Read the full transcript of beat writer Matthew DeFranks' Blues chat.
Matthew DeFranks: Hello everyone! I apologize to everyone that showed up last week to the chat. I had some issues with the system we use to run the chats, and couldn't get it fixed in time to salvage the chat.
That's why we're back this week! It's the first week of August. We're six weeks away from the start of Blues training camp. The NHL world is pretty quiet right now.
Because of last week's snafu, I'll get to those questions from the chat last week before getting to the new, fresh ones from today. But I will get to your question at some point this afternoon.
Barry-Blues Fan in Orlando: Matt, happy hump day, thank you for the chat. Did you experience this level of interest in the Stars during the dog days of summer when you were in Dallas? Just curious.
Matthew DeFranks: Not at all. I think Dallas gets a bad rep as a market that doesn't have interest in the Stars, probably based on geography more than anything. But the Stars get really good support throughout the season, and particularly in the playoffs, where that building is a madhouse.
Having said that, ºüÀêÊÓƵ cares so deeply about the Blues because of the history involved with the franchise, and the hockey roots developed in the area. It probably doesn't hurt that they don't have to compete with so many other events like the Stars do in a place like Dallas.
Barry-Blues Fan in Orlando: Matt, I am curious about this Ralph kid. What is your opinion of him based on his camp in early July? Could we be looking at a future top 4 blue liner?
Matthew DeFranks: I had the same takeaway that a lot of other people had: Colin Ralph is a big man and he moves pretty well. Outside of that, it was tough to evaluate much from his development camp. Players like that are much better judged in consistent 5v5 play versus 4v4 or 3v3. I have begun reviewing the World Junior Summer Showcase and should have a fuller picture of what he can do after seeing his games there against the best players in his age group.
STCBluesFan: Hey MD, hope the summer is going well for you and appreciate the chats. How do you see the signing of the "cast offs" from the Stars in helping the "Note in 24-25?
Matthew DeFranks: I think both Radek Faksa and Ryan Suter will have defined roles on this Blues roster. Faksa will be an above-average faceoff guy from the left side, a big body to help down low in the defensive zone, and a key penalty killer than can take some responsibility away from top offensive guys like Robert Thomas or Pavel Buchnevich.
Do I expect Faksa to play up to his $3.25M cap hit? No. That's why Dallas couldn't justify keeping him as its fourth-line center. But he'll be a 3C in ºüÀêÊÓƵ probably, and it'll be for one year. Perhaps Faksa can be flipped at the trade deadline, as well.
Suter, meanwhile, looks to be in line for a top four role on a pair with Justin Faulk. Given the uncertainty around Torey Krug's injury situation, and the how Krug played with Matt Kessel anyway, Suter-Faulk looks to be a likely pair.
When I spoke to Suter last month about signing in ºüÀêÊÓƵ, he was coy about who his partner could be, but it was clear that that part of his role had been discussed with him in the process of signing as a free agent. I can't see him on a power play unit given Perunovich and Faulk's roles should there be no Krug. Last year was really the first one of Suter's career without power play time.
Sctdog: How far in their rebuild do you believe Army thinks the Blues are, and where do you think the Blues are in the rebuild. I know he is often coy and has to sell tickets/hope, so its hard to get a true sense. I would also note that the often used Army compare to the Kings misses both a number #1 D and center, and the Kings spent a few years out of the playoffs and three years getting bounced in the first round.
Matthew DeFranks: Given all their moves this summer, I think that Doug Armstrong has the summer of 2026 as the true turning point. That's when the coaching contracts expire, and more importantly, that's when Steen takes over as GM. I think Armstrong will do what he can in the next two years to set up Steen in a good position.
Now, I probably think they're a touch more behind than that, given how long prospects can take to develop into major NHL contributors. But in two years, they'll be looking at the tail end of the bad contracts, with the cap going up more, and young players ready to go into the lineup.
Sctdog: The Blues have a few million in cap space, maybe as much as 8(?) mil, do they use it to fill holes are as trade capital to take on contracts later in the year and get more picks and prospects?
Matthew DeFranks: I think they're done adding to their roster for this upcoming season, save for Nikita Alexandrov's RFA deal. If they add more pieces, they really add to the roster squeeze already present both up front and on the back end. I would like to see them take on some money around the trade deadline to net more assets. It's not a position the Blues have been in a lot before, so it'd be interesting to see how Doug Armstrong handles that sort of thing.
