Weighing in on Blues – Canucks Rumors posted by Jeff Ponder

Is it just me, or is it that Canucks media is making it seem that David Backes will ultimately end up in Vancouver?

Canucks GM Mike Gillis attempted to sign Blues forward and restricted free-agent David Backes to an offer sheet worth $7.5 million over three years.  With Backes as a fan-favorite and a valuable asset to the Blues' rebuilding phase, St. Louis GM Larry Pleau had no choice but to match the offer and reclaim his player. 

But now the rumor mill is filled with Backes going to Vancouver yet again.  It was reported by The Globe and Mail that the Vancouver GM was spotted at the Bell Centre last Wednesday in a game that featured the St. Louis Blues and the Montreal Canadiens.  What exactly would draw him to that game?

Backes will earn another $2.5 million next season.  The 25-year old scored a career-high 31 goals in the first year of his new contract, but has trailed off since that time.  After scoring one goal in the Canucks' four-game sweep of the Blues in the post-season, Backes has added just ten goals in 2009-10.  His production has slipped, but still has tremendous respect from around the league.  Former Blues head coach Andy Murray once said that David gives the Blues “a triple threat down low in the corners and in front of the net – a big body that can pass, score goals and be a presence down low.”

Los Angeles Kings captain Dustin Brown has even sung Backes' praises. 

“When I look at David Backes, I see kind of a mirror of my career," he said last season. "You try to make an impact any way you can. We both started out by trying to impact a game with our size and our hits. In the process, you open up ice for yourself and your teammates.”
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Murray Out; Payne In posted by Jeff Ponder

I guess Blues management frequents NHL Hockey Online.

Blues President John Davidson announced that the club has relieved Head Coach Andy Murray of his coaching duties (something I eluded to just three days ago).  The team has in turn named Davis Payne the interim head coach. 

“I would like to thank Andy Murray for the job he has done here the past four seasons,” Davidson stated Saturday morning. “He was an integral part in turning the St. Louis Blues around. He is a true professional and I wish him the best of luck in the future.”

Murray registered a 118-102-38 record as leader of the Blues, including one playoff berth for the better part of four seasons.  The Blues' best time behind Murray came last season, when the club catapulted from the NHL cellar all the way to the sixth seed in the playoffs.  In that stretch, the team went 27-10-7, which put them as one of the hottest teams in the league before losing to the Vancouver Canucks in four games in the opening round of the playoffs. 

Things seemed to stay sour this year for the young club after their dismal playoff performance.  The Blues have recorded just 40 points in 40 games this season, putting them nine points out of the final playoff spot.  Production from players have seemed to drop as well.  Reigning Blues' leading scorer Brad Boyes posted 33 goals last season; he has just nine at this moment.  Seven-time All-Star Paul Kariya was expected to put up big numbers after an injury-riddled 2008-09; he has just eight goals and 19 points.  Probably the biggest disappointment is 21-year old Patrik Berglund.  Expected to pick up from his 47-point rookie season, Berglund has just 12 points in 34 games played.  He has been a healthy scratch at times and has even seen games where he plays less than ten minutes a game on the fourth line.
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Wrong Coach or Wrong Team? posted by Jeff Ponder

A “winning streak” is not a concept that the St. Louis Blues seem to entirely grasp in 2009-10.

The Blues, who did not see their first three-game winning streak until a 2-1 shootout win over the Calgary Flames on December 23, are currently posting a 17-17-5 record, placing them twelfth in the Western Conference and eight points out of a playoff spot.  The record itself is not the biggest problem; it is the lack of production from the core of the lineup.  Before being injured Sunday against the Sabres, left-wing Paul Kariya, who also happens to be drawing $6 million in the final season of his contract, has racked up just eight goals and 19 points in 38 games.  For a former six-time 30 goal scorer, the numbers can speak volumes for the lack of effort the team is seeing from Kariya.

