GDT Game 6: 4/26/15 | 2:00PM CST | @ Wild | NBC/Y98

[Oaklandblue]

This is what's going to answer the, 'How can we pay Tarasenko?' question. Backes, Oshie (he's top on my list to ship out), Bouwmeester, Ott, Goc, etc. will all be gone, most likely. Jackman? Maybe.

I would keep Steen, because even though he's only scored 6 playoff goals, he's scored them 2 of them in OT, so that at least adds some value. Plus, he's pretty great for us throughout the entire season in all his roles.

Anyone that blames Allen for this series loss is pretty crazy.

I'm just so deflated. This sort of feel like the rebuild that started after 05-06 just reached it's conclusion and it was a failure. I remember dreaming in '08 or '09 of having a Cup within 5 years. That didn't end up being the case.

The bonus is that the roster still has a young/great core in Senko, Schwartz, Jaskin, Petro, Shatty, Allen, with Fabbri and Barbashev in the wings to build around. I'd sort of like to see the philosophy change. The teams that have beat us the last 4-5 years have all been faster than us. We're too busy skating in mud and trying to hit everything that moves instead of flying around, creating, and cashing in on chances that come from that. Something needs to change for sure.

For now, I'll be off in a dark corner crying and singing emo songs.

Ding ding! This team is slow. That's the problem. They compensate by trying to slow everyone else down by hitting, but that takes guys out of the play. Other teams seem to always get odd man rushes while we're chasing them down trying to keep up. Hitchcock wanted them to work on speed during the offseason. Obviously that didn't happen. If we're not chasing after Minnesota all series and getting beaten to the puck in both ends, this series ends much differently. They killed us with speed, that's it.

++

[theohall]

Something that's driven me nuts this series outside of Game 4 when the Wild couldn't get out of their own end....

Whenever the Blues were moving the puck up ice, there would usually be 1 maybe 2 Blues players entering the zone and the puck carrier was almost always surrounded by a minimum of 4 Wild players. Meanwhile, when the Wild had 1 maybe 2 guys entering the Blues zone, there were 1 maybe 2 Blues players.

Where in hell were the Blues players? They sure as hell weren't skating like the Wild players. Had they skated like the Wild, Allen would've been pitching shutouts.

Same problem on Wild dump-ins. The Blues D would get the puck and slowly look around while a Wild player is barreling down on them, and then tend to put the puck wherever the 2nd Wild player was putting pressure. How about F'in skating while looking up ice (ala Shattenkirk and Pie) instead of standing there waiting to get hit before passing the puck.

Yes, the Blues team speed clearly sucked in comparison to the Wild in this series. Hitch has preached working as a 5-man unit all season. The Wild demonstrated Hitch's style of play while the Blues couldn't execute it in this series.

[ecbm]

Again, I really don't understand the hand wringing over Elliott. He can be replaced off the scrap heap. I'll be paying attention to the sort of interest shown in him by other teams. I doubt anyone will be beating down the FO's door. The only question there is if Allen is the starter and they get a scrap heap vet to back up or if they look to get a starter in a trade or sign one. I'd go for the former but could live with either decision. Most important for me, I want there to be a clear #1 and a clear back up from the start. I don't think that the uncertainty there has helped anyone. Surprise, surprise: the Blues end the season with one bitchy goalie and another who seems to have been completely overwhelmed by pressure.

[cprice12]

Sounds like Hitch might be gone. This was fast.
https://twitter.com/thekapman/status/592452829312233472

Hitch and Army will both be at the press conference tomorrow at 11am.
No way Hitch would be there if he was getting fired.
He can't get fired anyway...his contract is up. They can only not renew the contract.
And they wouldn't hold a press conference to announce a one year extension for Hitch at this time.

He is retiring from coaching and is taking a different position with the club.
That is the announcement.

Guaranteed.

[ecbm]

Curt, assuming that what you wrote is:

Guaranteed.

Then considering:

He is retiring from coaching and is taking a different position with the club.

Why? Everyone who works for the Blues for four years gets a sinecure now?

[glen a richter]

Jesus Christ don't be McLellan. Hello morons, Dan Fukkin' Bylsma is available, has been all season. Is he holding out for Detroit if Babcock leaves? Is he holding out for Edmonton (which would be a freaking awesome fit for them to finally have someone who can genuinely coach all those kids)? At this stage of the game I'd be patient and wait to see if Babcock becomes available. If so, swoop in. If not, Bylsma. Babcock is the X-factor here, and the reason no teams looking for a new coach will be jumping into a new coach right away. Naturally, though, we'll (Frank) it up and get Mr. Playoff Failure himself. Babcock will turn around Toronto, Bylsma will turn around Edmonton and we'll be facing another first round exit next season.

[Kerfuffle]

He is retiring from coaching and is taking a different position with the club.
That is the announcement.

Guaranteed.

That's the same as getting fired but allowing the terminated party to save face. Very much like asking someone for their resignation. When our GM Tallon screwed up our contracts in summer of 2009 the Hawks 'reassigned' him to another area of the team and hired a new GM. Shortly thereafter Tallon left to become the new GM of the Panthers. I would suspect any announcement of Hitch 'retiring' would be just allowing both sides to save face. If you read between the lines though it's clear what it really is.

[theohall]

McLellan god no!!!!

Time to twitter @StLouisBlues

[theohall]

Dave Lowry for HC.

Already named HC for the Team Canada World Jr 2016 team.

A coach moving up. Why not snag him now?

I'm not convinced Bylsma's methods will work, because he does similar things Murray did in terms of head games.

Let's do something other than a re-tread.

[cardsfan04]

He is retiring from coaching and is taking a different position with the club.
That is the announcement.

Guaranteed.