Patrick B.: How are you coping with the loss of capfriendly? Are you using puckpedia? Is there another site you prefer to use?
Matthew DeFranks: I'm doing OK so far. Before CapFriendly went away, I put together a Word doc with all of their FAQs, just so I could reference it in the future. PuckPedia has been helpful, no doubt, but we'll see how it goes during the upcoming season.
For cap or CBA stuff, it's basically just PuckPedia for me now.
Blues Travlr: The Cards seemed to be spooked by the Bally Sports struggles. Do you see their bankruptcy settling in time for the Blues NOT to be spooked by it?
Matthew DeFranks: Right now, it doesn't look like things will be settled before the season. It was supposed to be settled the last week of July, but the court postponed those hearings since Diamond was about to come to an agreement with Comcast. Is that enough for the judge to rule that Diamond has a plan good enough to move forward as a business? I don't know.
I do believe that the Blues are a valuable enough asset to Diamond that Bally wouldn't cut ties with the Blues until they absolutely had to. That's different from teams like the Panthers or Stars, who broke away and developed their own ways to get their games to fans.
I also do know that the Blues have been working all summer to develop contingencies in the case that Diamond did go fully under. They aired some programming on 32-1, and that could have been (or still might be) an option for over the air should things go that way.
Blues Travlr: Not that the Blues are likely to get either, but is there any change is status for Draisaitl or Marner?
Matthew DeFranks: The Blues don't really make sense for either one, really. Both are entering the final year of their contract and will require hauls to acquire them in a year that they won't be contending. And then there's the ensuing contract obviously.
Lennie: Compared to other teams, it doesn't look like we have made significant improvements to our roster. Why would we think that we would be any more likely to make the playoffs than last year.
Matthew DeFranks: I think the roster is a little bit better than it was a year ago, actually. Not a ton, but marginal improvements in the bottom-six, more depth on defense. It's not a massive change in expectations, and really more of a continuation of current expectations. To me, even with a slightly better roster, they could take a step back, points-wise. Why? Well, it's conceivable that the goaltending tandem is not one of the top five in the NHL. If Binnington and Hofer are merely a top 10 tandem, how far back to the Blues slip in the standings?
Tylerg: Matty D, I hope the summer is treating you well. What does your gut tell you about Snuggerud coming over after Minnesota’s season ends?
Matthew DeFranks: I believe strongly that Jimmy Snuggerud will be signing with the Blues, and making his NHL debut this season. When that happens, however, will depend on the success of Minnesota's season.
From Easy Ed--fan since '67: Hey Matt, like you prospects articles. Listen, I think we may be underestimating the Blues for this year. If Dvorsky makes the team and plays well, they're definitely in the Playoffs--not that big an if: they'll give him chances. Their bottom six are deadly defensively, with some scoring potential. Four big fast wingers, two big centers. That means the top 6 get more offensive time and rest. Goalies, need I say it? Defense, with excellent bottom six defense and good 2-way top six (can you believe how good Thomas was defensively, and Kyrou at the end of the year was good 2-way for a scorer, they're a dangerous team. If Dvorsky goes down, Schenn can supply good top-six defense. If Dvorsky is good, then a top six F drops, and the bottom six has more scoring power. Do you see a flaw in this logic? Be well.
Matthew DeFranks: I can see where you're coming from, Ed. But that's putting a lot on a 19-year-old center that hasn't played regularly against men. I still don't like the defense relative to the rest of the league. They're better than last year, I think, but not when compared to the NHL. It's also tough to count on another big season from Jake Neighbours as a sure thing, and who knows what kind of offense Brayden Schenn still has left. If everything goes right, they could fulfill your vision. But it's rosy thinking.
Reggie Dunlop: Hi Matt and thanks for the Chat. Why did the Blues sign Kapanen again? Sure he has some speed. But he doesn't put up points and he is not physical. I would rather have a rookie with at least some potential upside.