Brad Boyes seemed to be a Godsend for the Blues after being acquired in 2007 for struggling Blues defenseman Dennis Wideman.  He scored 43 goals in his first full season as a Blue and 33 the next season.  The team relies on Boyes to take the big shots and pick the corners; pretty hard to do when you have just three shots on Sunday and one shot Tuesday night.  Boyes' scoring well seems to have dried up.  His nine goals this season is nothing to write home about.

With this lack of production from the Blues' veteran stars, the young players and grinders must be getting plenty of playing time, right?  In a game that he did not produce anything offensively, Paul Kariya played 18:12 in the Blues' win over Calgary last week.  Brad Boyes finished second of the Blues' forwards with 19:47 played Tuesday night against the Predators in their 4-3 losing effort.  It does not end there though.
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Bring on the Rivermen! posted by Jeff Ponder

120:52 is an eternity for the St. Louis Blues.

That is how long it has been since the team has lit the lamp, which occurred on October 28th in North Carolina when David Perron added an empty-net goal to seal a 5-2 Blues victory.  The celebration did not seem to last long.

The next night, the Blues threw 32 shots at Phoenix Coyotes goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov, who stopped every single one in a 2-0 blanking of the Blues.  Long-time Blues-killer Tomas Vokoun displayed a similar achievement two nights later in a 34-save effort en route to the Panthers snubbing the Blues 4-0 at Scottrade Center.  Being shutout two games in a row is not something that Head Coach Andy Murray has expected out of his club.

"All losses look bad," Murray said after the Florida game. "Again, we're down 2-0 in the first period and we're having such a tough time scoring ourselves, and yet we give up two easy goals; very poor coverage decisions in our end and it's 1-0. Again, another goal with poor coverage decisions." 

So where can the Blues turn to try and nip this problem in the bud?

The Blues' AHL affiliate, Peoria Rivermen, are riding rough waters as well.  No pun intended.

The Rivermen find themselves sixth in the Western Division with a 4-4-1-2 record (1 overtime loss and 2 shootout losses), placing them seven points behind the division leader.  So maybe a shake up would do the AHL club some good as well.

Defenseman Jonas Junland has been very impressive thus far for the Rivermen.  His 6 goals and 13 points are tops for the team, along with his impressive +5.  The near 22-year old is on the final year of his contract, and many believe that he will return to Sweden if he cannot crack the Blues' lineup in the near future.  Bringing Junland in might spark an offensive outburst from the blue line on the power-play.
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Blues Early Season News and Notes posted by Jeff Ponder

Only 3 games into the season, the Blues have plenty to talk about.  So lets get started...

Defenseman Barret Jackman sprains ankle; goes on IR (per Jeremy Rutherford).

Jackman will have to miss at least seven days, according to NHL injury reserve stipulations.  The Blues have claimed that this injury is “week to week.”  Jackman was a -1 to start the season, while posting 2 assists.

The silver lining from this injury is that Alex Pietrangelo will see some playing time with the big club.  He has been a healthy scratch the past three games, but showed promise in the pre-season.  He is expected to play alongside veteran Darryl Sydor in his season debut.

Forward D.J. King assigned to Peoria of the AHL for reconditioning.

Being one of the toughest guys in the NHL, D.J. King may soon see NHL action again.  The 25 year old forward has missed all but 1 game in the last two seasons with a severe thumb injury.  In 2007-08, King racked up 100 penalty minutes in 61 games, most of those being fighting majors against other NHL heavyweights.  Since the injury, the Blues have turned to hometown hero Cam Janssen for their fighting needs.  Both are expected to be the best resource for grit on the team, but will most likely not be dressed in the same games.

Defenseman Erik Johnson has showed flashes of brilliance thus far.

Erik is trying to prove to the city that the golf cart is the only thing that can stop him.

