion for Arnott because with Langs out he wants someone 'like him' with Cup experience and isn't looking at the whole picture. Hitch has lost touch with the pulse of this team and that's a fact. Hitch is living like it's last year and we have two Jennings Netminders between the pipes and he's got the Adams.

That was last year. This year we're falling apart. If this was me, I'd bring up Allen and trade Halak to an Eastern team for firepower. His style is more suited for the Eastern Conference anyway; Halak in the East would be devastating and very tasty trade bait and would gurantee we'd get what we need without spending much money. We'd get at least one elite and a second player. Crazy idea, I agree and I would normally be against it but who else do we consider trading to get anyone worth a damn with? Pie? Shatts? Tank? No way. I'd start with Perron tho and see how that goes, but I doubt we'd get anything considerable for a concussion case.

Our D is strong enough that a solid netminder can hold the pipes and Jake Allen is our guy. Elliott might be able to be fixed by creating a stable environment. This entire team in general has played like garbage and I think Elliott's pulse is on the well-being of the team and they haven't played well at all. When the team starts playing sloppy, it distracts and may even affect his own self-esteem. I don't know but that's my guess.

Arnott needs to stay unemployed. We need to fix from the inside out before we let anyone else in. Some people need to go first.

Re: Arnott skating with team

Posted: Mon Mar 04, 2013 2:01 pm
by cprice12
I don't think they have a lot of options guys.
When your entire 2nd line is out with injuries, you have to look to fill those spots.

I see no problem with kicking the tires on Arnott.
If he can contribute, fine...sign him. If it turns out he can't, he'll be waived/released.
He's not going to make much money, so that's not an issue.

Re: Arnott skating with team

Posted: Mon Mar 04, 2013 2:16 pm
by cprice12
Oaklandblue wrote:The ownership just proved to us a few things with this one:

1. They know that the players we need to ditch, with the possible exception of Perron, we will only get picks for, so why ditch them?

2. That they're too cheap to go out and sign help and would rather pay clearance/closeout prices for a has-been player whose best years are past him and not someone who can help carry and contribute to the team now (which might be the REAL overall problem for us.)

I'm willing to bet Hitch made the suggestion for Arnott because with Langs out he wants someone 'like him' with Cup experience and isn't looking at the whole picture. Hitch has lost touch with the pulse of this team and that's a fact. Hitch is living like it's last year and we have two Jennings Netminders between the pipes and he's got the Adams.

That was last year. This year we're falling apart. If this was me, I'd bring up Allen and trade Halak to an Eastern team for firepower. His style is more suited for the Eastern Conference anyway; Halak in the East would be devastating and very tasty trade bait and would gurantee we'd get what we need without spending much money. We'd get at least one elite and a second player. Crazy idea, I agree and I would normally be against it but who else do we consider trading to get anyone worth a damn with? Pie? Shatts? Tank? No way. I'd start with Perron tho and see how that goes, but I doubt we'd get anything considerable for a concussion case.

Our D is strong enough that a solid netminder can hold the pipes and Jake Allen is our guy. Elliott might be able to be fixed by creating a stable environment. This entire team in general has played like garbage and I think Elliott's pulse is on the well-being of the team and they haven't played well at all. When the team starts playing sloppy, it distracts and may even affect his own self-esteem. I don't know but that's my guess.

Arnott needs to stay unemployed. We need to fix from the inside out before we let anyone else in. Some people need to go first.
Trading Halak isn't going to happen.
If winning a cup is the goal, you don't want your goaltending to be a struggling backup and a rookie with only a few NHL games under his belt. Goaltending is so fickle nowadays from year to year, you can't put all of your eggs in one basket with a rookie who has only played 4 1/2 games in the NHL.
If we were rebuilding, trading Halak would make more sense. But it makes no sense with this team.

What they need to do is in the offseason sign a friggin' big name free agent in his prime for once. It costs you nothing but money. They've done a hell of a job building this team through the draft and through smart trades...but sooner or later, if you want a cup, you're going to need to sign a big free agent to fill that last hole or to put you over the top. Unfortunately, we're not in the offseason and any big moves to improve the team will involve giving up something of significance.

I'm fine with giving Arnott a tryout and signing him for cheap...assuming McDonald, Steen and Tank will come back this season. And I really don't want them to do something stupid like trade Halak...unless the return is ridiculous...which it won't be.

Re: Arnott skating with team

Posted: Mon Mar 04, 2013 5:49 pm
by glen a richter
Allen will be the goalie of the future but I don't really see the value in trading Halak unless you get a windfall in return. I was thinking maybe Phil Kessel but he's so wishy washy, he'd be Brad Boyes 2.0

I should tweet Corey Hirsch and get his input but his tweets are usually goofy nonsense. He has favorited one of my responses before though, so I have the inside edge in trying to communicate with him and get information about what's going on with the goaltending situation.