Matthew DeFranks: His contract tells us how the Blues see him. He's on a one-year deal worth $1 million. That's a deal that carries different expectations than the $3.2M cap hit he had last year. With Kapanen, the Blues like his speed, his ability to kill penalties, and his skills on the forecheck. It's not sexy, and it's not something that guarantees him a spot in the lineup every night either, but it's a small role on a small contract.
Tylerg: Matty D, hope the summer is treating you well my guy. I’ll give you a random one out of the gate, what is your goal/assist/point prediction(s) for Zach Bolduc this year? Assuming he likely plays in the middle 6 most of the year and maybe gets some PP time, what can we reasonably expect?
Matthew DeFranks: I don't know, 30 points? He produced at a 29.52 points per 82 game rate during his time in ºüÀêÊÓƵ last season, so maybe I'm selling him a little short.
Evan: On Bally Sports going to Xfinity Comcast, What does this mean to fans who don't have cable and or the means to view it because it's not included in our area. I currently have DirectTV Stream and would still like to view games... They can't screw all us fans can they!?
Matthew DeFranks: Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think Xfinity is offered as a cable package around ºüÀêÊÓƵ. So that part of the deal won't change how available Bally Sports is to people in the area. What it does do is maybe pave a way for Diamond out of bankruptcy, which would mean it retains the broadcast rights to the Blues and other teams.
As mentioned a little earlier, the Blues have been looking at contingency plans. But until Diamond chooses to relinquish the rights, or until Diamond goes under, the Blues can't really do much themselves.
Chris: Curious to know why we have players like Mac Mac on a one way contract and why we continue to load up on third and fourth line players creating a log jam for our rising prospects? Why are we going carrying nine defnsemen all on one way contracts? Why won't we spend to the cap? Do you think there is a culture problem with just trying to be not crappy instead of trying to win EVERY game and contend for the cup EVERY year?
Matthew DeFranks: Yeah, the MacEachern contract was curious last summer. Not only a one-way contract, but a two-year one. In the end, the one-way nature of it just means he'll get paid more in the AHL. So it just means more money out of ownership's pocket.
As far as the defense, looking at it now, it makes sense when the uncertainty surrounding Torey Krug's availability. Even without Krug playing, at least one of Joseph, Tucker or Perunovich will end up in Springfield. There are worse things than having that depth on defense, particularly with an older D corps.
I would disagree that they are stopping their prospects. Faksa is a one-year deal, basically. So is Kapanen. Joseph and Texier are both two years. It's not like they went out and signed a five-year contract that would block a prospect right as they're maturing.
Give a 19- or 20-year-old time to develop. And if they still can't beat out Kapanen or Joseph or Texier for a spot in the NHL, then they probably didn't deserve to be there anyway.
The current approach by the Blues to be middling is basically the penance for Armstrong's mistakes. If he'd hit on some of the contracts on D, they wouldn't be in this situation. But they haven't, so here they are. It's not like the Blues don't want to compete, but it's an honest reflection right now of where they are. They need to develop young talent and had stop gaps in the NHL to get them to a point where players are ready to be contributors.
Barry-Blues Fan in Orlando: Matt, thanks for today's chat. The Athletic recently rated the NHL teams' front office, the Blues were in the bottom third. I tend to agree with this rating as many long term contracts were given to D-Men, Krug in particular, and the contracts aren't aging well. What is your opinion of Army and his management team?
Matthew DeFranks: I think the current state of the team puts them in that bottom third, sure. The situation they're in right now was made by decisions by management. But I think people should give Armstrong more credit for his history of winning a Stanley Cup and for contending for about a decade.
But I understand it's about the current confidence in the management groups, so I understand it. There haven't been a lot of wins by Armstrong recently.
Chris: Why do we continue to take flyers on other teams discards when they work out so infrequently?
Matthew DeFranks: Bodies on short-term contracts. That's pretty much it. Vrana, Hayes and Blais failed. Even Kapanen failed relative to his expectations.
Now, we'll see how Faksa, Suter, Joseph and Texier do.
Chris: Why are we loading up on third and fourth line players when we could use that moneyu more wisely, IMHO, to get better players into the roster and use the playing time to get our prospects some NHL time?
Matthew DeFranks: Players that will be paid at a higher cap hit are more likely to either 1. want a long-term contract that would interfere with the vision of setting things up in two years, or 2. already be on a long-term contract that takes them into ages that the Blues don't want.