While expectations are high for Johnson, he has answered as well as he can thus far.  So far, Johnson has registered 3 assists in 3 games for the Blues, along with a few decent hits from the staggering defenseman.  Standing at 6'4” Johnson is expected to be a force on the blue line.  With Jackman out, this is the perfect opportunity to shine.  His current 19:47 average ice time ranks third on the team.
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The Official 2009-10 NHL Hockey Online St. Louis Blues Preview Part II posted by Jeff Ponder

The offensive side of the red line is not the one that aged Blues fans may be used to.

The days of Adam Oates or Pierre Turgeon are over in St. Louis.  It is hard to find which Blue may stand out from the rest, much like the start of last season.  Brad Boyes and David Backes took that spot over with relative ease during the Blues' amazing playoff run.

Boyes, the Blues goal-scoring leader from 2007-08, picked up where he left off last season when he notched 33 goals and 72 points to lead the team.  The 27-year old right-winger has the ability to get open more often than not and can one-time the puck as good as anyone else on the team.  If Boyes is going to be a point-leader yet again, he is going to have to hit the net more often and continue to utilize his hard shot.  Being in the prime of his career, the former Bruin still has to prove he is a number one forward in the NHL

David Backes busted onto the Blues' scene last year, scoring a surprising 31 goals and 54 points in all 82 games played.  Backes is expected to be a 20-25 goal-man throughout his career, but really showed some added finesse and grit to help lead the team in their second-half comeback.  Backes was a force in front of the net last season, working until every whistle.  If Backes can continue his success, the young man will be a top-3 forward yet again.

The Blues got a jolt in their offense when Andy McDonald returned from a severe broken leg injury mid-last season.  The top-center on the squad has been nothing short of a blessing for Blues fans, considering all that was given up was aging center Doug Weight in the trade with Anaheim.  The 5'10” center works hard every shift, usually playing on the first power-play unit as well.  McDonald can pass the puck through a rock and a hard place every time, and will be expected to put up a good amount of points this season.

The Official 2009-10 NHL Hockey Online St. Louis Blues Preview Part I posted by Jeff Ponder

What do you get when you mix a group of wily veterans, rising young stars and surprise goaltending?  No, this is not a joke that you heard while playing cards with your grandpa.  The answer is the St. Louis Blues. 

After a fantastic finish to 2008-09 and a dismal performance in the Stanley Cup playoffs, the Blues are ready for another playoff push this upcoming season.  The Blues finished last season with an NHL-best second half record of 25-9-7, which catapulted them from the cellar to the sixth seed in the playoffs.  But that was then and this is now.

The biggest part of that run was goaltender Chris Mason.  After being acquired last summer to back-up reigning all-star Manny Legace, Mason took over the job in early February and held an outstanding 21-7-5 record through the rest of the season.  Mason has just one more year left on his contract, so he has to prove in 2009-10 that he deserves the starting job in St. Louis in order to be rewarded with a new contract.

The biggest signing of the summer for the St. Louis club was former Red Wing goalie Ty Conklin.  The 6'0” 190 lb. Alaska native posted a 25-11-2 record last season with a .910 save percentage.  He will be expected to spot-start when needed, getting about 15-25 starts.  Conklin is the type of goalie that will keep your team in games but will also never steal the spotlight.  He will be as good as the product in front of him.

Not only has the team improved their back-up goalie position, but they also upgraded their defensive play.  With Erik Johnson returning from injury and Alex Pietrangelo expected to play, the team looks to be more of a threat on defensive-scoring.  Johnson tallied 33 points in his rookie campaign, including 28 assists.  What may even be more impressive is that Erik's teammate, Pietrangelo, racked up 53 points in 60 games for the Niagara IceDogs of the OHL in 2007-08, which included 13 goals.  These smart defensemen are also expected to be strong in their own end; both players stand tall at over 6'3” each. 
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Inter-League Game Could Spell Bad News for NHL posted by Jeff Ponder

Could an exhibition game really give bad publicity to a major North-American sports league?