Re: Arnott skating with team

Posted: Mon Mar 04, 2013 5:57 pm
by Oaklandblue
glen a richter wrote:Allen will be the goalie of the future but I don't really see the value in trading Halak unless you get a windfall in return. I was thinking maybe Phil Kessel but he's so wishy washy, he'd be Brad Boyes 2.0

I should tweet Corey Hirsch and get his input but his tweets are usually goofy nonsense. He has favorited one of my responses before though, so I have the inside edge in trying to communicate with him and get information about what's going on with the goaltending situation.
How do you teach a group of netminders how to win when you've never won in the first place?

Elliott is probably far more qualified to coach goal than Hirsch ever will be. Elliott was in the zone last year and Halak is a damn good netminder; them winning the Jennings has little to do with Hirsch and more with both of them syncing at the right time with a team that picked up and blossomed under Hitch. I'd thank Hitch for this long before I'd consider acknowledging Hirsch for his "role".

Not saying that to undermine Hirsch at all, but what experience does he have that he can pass to these guys? It's not like he won a Cup, played in a NHL playoff game or anything. We have coaches, sure, but how many of them have the playing experience behind them to actually have something more to offer these guys than how to play formations and as a team? There's more to coaching than that...

Re: Arnott skating with team

Posted: Mon Mar 04, 2013 5:59 pm
by Oaklandblue
cprice12 wrote:
Oaklandblue wrote:The ownership just proved to us a few things with this one:

1. They know that the players we need to ditch, with the possible exception of Perron, we will only get picks for, so why ditch them?

2. That they're too cheap to go out and sign help and would rather pay clearance/closeout prices for a has-been player whose best years are past him and not someone who can help carry and contribute to the team now (which might be the REAL overall problem for us.)

I'm willing to bet Hitch made the suggestion for Arnott because with Langs out he wants someone 'like him' with Cup experience and isn't looking at the whole picture. Hitch has lost touch with the pulse of this team and that's a fact. Hitch is living like it's last year and we have two Jennings Netminders between the pipes and he's got the Adams.

That was last year. This year we're falling apart. If this was me, I'd bring up Allen and trade Halak to an Eastern team for firepower. His style is more suited for the Eastern Conference anyway; Halak in the East would be devastating and very tasty trade bait and would gurantee we'd get what we need without spending much money. We'd get at least one elite and a second player. Crazy idea, I agree and I would normally be against it but who else do we consider trading to get anyone worth a damn with? Pie? Shatts? Tank? No way. I'd start with Perron tho and see how that goes, but I doubt we'd get anything considerable for a concussion case.

Our D is strong enough that a solid netminder can hold the pipes and Jake Allen is our guy. Elliott might be able to be fixed by creating a stable environment. This entire team in general has played like garbage and I think Elliott's pulse is on the well-being of the team and they haven't played well at all. When the team starts playing sloppy, it distracts and may even affect his own self-esteem. I don't know but that's my guess.

Arnott needs to stay unemployed. We need to fix from the inside out before we let anyone else in. Some people need to go first.
Trading Halak isn't going to happen.
If winning a cup is the goal, you don't want your goaltending to be a struggling backup and a rookie with only a few NHL games under his belt. Goaltending is so fickle nowadays from year to year, you can't put all of your eggs in one basket with a rookie who has only played 4 1/2 games in the NHL.
If we were rebuilding, trading Halak would make more sense. But it makes no sense with this team.

What they need to do is in the offseason sign a friggin' big name free agent in his prime for once. It costs you nothing but money. They've done a hell of a job building this team through the draft and through smart trades...but sooner or later, if you want a cup, you're going to need to sign a big free agent to fill that last hole or to put you over the top. Unfortunately, we're not in the offseason and any big moves to improve the team will involve giving up something of significance.

I'm fine with giving Arnott a tryout and signing him for cheap...assuming McDonald, Steen and Tank will come back this season. And I really don't want them to do something stupid like trade Halak...unless the return is ridiculous...which it won't be.
I think the return for Halak, even if its say, Halak + Stew or Halak + Perron might surprise everyone. But good points, nonetheless, since it could easily go the other way and we're throwing out the baby with the bathwater. As long as the rest of the conference plays as they are, we'll still be in it. A few teams ramp up their game and we're gone with the wind.

Re: Arnott skating with team

Posted: Mon Mar 04, 2013 6:17 pm
by glen a richter
I see what you mean, Oakland, and I do agree that Halak/Elliott of last year was a product of a solid defense in front of them. However, Elliott always seemed more fundamentally sound whereas Halak played like his glove was a trampoline. I'm sure Hirsch had some role in correcting Jaro's rebound issue whereas I think Elliott is just regressing to where he's supposed to be and he just played way out of his mind last season.

Let's not forget, the best coaches don't necessarily have to be legends at their sport. Wayne Gretzky was a lousy coach but obviously arguably the greatest player to ever lace up the skates. Coach Q, I've seen his stats as a player and he was fair to middling with minimal playoff experience but he's light years better a head coach than Gretzky ever was.