Mid Season Report Card
Posted: Wed Mar 13, 2013 1:19 pm
BACKES - B- Has not impressed so far. He reminds me of a term that used to commonly describe players of his type: "third line center". Just once I would like to see him actually drop the gloves to stick up for a teammate, not just jaw at the the other guy for 10 seconds. I suspect he might be playing hurt.
BERGLUND - B+ He Has been pretty streaky, but has had some big games when they were much needed. Also he leads the team in goals which is worth something.
CRACKNELL - C+ He exhibits a lot of heart, but unfortunately he just doesn't have the skills or the hockey sense. I don't see him ever being more than an injury call up for us.
D'AGOSTINI - C Ever since Hitch took over D'ags has looked like the odd man out. He just doesn't fit very well anywhere on the team.
LANGENBRUNNER C- In the games he did play for us this year you could tell he wasn't 100%. He has slowed down a lot. I would honestly be surprised if he ever dresses for us again.
MCDONALD - B+ He has been on a decline for a few seasons now, but he can still be relied on to make seamless zone entries as well as nice entry passes, something the Blues have done very poorly since he went down. As a result the Blues PP has suffered enormously since we lost him.
MURRAY - D- In the one game I saw him play he did not seem to be NHL material.
NICHOL - A- Knows his role and does it well. Also isn't afraid to drop the gloves with anybody, even though he is 5'9", which gets a lot of points from me. I used to hate his guts when he was on the preds but I have been happy to have him the past few seasons. He is also the only one on the team who can win a damn faceoff
OSHIE - B Has played well at times but has been inconsistent lately, Now it looks like he might have a long term injury.
PERRON - C- He has been downright selfish, undisciplined, and irresponsible most of the year. If he wasn't 3rd in goal scoring I would rate him lower. I honestly wouldn't mind seeing him packaged at the deadline.
PORTER - B Every time he gets called up he looks hungry and always busts his ass. He actually plays like he wants to be here.
REAVES - A I have a soft spot for the bruisers. I love what Reaves brings every night. He hits everything in sight and is always willing to drop the gloves. I am glad that he has hardly been scratched at all this season. The team plays more aggressive and inspired when he is in the lineup(this was much more apparent last season, but it still applies).
SCHWARTZ B Not the best start, but has started turning it around and has looked great since being on the top line. I'm pretty curious to see what role he will play if/when we get all of our injured guys back.
SOBOTKA A+ My favorite player on the team. If I have to explain this one then you must not watch very many games.
STEEN B- Slow start before going on a mini streak and then getting injured. I just hope we can see the pre-concussion Steen of last season emerge soon, because we need a solid forward like him right now.
STEWART A- I was one of the biggest Stewart haters last year, but this year he has turned it around and it is very apparent. He is actually playing like he cares now and is starting to find his shot. He also has a nasty backhand. He is a bit defensively irresponsible, but in my opinion has been getting better.
TARASENKO B+ I really hope he comes back sooner rather than later. He is great at finding the open space and has great hockey sense. Hopefully this concussion hasn't affected his confidence that he has shown with the puck.
COLE C Coming into the season everyone was hoping he could Colaiacovo's shoes as Petro's partner, it seems like everyone has given up hope of that happening by now.
JACKMAN B+ While he does sometimes make boneheaded moves in his own zone. He is brilliant at getting underneath the other team's skin. I think him and nichol are responsible for drawing over half of our power plays.
PIETRANGELO B- He has not even close to his A+ level that he played at last year and it has been very apparent. I'm not even sure what his problem has been, and I don't think he does either. Hopefully he figures it out quickly.
POLAK B+ I love Polak. I have always looked at him as one of our biggest unsung heroes. He does almost everything right and is never glaringly out of position. One of the best purely defensive defenseman you could ask for.
REDDEN C I haven't been that impressed with him to be honest. He looks extremely slow most of the time and often makes glaring mistakes in his own end. It's nice to have the veteran presence though.
RUSSELL C He had a good game against LA about a week ago, but overall has not looked very good this season. He gets caught running around and making terrible breakout passes far too often.
SHATTENKIRK A+ Best defenseman this year and it's not even close. The colorado trade would have been a steal even if we didn't get Stewart. He has looked great both defensively and offensively and may give petro a run for #1 d-man next season if they both keep their play at current levels for the rest of the year.
ALLEN A- He doesn't have very pretty numbers, but he has grinded games out and has given us some HUGE wins in the midst of a serious goalie crisis. Without him we would be ranked 12th or lower in the west right now
ELLIOTT F He honestly just looks horrible. He has lost all confidence in himself and the team does not respond well when he is in net. I know a lot of people are still willing to give him a few more chances to possibly redeem himself, but I personally have lost all faith in him
HALAK C+ Has played alright, but has had quite a few off nights. He isn't anywhere near Elliot's level though.
Here is the list of players:
BACKES
BERGLUND
CRACKNELL
D'AGOSTINI
LANGENBRUNNER
MCDONALD
MURRAY
NICHOL
OSHIE
PERRON
PORTER
REAVES
SCHWARTZ
SOBOTKA
STEEN
STEWART
TARASENKO
COLE
JACKMAN
PIETRANGELO
POLAK
REDDEN
RUSSELL
SHATTENKIRK
ALLEN
ELLIOTT
HALAK
BERGLUND - B+ He Has been pretty streaky, but has had some big games when they were much needed. Also he leads the team in goals which is worth something.