That's the same as getting fired but allowing the terminated party to save face. Very much like asking someone for their resignation. When our GM Tallon screwed up our contracts in summer of 2009 the Hawks 'reassigned' him to another area of the team and hired a new GM. Shortly thereafter Tallon left to become the new GM of the Panthers. I would suspect any announcement of Hitch 'retiring' would be just allowing both sides to save face. If you read between the lines though it's clear what it really is.

That could be true, but Army has said for awhile now that Hitch has wanted 1 year contracts so he could decide when he wants to move from the bench to the front office of the team. Maybe Army is giving him a nudge in that direction, but this was the expected end game for Hitch eventually.

[cprice12]

He is retiring from coaching and is taking a different position with the club.
That is the announcement.

Guaranteed.

That's the same as getting fired but allowing the terminated party to save face. Very much like asking someone for their resignation. When our GM Tallon screwed up our contracts in summer of 2009 the Hawks 'reassigned' him to another area of the team and hired a new GM. Shortly thereafter Tallon left to become the new GM of the Panthers. I would suspect any announcement of Hitch 'retiring' would be just allowing both sides to save face. If you read between the lines though it's clear what it really is.

Hitch is not under contract anymore. He signed a one year contract last year and that is now up. So he can't be fired. If they were to keep him in as coach, he would go on another one year contract. That was stated last year.
It was also stated that should Hitch decide to retire at the end of one of his one year contacts, that he would have a job within the organization waiting for him.
It only makes sense that the press conference tomorrow will announce that. Last year when they extended Hitch on a one year contract, they didn't hold a press conference. And they certainly wouldn't do that now, on the heels of a playoff loss.
The press conference will announce Hitch's retirement from coaching and new position with the club. That is the only thing that makes sense.

[cardsfan04]

Dave Lowry for HC.

Already named HC for the Team Canada World Jr 2016 team.

A coach moving up. Why not snag him now?

I'm not convinced Bylsma's methods will work, because he does similar things Murray did in terms of head games.

Let's do something other than a re-tread.

I've heard good things about Lowry. He's a decent option. Bylsma is technically a re-tread, but he's a re-tread with a Cup. That's a special class of re-tread.

[cardsfan04]

He is retiring from coaching and is taking a different position with the club.
That is the announcement.

Guaranteed.

That's the same as getting fired but allowing the terminated party to save face. Very much like asking someone for their resignation. When our GM Tallon screwed up our contracts in summer of 2009 the Hawks 'reassigned' him to another area of the team and hired a new GM. Shortly thereafter Tallon left to become the new GM of the Panthers. I would suspect any announcement of Hitch 'retiring' would be just allowing both sides to save face. If you read between the lines though it's clear what it really is.

Hitch is not under contract anymore. He signed a one year contract last year and that is now up. So he can't be fired. If they were to keep him in as coach, he would go on another one year contract. That was stated last year.
It was also stated that should Hitch decide to retire at the end of one of his one year contacts, that he would have a job within the organization waiting for him.
It only makes sense that the press conference tomorrow will announce that. Last year when they extended Hitch on a one year contract, they didn't hold a press conference. And they certainly wouldn't do that now, on the heels of a playoff loss.
The press conference will announce Hitch's retirement from coaching and new position with the club. That is the only thing that makes sense.

lol, I was just coming to say the same thing, but you beat me by a minute.

The one reason why I'm not 100% sure that's what will happen (although it does make a ton of sense) is that they're also having a player's presser. So, it could just be breaking the 2 pressers up between players and management.

[theohall]

Dave Lowry for HC.

Already named HC for the Team Canada World Jr 2016 team.

A coach moving up. Why not snag him now?

I'm not convinced Bylsma's methods will work, because he does similar things Murray did in terms of head games.

Let's do something other than a re-tread.

I've heard good things about Lowry. He's a decent option. Bylsma is technically a re-tread, but he's a re-tread with a Cup. That's a special class of re-tread.

Look up Byslma, Team USA, give it a read, and then say you still want Bylsma.

There is something seriously wrong with his coaching style. I was on-board with bringing in Bylsma until reading how he handled the Olympics. Yes, he was the coach and his coaching was the reason Team USA went from dominant to shitty in the Olympics.

[cardsfan04]

Dave Lowry for HC.

Already named HC for the Team Canada World Jr 2016 team.

A coach moving up. Why not snag him now?

I'm not convinced Bylsma's methods will work, because he does similar things Murray did in terms of head games.

Let's do something other than a re-tread.

I've heard good things about Lowry. He's a decent option. Bylsma is technically a re-tread, but he's a re-tread with a Cup. That's a special class of re-tread.

Look up Byslma, Team USA, give it a read, and then say you still want Bylsma.

There is something seriously wrong with his coaching style. I was on-board with bringing in Bylsma until reading how he handled the Olympics. Yes, he was the coach and his coaching was the reason Team USA went from dominant to shitty in the Olympics.

Fair enough. I'll look into it. I'm not deadset on him anyway. I just think that Cup gives him a leg up over most re-treads. He's no Todd McLellan.

[glen a richter]

I've actually been pretty big on Lowry getting a HC gig in the NHL for any team. He's had extreme success coaching at the lower ranks and he has a fair amount of experience now as an assistant coach. I think he'll do a great job as a HC when (not if) he gets a shot, and I guess it's a good direction to go--a guy with no experience can't do worse in the playoffs than a guy with 708 career coaching wins who failed thrice in succession. I think Lowry promotes an offensive style, which is what these players need.

As far as he goes, Lowry was always one of my favorite players, and also the reason Florida became my EC team after they took him in the expansion draft.

[cprice12]

Was scrolling through my texts and after the Blues were eliminated, I texted my wife this:

I may just have to burn the house down. Just so you know.

Just made me laugh.
Not then of course...then I was probably quite serious.