Blues 2022 Off-Season Thread

[theohall]

If the arbitration happens and Tkachuk isn't traded, it will be a 1 year contract and he becomes a Group 6 UFA next summer. The reason it will only be 1 year, the arbitrator can award 1 or 2 year deals, but the party who did not file (Tkachuk) selects the term. Thus guaranteeing Tkachuk UFA status in 2023. He isn't interested in signing long term with Calgary at all, which is why the Flames filed for arbitration. 1) To allow more time to make a deal and 2) to guarantee he has to at least sign some kind of contract. What will totally screw the Flames, if that 1 year contract happens, they aren't going to get anywhere near what they are asking for now in a trade, since everyone knows they can wait 1 season and try to win a bidding war.

[glen a richter]

Rutherford tweeted out for people to come up with their best trade proposals for Tkachuk. I didn't go through all 400 or whatever of them, but I saw some common themes.

If the Blues land Tkachuk it'll be a foregone conclusion that's it for Kyrou in the note, Tarasenko will land with an EC team (Isles or Devils) Neighbours or Bolduc will be gone, there won't be a Blues 1st round pick in 2023, there may be a player coming back from the Islanders (Mayfield?), a lot of people seem to want to get out from the Krug contract and I don't disagree with that at all. How many undersized d-men does one team need when Perunovich is far cheaper?

I'm starting to wonder, though, if the haul for Calgary is so steep it would be a counterproductive trade? Kyrou took a huge step forward and will probably take another this year. The idea of Thomas centering Tkachuk is enticing but a lot of money is being tied up in a handful of forwards, not to mention long contracts for Krug, Faulk and Parayko that could handcuff the team towards the end of those deals, that'll make it harder to operate a club that has 4 rollable lines. Getting an extra 20-30 points out of Tkachuk is at what expense further down the depth chart? It's also not fair to say Tkachuk will make Thomas better. If Thomas had 90-100 points this season who's to say that wouldn't have happened anyway given his natural development? Does Tkachuk make Thomas better? When all the details of a possible trade shake out it may not be as worth it as a lot of people think.

[WaukeeBlues]

I would add one more to the mix: Would Army allow Tarasenko's representation to possibly discuss an extension with whatever team we'd trade him to?

That would increase the return we would get from the Islanders or whoever, and also clear the same cap space.

Yea, there's a lot of balls in the air at the same time and you're right, everything has to be in place at the same time. It's hard to move money in this league. Real hard. The Islanders (as an example) also have their own cap issues (they have $11.1 million in space right now but they need to re-sign RFA's Kieffer Bellows, Noah Dobson, and Alexander Romanov).

So would the Isles or whoever have to execute their own cap dump trade to make room for Tarasenko, who makes room for Tkachuk?

Woo wee...

[theohall]

Mayfield is NOT coming to St Louis. The Isles have zero right handed D depth in their system and Mayfield is their best defensive defenseman. Unless a trade involves a quality RHD going back, like Parayko or Faulk, Mayfield isn't coming to the Blues in a trade. Lou won't do St Louis any favors, ever, considering all the crap with Shanahan and Stevens from back when he was the Devils' GM.

[theohall]

Tkachuk went to Florida for Huberdeau, Weegar, and a prospect. Signed an 8 year deal 9.5AAV.

[glen a richter]

Not only did Florida get totally fleeced, Calgary got the best individual player in the deal. Huberdeau is definitely better than Tkachuk. Maybe the Flames fans will lay off their GM, he pulled off a complete heist.

[glen a richter]

Just thinking out loud here… Huberdeau is a UFA at the end of the season, Tarasenko is. UFA at the end of the season. Will Huberdeau want to stay in Calgary? I’d jump all over signing him next offseason if he doesn’t re-sign with the flames.

[flyingnote38]

Not only did Florida get totally fleeced, Calgary got the best individual player in the deal. Huberdeau is definitely better than Tkachuk. Maybe the Flames fans will lay off their GM, he pulled off a complete heist.

my reaction as well. great deal for the flames

[WaukeeBlues]

Not only did Florida get totally fleeced, Calgary got the best individual player in the deal. Huberdeau is definitely better than Tkachuk. Maybe the Flames fans will lay off their GM, he pulled off a complete heist.