So take on the affordable players on short-term deals and don't mess with the cap table for a few years from now.
Chris: Based on league average how many fourth line players do you think we have on one way contracts>
Matthew DeFranks: It's a good question. I looked at the most-used 384 forwards (top 12 forwards on 32 teams) at 5v5 last year, and sorted by points/60 minutes at 5v5.
Cutoff for top-line forward was 2.02 points/hour. Second-line: 1.62. Third-line was 1.29. Everyone else was a fourth-liner, at least by point production at 5v5.
Top line: Thomas, Kyrou
Second line: Saad, Joseph, Buchnevich
Third line: Walker, Schenn, Neighbours, Hayes
Fourth line: Texier, Faksa, Toropchenko, Kapanen, (Blais), Sundqvist
Rate stats can tend to get a little funky, so keep that in mind. But it looks like five Blues forwards produced like fourth-liners (according to points) last season.
RB: Adan Oates has worked with both Robert Thomas and Pavel Buchnevich as well as Braden Schenn on the Blues and a host of elite NHL players and all of them give him credit for making them better 2 way players. Have the Blues considered sending Jordan Kyrou and any of their premium younger players like Bolduc, Dean and Dvorsky to Oates and would it be violating the salary cap if the team paid for it?
Matthew DeFranks: I wrote a couple stories about Adam Oates last season. I'll drop them here.
When I spoke to Thomas and Schenn about working with Adam Oates, it was never really about overhauling their game. It was about the subtle details and about, as Oates put it, "becoming 1% better."
With that premise, it seems to me that working with Oates has to be driven by the player himself. They need to want to work with him, want to focus on details (like taking a puck off a wall, Schenn told me), want feedback from someone who watches every game. It's a level of involvement that would not work with someone that doesn't seek it out themselves.
So I think it could be worthwhile for the Blues to recommend to players that they work with someone like Oates, but that decision has to come from them. It's extra work and extra feedback just to be slightly better. Not everyone is built that way.
Oates is also a huge "routes" guy. He likes seeing which angles and routes work for certain players. Just another item he helps with, but again, it's not an overhaul of a player.
As far as cap compliance, I'm actually not sure how that works. I'll have to re-read the CBA.
Evan: I would totally separate and make something for just Blues Hockey because at least fans won't have to worry abt being screwed
Matthew DeFranks: Yeah, as long as Bally owns the rights and is paying the Blues for those rights, the Blues can't really do anything but plan for what might happen in the future.
Chris: Does anyone, other than Ed, really think this is going to be a dangerous team?
Matthew DeFranks: I have seen oddsmakers put them at about 33% to make the playoffs, and 67% to miss. A point total over/under at 88.5.
So public odds have them squarely as a Western Conference wrong-side-of-the-bubble team.
Robert: Hi Matt: Patrick Laine's availability intrigues me, given his skill set and the Blues available cap space. Do you see any chance the Blues make efforts to acquire him?
Matthew DeFranks: His skillset would be welcomed in ºüÀêÊÓƵ. You are bang-on about that. They have missed that one-timer on the PP since Perron left. They needs goals, for sure.
But the age (26), and the need to sign him to another contract at the end of this season would be worrisome. If a team was able to offer him a long-term contract at a lower cap hit, maybe that could work. If I'm Laine, though, I'm using this as a prove-it season to rebuild value as a UFA.
Chris: It's pretty hard to win a championship, super hard to do so not paying to the cap. Do you think not acquiring more talent and using all avalable cap space is poor messaging in terms of expectations to the players? I certainly do. Also where do you see the club ending in the central?
Matthew DeFranks: Yeah, I get what you're saying, but the players know what situation the franchise is in. Armstrong has literally told the leadership group that it's their job to disrupt management's vision to plan for the future. If the players play well enough, maybe the plan changes in the near future. But at this point, it's about setting up the franchise in the future, and not about messaging to the players. I also think that's part of a reason why Armstrong has gone after short-term deals, since players have more motivation during contract years, it seems.
Dallas and Colorado are at the top. I think Winnipeg takes a step back. I think Nashville takes a step forward. So does Utah, but is it enough to pass the Blues? Minnesota ... shrug. Chicago is better but still not very good, I think
So I'll go with fifth or sixth?