CRACKNELL - C+ He exhibits a lot of heart, but unfortunately he just doesn't have the skills or the hockey sense. I don't see him ever being more than an injury call up for us.
D'AGOSTINI - C Ever since Hitch took over D'ags has looked like the odd man out. He just doesn't fit very well anywhere on the team.
LANGENBRUNNER C- In the games he did play for us this year you could tell he wasn't 100%. He has slowed down a lot. I would honestly be surprised if he ever dresses for us again.
MCDONALD - B+ He has been on a decline for a few seasons now, but he can still be relied on to make seamless zone entries as well as nice entry passes, something the Blues have done very poorly since he went down. As a result the Blues PP has suffered enormously since we lost him.
MURRAY - D- In the one game I saw him play he did not seem to be NHL material.
NICHOL - A- Knows his role and does it well. Also isn't afraid to drop the gloves with anybody, even though he is 5'9", which gets a lot of points from me. I used to hate his guts when he was on the preds but I have been happy to have him the past few seasons. He is also the only one on the team who can win a damn faceoff
OSHIE - B Has played well at times but has been inconsistent lately, Now it looks like he might have a long term injury.
PERRON - C- He has been downright selfish, undisciplined, and irresponsible most of the year. If he wasn't 3rd in goal scoring I would rate him lower. I honestly wouldn't mind seeing him packaged at the deadline.
PORTER - B Every time he gets called up he looks hungry and always busts his ass. He actually plays like he wants to be here.
REAVES - A I have a soft spot for the bruisers. I love what Reaves brings every night. He hits everything in sight and is always willing to drop the gloves. I am glad that he has hardly been scratched at all this season. The team plays more aggressive and inspired when he is in the lineup(this was much more apparent last season, but it still applies).
SCHWARTZ B Not the best start, but has started turning it around and has looked great since being on the top line. I'm pretty curious to see what role he will play if/when we get all of our injured guys back.
SOBOTKA A+ My favorite player on the team. If I have to explain this one then you must not watch very many games.
STEEN B- Slow start before going on a mini streak and then getting injured. I just hope we can see the pre-concussion Steen of last season emerge soon, because we need a solid forward like him right now.
STEWART A- I was one of the biggest Stewart haters last year, but this year he has turned it around and it is very apparent. He is actually playing like he cares now and is starting to find his shot. He also has a nasty backhand. He is a bit defensively irresponsible, but in my opinion has been getting better.
TARASENKO B+ I really hope he comes back sooner rather than later. He is great at finding the open space and has great hockey sense. Hopefully this concussion hasn't affected his confidence that he has shown with the puck.
COLE C Coming into the season everyone was hoping he could Colaiacovo's shoes as Petro's partner, it seems like everyone has given up hope of that happening by now.
JACKMAN B+ While he does sometimes make boneheaded moves in his own zone. He is brilliant at getting underneath the other team's skin. I think him and nichol are responsible for drawing over half of our power plays.
PIETRANGELO B- He has not even close to his A+ level that he played at last year and it has been very apparent. I'm not even sure what his problem has been, and I don't think he does either. Hopefully he figures it out quickly.
POLAK B+ I love Polak. I have always looked at him as one of our biggest unsung heroes. He does almost everything right and is never glaringly out of position. One of the best purely defensive defenseman you could ask for.
REDDEN C I haven't been that impressed with him to be honest. He looks extremely slow most of the time and often makes glaring mistakes in his own end. It's nice to have the veteran presence though.
RUSSELL C He had a good game against LA about a week ago, but overall has not looked very good this season. He gets caught running around and making terrible breakout passes far too often.
SHATTENKIRK A+ Best defenseman this year and it's not even close. The colorado trade would have been a steal even if we didn't get Stewart. He has looked great both defensively and offensively and may give petro a run for #1 d-man next season if they both keep their play at current levels for the rest of the year.
ALLEN A- He doesn't have very pretty numbers, but he has grinded games out and has given us some HUGE wins in the midst of a serious goalie crisis. Without him we would be ranked 12th or lower in the west right now
ELLIOTT F He honestly just looks horrible. He has lost all confidence in himself and the team does not respond well when he is in net. I know a lot of people are still willing to give him a few more chances to possibly redeem himself, but I personally have lost all faith in him
HALAK C+ Has played alright, but has had quite a few off nights. He isn't anywhere near Elliot's level though.
Here is the list of players:
BACKES
BERGLUND
CRACKNELL
D'AGOSTINI
LANGENBRUNNER
MCDONALD
MURRAY
NICHOL
OSHIE
PERRON
PORTER
REAVES
SCHWARTZ
SOBOTKA
STEEN
STEWART
TARASENKO
COLE
JACKMAN
PIETRANGELO
POLAK
REDDEN
RUSSELL
SHATTENKIRK
ALLEN
ELLIOTT
HALAK