Completely disagree. Maybe I think Tkachuk is by far by the better player.

Regardless, it's clear that Florida was willing to put together an offer that the Blues couldn't hope to match. It's equally clear that Tkachuk was as willing (more willing?) to go to Florida than St. Louis. We fans overvalued his desire to be in St. Louis.

Florida gave up a TON. Hard to compete with that kind of an offer. I'm disappointed but not mad about it.


BIG PICTURE OFFSEASON

Offense: worse
Defense: same
Goaltending: worse

Yay?

[theohall]

Offense might not necessarily be worse. With Perron gone, that should move Kyrou to Perron's spot on the left half wall on the PP which is where Kyrou excelled in juniors. If Kyrou plays more consistent, he could be Perron's replacement. Being on the 2nd PP, and not being consistent in the 2nd half last season, Kyrou out produced Perron. If Bolduc makes the team, he could be the shooter to fill in what Kyrou did last season with potential to do significantly more. While Neighbours will be good, he's not going to be a great scoring threat off the jump. He's more of a 200' player. Pre-season should be interesting.

Thinking about the Snuggerud pick, he was a bottom six forward for the US National Development Team. But that team is usually loaded with the best US under 18 talent. I specifically remember him from the U18 WJC where he posted 3G and 4A in 7 games. All of last season, he was a point per game player, playing for both the USNDTP and the US National Under 18 team. Yes, he's committed to U of Minnesota for 22-23, but if he excels in camp, the possibility of leaving early exists - at the end of the season.

It will be interesting seeing how the bottom six shakes out.

I'm ready to call Kostin a bust in terms of return for a 1st round pick. He has flashes where he looks great, but lacks consistency, and that's at both the NHL and AHL level. At 23, and 4 years (would be 5 but not counting the Covid year in the KHL) as a pro player, he's seen what it takes. We'll see if he finally figures it out.

[goon attack]

Thank heavens Tkachuk isn't coming here.

[goon attack]

Trade Kyrou for D while his value is high.

[glen a richter]

Trade Kyrou for D while his value is high.

Not the worst idea I've heard. Kyrou and Barbashev both. There's replacements in the system for both, depending on who the d-man coming back is. I wonder if the Rags would trade Adam Fox...

[WaukeeBlues]

Calling it right now that O'Reilly is gone next summer.

First, he's represented by Newport. Don't need to say anything other than that.

Second, Army doesn't give two figs about continuity of the roster, if anything it's "who can I replace him with for cheaper?" which makes some sense in the aggregate but isn't great for a team or its fans in the long run.

Third, I don't know what Army's track record is for extending guys on expiring contracts in the summer where their deals expire and they're headed to free agency but off the top of my head it's abysmal. Guys either get extend the summer before they hit UFA or they walk that next summer. I can't even think of a single scenario off the top of my head where a Blues player has re-signed in the months leading up to their UFA.

I hate all of this.

[glen a richter]

O’Reilly will be 32, at some point you have to consider the negatives of a long term contract. I wouldn’t be upset if he left, unless he can be had for a 3 year deal which probably won’t happen.

The Cup was a dream come true but it’s time to find a new window and open it.

[theohall]

The issue with an ROR extension right now, beyond term, is what's the cap going to do next season. It wasn't supposed to stay flat for this season and was supposed to see a big increase when Seattle joined. Neither happened. Thanks Covid. Planning for future cap is a GM's nightmare right now.

I still don't get how the NHL reported record revenues for 21-22, yet kept the cap flat. I know about the "making stuff up" crap, but that could've been spread out.

[WaukeeBlues]

The issue with an ROR extension right now, beyond term, is what's the cap going to do next season. It wasn't supposed to stay flat for this season and was supposed to see a big increase when Seattle joined. Neither happened. Thanks Covid. Planning for future cap is a GM's nightmare right now.