Evan: you're probably right about xfinity. No wonder It said unavailable everywhere. So assuming until those things pan out with Diamond it should remain the same on DirectTV Stream?
Matthew DeFranks: Just assume everything is the same right now.
Evan: Also what's the scoop on the Pavel Buchnevich interview? I heard his Russian one with some guy, he touched a little bit on it... said Thomas told him it was the "best bday gift" Would expect y'all to maybe just wait until training camp since it is so close?
Matthew DeFranks: It will be at training camp. Tried to get him across the last month, but face to face will work better than banking on the reliability of a phone/Zoom call's connection.
Matt L: I’ll have some of whatever Easy Ed is having.
Matthew DeFranks: I respect his outlook, and I appreciate the variety of opinions. It's an new school version of an old school bar conversation.
Pugger: Matt, your back!! Welcome back, glad to have you.. I'm kind of excited about the Blues future, some good moves made in terms of draft. I think it could be grim for the immediate future, and I am not a fan of staying in 'the mushy middle' but, 2/3/4 years down the road, some pieces could be in place. What needs to happen to get this team back into contention in your mind, including drafted players you think that really need to hit in terms of them becoming solid if not great players.. Thanks Matt!!
Matthew DeFranks: If Dalibor Dvorsky doesn't pan out, that's a major setback for this retool plan. The whole point of going this route was so that they wouldn't be drafting in the top 10. So when they get a top 10 pick, they better hit on it. It's an oversimplification to say that the entire path forward hinges on him -- just given the mass of firsts, seconds and thirds in the last two drafts -- but it's not too, too, too far off.
This was a topic that Gordo and I talked about with Tom Stillman a few months ago. Basically, it came down to this feeling of "that's a lot to put on a 19-year-old, and he needs to hit for us, but we've also done OK at drafting later in the first round and finding players."
Matt L: Ahh the dog days of summer. Precious little NHL news. At least we’ve got the Olympics (for the next few days anyway). Speaking of which, how many Blues would be realistic olympians in 26? Buchnevich for Russia (if Russia is playing). If not him, it’s hard to see who else makes it no? Thomas is excellent but Canada is loaded at center. Kyrou? Binnington? Maybe those two, but they’re long shots. I realize we’re talking two years out almost but what does potentially having one or zero olympians say about the blues roster right now?
Matthew DeFranks: Okay, I thought you were about to ask me which Blues would be the best competitors at the current Olympics. Which ... I have no idea. I do know that Radek Faksa plays a lot of tennis, but unsure of his skill level. Pavel Buchnevich follows soccer, but I don't know if he plays it. I'm sure one of those Minnesota boys knows how to sail.
I could see Nathan Walker's build (his legs are probably the biggest on the team) transferring well to rugby, which also helps given his nationality.
Thanks for the minor diversion. Now to the actual question.
Honestly, I think the only lock is Dalibor Dvorsky playing for Slovakia. Jordan Binnington can do a lot this season to secure a spot in the 4 Nations Face-Off, which can then help his Olympics chances. I just don't see a lot of competition among Canadian goalies if Binnington plays like he did last season.
You'd have to think that Crosby might be a bubble option at that point in 2026, so maybe a center spot opens up for Canada. But even if he is left off, there's still McDavid, MacKinnon, Point, Bedard, Stamkos (wing?). The flip side is that Robert Thomas was sixth among Canadian forwards in points last season, and is only getting better.
Thomas and Kyrou would still need reinstatement to play in the Olympics, since they were on the 2018 Canada WJC team. They would be eligible to play in the 4 Nations tournament, though.
Handicapping right now, I'll say Binnington and Thomas for Canada, and Dvorsky for Slovakia. With Buchnevich for Russia as the possible addition, pending world happenings.
Thomas can always move to wing if needed, right?
Chris: Hard pass on Laine.
Matthew DeFranks: It's a big number to take on during a year you're not contending and with an unknown that has spent some time away from the game.
Chris: What do think is behind the Blues playing hard against good teams and tanking against the poorer teams? That's a loaded question and really puts a point on the cultural problems I have been hammering on. It's an ongoing thing in my estimation. I hate to be so negative about it but it's frustrating lol. Thanks for your work!
