Re: Blues get Paajarvi from EDM for Perron
Posted: Thu Jul 11, 2013 6:25 am
More like David Per-Gone. Right?
Discuss the St. Louis Blues, the NHL, or whatever.
http://www.letsgoblues.com/phpBB/
David Perron’s time in St. Louis, often entertaining, always eventful, came to an abrupt end Wednesday. Magnus Paajarvi’s is just beginning.
The Blues traded Perron to the Edmonton Oilers in return for the 22-year-old Paajarvi and a second-round pick in the 2014 draft. Paajarvi (pronounced Pay-ar-vee) got news of the trade at his home in Noorkoping, Sweden, where it was nearly 11 p.m.
“It definitely came as a shock,” Paajarvi said. “You never know in this business. I suspected if anything would have happened, it would have happened during the draft. So I was focused on the season in Edmonton.
“Right now, I’m a little overwhelmed, but I’m actually very excited for a new chapter here. I talked to (Blues general manager) Doug Armstrong and my first feeling is all good, exciting.”
A number of aspects surround the deal, including salary cap room. Paajarvi is a restricted free agent and the Blues have to sign him. But before last season, the 25-year-old Perron signed a four-year deal that retains $12.25 million, or a $3.8 million cap hit. Paajarvi’s salary will be considerably less, and he won’t be unrestricted until age 27.
The Blues are trying to sign new deals with defenseman Alex Pietrangelo, forward Chris Stewart and goaltender Jake Allen, so they need the eggs, so to speak. Armstrong acknowledged cap space is relevant, but added:
“We certainly didn’t make this trade just for salary cap purposes,” Armstrong said. “If we’re going to make a move, we want a player we think fits into the organization where it is today and where it is moving forward.
“We think Paajarvi is just starting to enter the real good part of his career and we have his rights for (several) years. We just think he brings an element to our team that we don’t have, a winger with that size and that speed.”
Yes, size matters in this deal. The Blues recently added diminutive center Derek Roy and have several other players of modest proportions, such as Jaden Schwartz and Vladimir Sobotka. Perron is generously listed at 5 feet 11, 197 pounds in media guides.
At the same time, the Blues have lost in the playoffs to a Los Angeles Kings team with bigger forwards two years in succession. They will compete in a Western Conference with the reigning champion Chicago Blackhawks, who feature a number of big forwards.
A left wing by trade, Paajarvi is 6-3, 205 pounds. He was Edmonton’s No. 1 pick in 2009, the 10th player taken overall.
He had nine goals and seven assists in 42 games last season, where he was a complementary piece in an offense that features young craftsmen like Jordan Eberle, Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Nail Yakupov.
Paajarvi’s NHL numbers don’t overwhelm, but they also don’t paint a complete picture. He led Sweden in scoring during the 2010 World Championships and was selected to the All-Tournament team. He also played for the Swedish team that finished with a silver medal in 2011. During that time, he mostly played on a line with Blues center Patrik Berglund. Connect the dots.
“I know Patrik Berglund and Alex Steen very well,” Paajarvi said. “They’re great guys and St. Louis always has been a big, heavy team for (Edmonton), a hard team to play against. In the World Championships, I played with Berglund and we had good chemistry and a lot of success together.
“Of course, it is up to coaches what they have in mind. But I’m looking forward to being there. It’s hard to leave Edmonton. I really enjoyed my time there and it’s a little hard to say how I feel right now. But my initial feelings are (the Blues) always have been up there as a contender. It feels like it is a team that is coming up and wants to contend badly.”
Perron was in Montreal, participating in a media function, when his phone rang. He saw the call was from “Doug Armstrong” and got a gut feeling.
“When I saw the name on the phone, I knew right away that’s what it was going to be about,” Perron said. “I didn’t know how it was going to go down, but when I heard ‘Oilers,’ I thought it’s going to be a really nice fit for me.
“It’s a chance to play the style of hockey I think I came into the league playing and a way I can really benefit as a player into a puck-possession guy, offensive player that can really use his instincts.”
But, Perron added it’s especially hard to leave St. Louis.
“I loved pretty much everything about St. Louis,” he said. “I just want to thank the whole organization. From the time Larry Pleau, Jarmo Kekalainen and John Davidson drafted me, through all of the coaches, I think everybody put a lot of energy, a lot of effort into me. And I feel like tried to do my best for them, too.
“I thank my teammates and trainers, they always treated me so well. And the fans always were really supportive of me, from day one. I know they’ll continue to support the Blues forever. But hopefully they can keep a little place for me in their hearts.”
For a player of his stature. Paajarvi has been scrutinized in the past for spending too much time on the perimeter. He is aware of the criticism and feels he made strides last season toward finding his niche and developing a more determined game.