I still don't get how the NHL reported record revenues for 21-22, yet kept the cap flat. I know about the "making stuff up" crap, but that could've been spread out.

I think Bettman has said the owners won't be paid back from the pandemic for another couple of years or so. So yea, unfortunately it's going to be a cap crunch for the foreseeable future until the owners are paid back by the players.

Which yea, stinks.

Unlike Perron where I don't think almost any dollar figure would've worked for Army, ROR could possibly name a number that could work if the money and term was right. As I said, though, I don't think it will, and Army certainly isn't going to go out of his way to make it happen either.

[theohall]

Listened to NHL Radio GM grades in which Armstrong was given a B. The interesting parts...

1) the only team the Blues struggled with last season was the Avs and they lost on a Game 6 OT goal which neither Boomer nor Hahn thought would've gone in with Binnington in net. And Game 7s are crap shoots. If the only team the Blues struggled with was the Stanley Cup Champions, the Blues were doing something right.

2) Losing Perron looks bad.... Until one looks and sees Perron was 8th in scoring for the Blues who scored the 3rd most goals in the NHL behind Florida and Toronto. If the Blues can't replace 57 points, so what? He was EIGHTH on the team!!! If a prospect comes in and provides 40 points, that's close enough from a rookie.

3) First thoughts were why Leddy over Perron, since that was the clear cap decision? Why when he's 37.... Oh, wait.... He's only 31 and a gifted defensive defenseman with power play skills!!!! This makes Leddy over #8 in scoring (Perron) make some sense.

4) They did discuss the future as in who gets signed between ROR and Tarasenko before the next FA period. Consensus was ROR is signed, Tank gets dealt, barring another serious Cup run. They also claimed Kyrou is a lock to get a reasonable deal. This part did not affect the current GM grade as it applies to the 23-24 season.



The B was more about goaltending.

[WaukeeBlues]

Listened to NHL Radio GM grades in which Armstrong was given a B. The interesting parts...

1) the only team the Blues struggled with last season was the Avs and they lost on a Game 6 OT goal which neither Boomer nor Hahn thought would've gone in with Binnington in net. And Game 7s are crap shoots. If the only team the Blues struggled with was the Stanley Cup Champions, the Blues were doing something right.

2) Losing Perron looks bad.... Until one looks and sees Perron was 8th in scoring for the Blues who scored the 3rd most goals in the NHL behind Florida and Toronto. If the Blues can't replace 57 points, so what? He was EIGHTH on the team!!! If a prospect comes in and provides 40 points, that's close enough from a rookie.

3) First thoughts were why Leddy over Perron, since that was the clear cap decision? Why when he's 37.... Oh, wait.... He's only 31 and a gifted defensive defenseman with power play skills!!!! This makes Leddy over #8 in scoring (Perron) make some sense.

4) They did discuss the future as in who gets signed between ROR and Tarasenko before the next FA period. Consensus was ROR is signed, Tank gets dealt, barring another serious Cup run. They also claimed Kyrou is a lock to get a reasonable deal. This part did not affect the current GM grade as it applies to the 23-24 season.



The B was more about goaltending.

I'm sorry but I'm going to just say it: Army, as a GM, is an a$$hole. He is. That could be a compliment, and many fans of other teams probably wish their GM was more of an a$$hole. "Here's the number. You don't want it? Ok bye." It's messed up that Army couldn't even call or text Perron or his agent and just be honest and say he was allocating Perron's cap space to shore up the left side D opening and that he wouldn't be re-signed. There's no humanity, just a ruthless pragmatism. Which, again, could be a compliment. Personally I'm getting pretty sick of his style but I'm also not being paid to help an NHL front office.

I don't think Army is going to re-sign either one. I think he'll roll with Thomas and Schenn as his 1-2 at center, which leaves 3 other players at forward under contract (Saad, Buchnevich and Walker) and figure it out from there.

[theohall]

Its not like Perron sat around waiting on the Blues considering he signed with Detroit 4 hours after the UFA window opened, which means the contract didn't take long to work out.