Matthew DeFranks: Oh, I get you. I'm sure it's not fun as a fan watching them miss the playoffs two years in a row, and then not inspiring confidence for this coming season.
As for your question, I'm happy you brought it up. This caught some steam towards the end of the season given the timing of the losses to San Jose. But when you looked a bit deeper, the Blues were actually one of the league's best teams against the worst teams in the league.
Here's what I wrote after the season.
Some notes:
The Blues were actually 26-13-1 against teams that missed the playoffs, a .663 points percentage that was the 13th-best in the league and second-best among teams that didn’t qualify for the postseason. Detroit was the only non-playoff team with a better record vs. teams that already started summer.
Meanwhile, the Blues were 17-20-5 against playoff teams, a .464 points percentage that was 21st in the league.
Against the bottom third of the league (the worst 11 teams that will have an opportunity to draft first overall), the Blues were ... elite. Wait, what? They were 21-8-1 (.717) against those teams, a mark that was 10th-best in the league and the tops among non-playoff teams.
They were better against the dregs than seven teams that made the playoffs. In fact, the Blues were a perfect 15-0-0 against Anaheim, Buffalo, Calgary, Montreal, Ottawa and Seattle. That seems to get lost in the discourse about three games vs. the Sharks and two games vs. the Blue Jackets and one game vs. the Blackhawks.
They were 0-3-0 vs. Nashville, including a mid-February game that changed the fortunes of both teams. They were 1-3-0 vs. Colorado, even if the play itself didn’t match the results. They were 0-3-0 vs. Winnipeg and outscored by seven goals.
Okay, back to now.
The San Jose games hurt, there's no question about that. Those were must-win games against a bad team, and the Blues came out flat and laid an egg. No other way around it. But that wasn't something that happened every time they played a bad team. I still cannot believe they were perfect against the Ducks, Sabres, Flames, Canadiens, Senators and Kraken in 15 games. That's absurd.
STCBluesFan: The old saying "Speed kills". Do the Blues have enough to keep up with Av's, Star's, etc...
Matthew DeFranks: Probably not with Colorado. They play the game at a different pace than many other teams. Dallas, outside of Hintz, Heiskanen and maybe Harley, not a lot of top-tier skaters.
ºüÀêÊÓƵ isn't going to match New Jersey or Edmonton, probably. But I will say that they're faster than last year, even with the Faksa and Suter additions. Joseph and Texier can skate, and we already know Toropchenko and Kapanen can.
GoThunder: Doesn't the entire season depend on how well Thomas and Kyrou play? I have always been a major critic of the latter, but I thought he improved his game over the course of the year.
Matthew DeFranks: Kyrou definitely came on towards the end of the season, and I felt that even when Kyrou wasn't producing last year, he was still generating a lot of offense with a two-way game that looked more purposeful than the previous season. Still, I understand the criticism with everything that happened (big contract, Berube situation, down year statistically).
I think you're right, though. I wouldn't say the entire season, but a lot of it, yes. Further progression from Thomas. Numbers back to normal for Kyrou and Buchnevich. An elite top line can do a lot for a team, particularly when they're all putting up 85 points. With that sort of production, you can live with subpar offense from the bottom six.
b: Hey Matt, just joining, on the Blues defense, probably our biggest concern: With Suter, the Dallas defenseman signed, they have a very solid top four: Parayko-Leddy and Faulk-Suter, which can hold leads in the third period. Very underrated, I think. With the strong bottom six forwards defensively and their two-way forward top six: Buchy-Thomas-Schenn, etc., they'll be a load on TEAM DEFENSE. More than a rosy scenerio, I believe. Who makes the bottom pair on defense do you think?
Matthew DeFranks: I can get where you're coming from, but it's also a very old top four with players like Leddy and Suter who would not be playing those roles on teams in contention.
I will agree with you that the forward group looks stronger defensively than two years ago, and it's quite a change from back then.
As far as the third pair, with Krug in the lineup, I'll go with Krug-Kessel. If Krug is out for the season, I'll say Perunovich-Kessel.
I think Joseph is the extra, and Tucker could get waived to the AHL if the Blues are fully healthy. We'll see after training camp.
b: I think the bottom six and guys like Saad. Buchy, etc., will score a lot of rush goals if the Blues get ahead in a game and the other team takes chances, which they will. Also, the coach will have a full preseason, etc., with the team, and to me, he looked like a heck of a coach. Weren't they like 31-19 coming off such a terrible start with holes all over the roster last year? I think we have a real playoff team. Your thoughts?