“My response to that is I thought I took s step and found a good role on the team with Edmonton last season,” Paajarvi said. “I felt I was a guy who can be relied on offensively and defensively, who can play a two-way game and score some goals as well.
“That fits me pretty good. I think my game is relying on my skating forward and backwards, and to create offense with that. (The Blues) play a very disciplined, forward-and-back game. Of course, I have to talk with coach Ken Hitchcock and see what he plans for me, but I think it fits me pretty good.”
Perron, a No. 1 draft pick in 2007, the 26th choice overall, had 84 goals and 114 points in 340 games over six seasons. From the time he showed up for his first camp wearing white skates, Perron was sometimes controversial, sometimes tragic and almost always colorful.
His Blues career began awkwardly as he fell in and out of favor with coach Andy Murray during Perron’s first two seasons. However, the Sherbrooke, Quebec native broke through with 20 goals and 47 points in 2009-10, as Davis Payne succeeded Murray halfway through the schedule.
Off to a fast start in 2010-11, Perron was seriously sidetracked by a mid-ice hit from San Jose’s Joe Thornton on Nov. 4, 2010 . Thornton received a two-game suspension for the blow; Perron missed 97 games because of concussion symptoms.
But on Dec. 3, 2011, he made a triumphant return, scoring a goal at Scottrade Center in 5-2 a loss to Chicago. Perron continued the remarkable comeback, netting 21 goals and 42 points in 57 games upon his return.
Expectations were high for 2012-13, especially after he signed a new contract. But a four-month lockout fractured the season. Perron had 10 goals and 15 assists while playing in all 48 games.
But he finished in a prolonged slump. He scored one goal over the last 21 regular-season games and added just one assist in the playoffs. The young and highly skilled Oilers would appear to be a comfortable landing spot for Perron.
“I hope David goes to Edmonton and has a terrific career and they have success,” Armstrong said. “This is a trade that hopefully benefits both teams.”
That said, there is a perception the Blues needed to add skill during the offseason. While Roy has that reputation, the retirement of Andy McDonald and the trade of Perron had claimed two of the most talented offensive players from last season’s roster. But Armstrong said the presence of Paajarvi promises to create elevated roles for others to shine.
“With the number of players we had like David ... they’re all a little bit different but they all had a lot of the same attributes,” Armstrong said.“With Ty Rattie coming, and with Dmitrij Jaskin, we just felt this was the right time to try to create some space for (Vladimir) Tarasenko and Schwartz for this year.
“But also understanding we believe in and we need Rattie, and we are asking him to take the next step also.”
That was a nice thing to say, I think he will fit in well there.dmiles2186 wrote:PD write up on the trade, with quotes from Army, Paajarvi, and Perr'uh.
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/hockey/p ... 51277.html
But, Perron added it’s especially hard to leave St. Louis.
“I loved pretty much everything about St. Louis,” he said. “I just want to thank the whole organization. From the time Larry Pleau, Jarmo Kekalainen and John Davidson drafted me, through all of the coaches, I think everybody put a lot of energy, a lot of effort into me. And I feel like tried to do my best for them, too.
“I thank my teammates and trainers, they always treated me so well. And the fans always were really supportive of me, from day one. I know they’ll continue to support the Blues forever. But hopefully they can keep a little place for me in their hearts.”
I agree, that was a nice thing to say, and I believe that he really means it.STLADOGG wrote:That was a nice thing to say, I think he will fit in well there.dmiles2186 wrote:PD write up on the trade, with quotes from Army, Paajarvi, and Perr'uh.
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/hockey/p ... 51277.html
But, Perron added it’s especially hard to leave St. Louis.
“I loved pretty much everything about St. Louis,” he said. “I just want to thank the whole organization. From the time Larry Pleau, Jarmo Kekalainen and John Davidson drafted me, through all of the coaches, I think everybody put a lot of energy, a lot of effort into me. And I feel like tried to do my best for them, too.
“I thank my teammates and trainers, they always treated me so well. And the fans always were really supportive of me, from day one. I know they’ll continue to support the Blues forever. But hopefully they can keep a little place for me in their hearts.”
It wouldn't surprise me either if he did well in Edmonton. Teams that play the Oil have enough targeting to worry about with their insane depth of talent as far as Hall, Yakupov and Nugent-Hopkins go and could get a bit more space and freedom to show off a bit. Then again he wasn't a first liner here anyway but I guess my point is teams playing the Oilers aren't going to be putting much effort into specifically trying to shut down Perron and he might benefit a lot from that.DaDitka wrote:First, the writing was on the wall and we all knew he was gone.
In the end, I actually think we did quite well on the return. I know many wanted an established player, but that wouldn't have offered the cap relief we needed.