The NHL has constantly been trying to show that their league is the best to the public all over the world.  For the past few seasons, the league has sent four of their teams overseas to play in places such as Germany, Sweden and England.  The teams usually open the NHL regular season a week early, playing two games in the country that they were designated.  This season the league has decided to send the St. Louis Blues and Detroit Red Wings to Sweden, and the Chicago Blackhawks and Florida Panthers to Finland.  Not only are these teams playing each other, but they will see time against some of the best teams of the chosen nation in pre-season play.

Why is this a possible threat to the league?  The NHL holds themselves as the greatest hockey league in the world with the most powerful teams and the best players.  There is almost no way of disputing that prestigious honor as long as the teams are playing against each other all the time and do not allow any outside teams to jeopardize that point.  Allowing other teams from other leagues could harm the reputation of the NHL. 

Here is the schedule for the games that will be played against other league teams:

Tuesday, September 29:  St. Louis Blues vs. Linkoping HC at Cloetta Center

Tuesday, September 29:  Chicago Blackhawks vs. ZSC Lions Zurich at Hallenstadion

Wednesday, September 30:  Florida Panthers vs. Jokerit Helsinki at Hartwall Arena
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Misprint Still has St. Louis Buzzing posted by Jeff Ponder

It's funny how one mistake on an online publication can put a few thousand people in an uproar.

“Phil Kessel Traded to Blues” was the headline on a story without any subtext included with it on Thursday evening.  The New England Hockey Journal, a well-respected hockey website, posted this error that sent the fans of the Bruins and Blues into a state of panic.  Bruins fans were terrified that they did not get a decent return while Blues fans were anxious over who had to be traded.  Online hockey message boards lit up with questions on how the deal went down and when the teams were going to officially announce the news.  The media bonanza even made it as far as ESPN.com when they posted “Rumors:  P. Kessel maybe headed to Blues.”

The publication that was the cause of this debacle finally released this statement to the world the very next morning:

“To our visitors:

On Thursday, a headline appeared on hockeyjournal.com indicating that Bruins forward Phil Kessel had been traded to the St. Louis Blues. There was no article accompanying the headline nor is any article of that nature planned. During an internal training exercise, a draft of a Web page that was never meant to be posted on the site showed up on the site due to a server problem. We are investigating how that happened.

We offer our apologies to Phil Kessel, the Bruins and any visitors who were misled by this erroneous posting, and will take measures to make sure a mistake like this does not happen again.
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Oh Those Summer Blues posted by Jeff Ponder

Late July is always the time of year that weighs down on hockey fans.  The Stanley Cup has been handed out, the Entry Draft is over and free-agency is pretty much at a standstill.  It always brings in all of those questions regarding if the team has improved or regressed.  Blues fans always have the same question on their mind almost more than any other teams' fans:  When will it be our turn?

Blues media kept fans on the edge of their seats early this summer when there were constant talks of Chris Pronger returning to the blue and gold.  Those discussions came to a crashing halt on the first day of the NHL Entry Draft when he was shipped from Anaheim to Philadelphia in the first blockbuster deal of the summer.  Draft day was still exciting for the Blues though, when they selected defenseman David Rundblad at 17th overall in the first round.  Rundblad is known for his smooth skating ability and offensive instincts, but worries some scouts with his defensive lapses at times.  The Swedish defenseman reminds many scouts, including the Blues' Director of Amateur Scouting Jarmo Kekalainen, of Mike Green from Washington.  It will take a few seasons to see that progression though.

The Blues then made their only splash into free-agency on July 1st when they announced the signing of backup goaltender Ty Conklin.  As the backup to the Western Conference Champ Detroit Red Wings last season, Conklin stepped in many times to help the struggling Chris Osgood all throughout 2008-09.  Conklin is best known for being a valuable backup goaltender who will keep your team in the game.  He will not steal games nor will he be the reason that the team lost.  He is the best you get from a solid number two goalie.  So to pose another question on this muggy July day, can that really be considered a “splash?”
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