Matthew DeFranks: Yeah, you're right that the Blues will produce on the rush. It's where they got a lot of their offense a year ago, and honestly, they'd probably like a little more offense to come from their forecheck or from offensive zone time. Sometimes, they were so rush-reliant that they lacked puck possession to wear tears down or tilt the ice.
Drew Bannister will be a better coach this fall than the one he was in the spring. He identified some areas at the end of last season to fix, and will know the players better, plus he'll have a full training camp to install adjustments.
I look at the record under Bannister as more reflective of how well the goalies played and how well the power play played than how well Bannister coached. But I suppose he was part of the power play coaching, too, and for that, there's credit earned.
Eric: Thanks for the chat, Matt! I know the Blues are attempting to rebuild/retool on the fly. But, I guess my question is, have they done enough? They've picked up one top ten draft pick, still lack depth at forward, and carry a defense that's in need of a major overhaul. To me it just feels like they're still a ways off from being serious playoff contenders. Am I being too pessimistic?
Matthew DeFranks: Not too pessimistic, but I would throw out there that Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou were two main reasons why the Blues felt they didn't need to tank. They'll still be able to lead the team offensively while the prospects develop and mature into top-end contributors.
Yes, the hole on defense remains, but I think the Blues are hoping someone or two from the Jiricek, Lindstein, Ralph, Fischer, Burns, Buchinger group can become a top-pair defenseman.
I think it is a big thing that the Blues already have two top-line players on what will turn out to be good value deals in their prime. That gets underrated when evaluating the retool progress.
b: Good. I hope Krug is okay. Is Kessel good enough defensively to complement Perunovich enough, do you think? I mean, he always makes the perfect play, but we'll have to see how his d develops. Your thoughts on Peru?
Matthew DeFranks: He's looked too tentative to me during his time in the NHL. When you look at when he's played really well (college at Minnesota-Duluth, prospect tournament at Traverse City, in the AHL with Springfield and in the NHL playoffs in 2022), he's dynamic, making quick decisions and not thinking at all.
Last year, I thought he was hesitant, and that took away from a lot of creativity and offensive skillset that he's in the NHL to provide. He's very hard on himself, as well, so I can see how that can become a circular situation where his subpar play puts him in a tough mental position, and then affects his play, and so on.
I will note that his $1.15 million cap hit is exactly the amount teams are allowed to bury in the AHL, should the Blues come to that point.
^ This was about Perunovich, that is.
As for Kessel, he played steadily enough last year alongside Krug to receive those minutes again.
b: On Peru, if he gets regular ice time, perhaps he regains his confidence and his dynamism comes to the fore. It's not a sure thing, natch, but damn, when Johnny is good, he's very very good. I'm rooting for the guy.
Matthew DeFranks: I remember covering the Stars, and watching their prospects get diced up by Perunovich at the prospect tournament. He was so, so fun to watch. It's obvious it's a very different level of competition, but haven't seen that a lot from Scott so far recently.
b: Matt, you mentioned the Blues are "hoping someone or two from the Jiricek, Lindstein, Ralph, Fischer, Burns, Buchinger group can become a top-pair defenseman." What is your timing on that? Do you mean to start the season, season end, or next year or later? I mean, some of these guys can play hockey, but they're young, inexperienced. Lindstein practically ready now? Ralph big enough and fast. Some of these others, talented. Your thoughts?
Matthew DeFranks: Yeah, these are long-term projects. Lindstein may come over to North America next summer, but even at that stage, he won't be ready to tackle top-pair minutes. These guys have all be drafted since 2022, and Buchinger is the only one turning pro this season in North America. So it'll be a few more seasons before they become who the Blues think they drafted.
b: Also, if Jiricek is healthy, man, sans injury, he maybe goes in top 5, maybe 3.
Matthew DeFranks: Maybe the Blues were fortunate that he fell due to injuries, but I'm not sure he would have gone in that tier. Of course, I didn't think Beckett Sennecke would go there, either.
The queue is empty, and so we'll stop right there. Thanks for stopping by, and chat soon!
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