We got a promising player with size that is still only 22 years old.
We got a second round pick.
We freed up 3.8 mill in cap space.
We got rid of David's actual real salary which was set to escalate to 4 mill next year and 4.5 the year after that.
And as Army noted, it opens more ice time for Tank and Swartz.
I think David may even very well be quite successful there in Edmonton, but that doesn't make it a bad trade for the Note.
By NORM SANDERS — News-Democrat
Still excited by a 12-day tour of Europe that included historical sites from World War II and other eras, St. Louis Blues coach Ken Hitchcock was ready to talk some hockey.
Hitchcock met with the media Friday and touched on a variety of topics, including the recent trade of Blues winger David Perron, line combinations and the signing of free-agent center Derek Roy.
While many hockey insiders saw the Perron deal for Edmonton winger Magnus Paajarvi as clearing room under the salary cap, Hitchcock viewed it as a trade that could help both teams.
Hitchcock talked about the system for player moves that he and Blues General Manager Doug Armstrong have employed since they worked together in Dallas.
"My preference is don't tell me who you're getting rid of ... I don't want to dwell on that," said Hitchcock, who basically immerses himself in scouting and gaining information on prospective players. "I take real pride in going and looking at every aspect of his game and contacting people who know him very well personally.
"I do my homework on that and I use a lot of people to get the right information. Then I bring that information back to Doug on where I see him fitting on our team."
That was the case on Paajarvi, who at 22 is three years younger than Perron and also larger at 6-foot-3 and 208 pounds.
In 163 NHL games with the Oilers, the former 10th overall pick in 2009 has 26 goals and 58 points in 163 games.
"I have a lot of people personally that knew Paajarvi, both in Sweden and in Edmonton," Hitchcock said. "I watched all of his games against teams similar to us. I knew how well he played in the last 20 games. ... I watched that very closely.
"But I wanted to see how he played against San Jose, LA and ourselves. Those were the games I focused on."
In an interview with the Belleville News-Democrat at the time of his trade, Perron was asked about his relationship with Hitchcock and difficult comeback from a concussion.
"I do think it's a better fit in Edmonton, but it doesn't mean it was a bad fit here in St. Louis," Perron said. "I think everyone had pretty much bought into the system and I think Hitch is a really good coach. It's two different styles of hockey and that's the way it is.
"I still enjoyed my time in St. Louis and I can only thank all my teammates and fans and everyone for believing in me for six years."
Hitchcock said Friday he and Perron weren't working against each other.
"I really liked him personally," Hitchcock said. "Him and I had a good relationship because I really respected the fact that he was coming back from a significant injury. I really felt like he was a guy that when you had him on the ice, you were one step away from scoring a goal all the time.
"He was a dangerous player offensively, so the other team was always on edge against him."
Hitchcock admitted there were times when he had higher expectations for Perron.
"I don't look at top skilled players as anything else than there's some risk with those players -- and as long as those players are working hard and competing, then the risk is worth it," Hitchcock said. "The times that I was disappointed in him was when he stopped playing reckless and he started to play careful.
"When he played careful or tried to play and put the skill in ahead of the work, he knew that the coaching staff wasn't going to be happy with him."
Both players will be watched closely in the future because of the significance of the move.
"We think (Paajarvi) is an improving player," Hitchcock said. "We think he's a player that's going to get better and with our team and the way we play, we think he's a great fit.
"But there's no denying that David is an offensive player with a lot of thrust. We'll see over time."
Perron clashed at times with former Blues coaches Andy Murray and Davis Payne, dating back to raising Murray's radar by wearing white skates in his first appearance in St. Louis.
Has he matured?
"Where I saw maturity in David was looking at himself," Hitchcock said. "We had a lot of good talks, especially at the end of the year. I think he started to look at himself and what he needed to get better at rather than his surroundings.
"We're getting a good player who's going up, hopefully. Edmonton's getting a good player who's going to be a threat to score all the time."
Read more here: http://www.bnd.com/2013/07/19/2702008/h ... rylink=cpy
Is that along the same lines of how Bon Jovi is North Dakotan for irresistible?fargoblues wrote:I'm going to have to see this hoser Paajarvi play before I'm going to buy in to him being worthy of a roster spot. I'm skeptical that "Magnus Paajarvi" is simply Swedish for "giant pussy". I hope I'm wrong.
glen a richter wrote:Is that along the same lines of how Bon Jovi is North Dakotan for irresistible?fargoblues wrote:I'm going to have to see this hoser Paajarvi play before I'm going to buy in to him being worthy of a roster spot. I'm skeptical that "Magnus Paajarvi" is simply Swedish for "giant pussy". I hope I'm wrong.