stlbluesfan4ever

The Rangers and St. Louis have had a emotional few days and St. Louis playing through the loss of his mother, but I think the Pens kinda took the rangers for granted, but now, game 7 back in Pittsburgh will shake the Pens straight and Pens win the series.

I know being a blues fan, everyone may think I'm being biased but I'm not, I understand that there is fault on both sides, you put your head down, someone will hit it, almost a sure thing, however, seabrook looked like he wanted to cream backes and he made sure that he led with his elbow and launched his elbow as hard as possible and it's a very reckless hit, no matter if the puck was or wasn't there, seabrook was playing the body and had no regard for the puck. and intent to injury was definely present, So, I think even though what everyone is saying that 5 or so years ago, this play may have been legal, it still didn't make it right then, we use to not wear helmets, or goalies didn't wear masks, and equipment was alot smaller, but as we evolved, we try to realize that sometimes changes have to be made for the sport to improve. Also, I find it interesting that the League is so worried about blows to the head but when they occur, they issue little or no penalties. Also, there is the simple fact of players are suppose to be responsible for their equipment, if they accidently get their stick tied up with a player in a corner and the player falls down, they don't give you a pass because the player should have tried to avoid your stick, you get a interference or tripping call, because you are responsible for your stick, so, let's pretend that seabrook didn't aim for backes' head, if you want to launch your elbow in a upward motion at someone, you need to be responsible for where it might hit someone in or near the head. I think seabrook got off easy for only three games, but we shall see what happens in the aftermath.

I know this may sound insane, and I will say without a doubt, I stand behind the trade for Miller, but, I'd have felt better if it came with a contract extention. but, now we must deal with the talk of miller wanting to go the the ducks to stay close to his wife, however, I read this article and I can't stop thinking that could Miller's looking up to CUJO, could be bringing CUJO's playoff ghost back to the note. http://www.stlblueshockey.net/masking-the-problem

Goc may not be the third center that the Pens were wanting but he is a serviceable center and will help the Pens little more up the middle. However Stempniak is a dark horse, he put up pretty solid numbers as a second or third line winger with the Blues, but as the note got younger, they used Stempniak as a bargaining chip and traded him to the maple leafs for Alexander Steen and Carlo Colaiacovo. he bounced around alittle more, but he has always been a solid player but hasn't had a ton of support staff since St. louis. However Stempniak usually jumps out to big starts for each of the teams he was traded too, but, a potential line mate for Crosby or Malkin could be just what both the Pens and Lee need. I think that trade will turn out to be a turning point of the season.

for the last few seasons, all the major pubications and "experts" have made the Blues a top contender for the Cup, but this trade might actually make those predictions look real. I'm not going to jump on the bandwagon of we are cup champions in waiting. any hockey fan will tell you there is still alot of games left, and the playoffs, anything can and will happen. I do however feel alittle more comfortable with our lineup than I did friday afternoon. No disrespect to Halak and elliott and everything they have done here, But, most true cup contenders have a true #1 not a 1a and 1B. Halak and Elliott did some incredible things, but, for the first time in more than a decade, the Blues have a true undisputed #1. and not to forget the incredible bump I expect from Ott. this lineup is pretty scare for all of the NHL, and now to add a true leader and a real hard hat player, this blues team just got even more scary. But, this is all on paper, everyone needs step up and do their job and keep playing. If everyone stays healthy and plays 60 mins every game. I think that the Blues are the team to beat. LGB!!!!!

I think it's a good splash, didn't cost us too much more than what we wanted to move, and we made strong additions to the team. Definely a exciting time to be a Blues fan. I did predict that Halak or elliott would be moved and I was afraid the team might try to take the easy route with the goalies, but I'm glad that we took the chance to do something big.

I'm up in the air if we should make any move before the deadline, I think we are pretty solid, but we do seem to be lacking something, so I think a minor trade or at least a minor star for another minor star might be ok. However, I can say with pretty good confidence, that Jake Allen is the future of this team, the strong development of Allen is what led to the trading of Bishop and Berra in the past few seasons, who both at the current time are starting goaltenders in the NHL,and Bishop is having a season worth Vezina consideration, Which has to say alot about the Blues having strong confidence and strong desire to see Jake allen be the Blues' future Franchise goalie. I wouldn't be surprised and would actually expect to see Halak or Elliott moved to add assets, since both Keepers are UFAs and Allen's contract next season is one way. Though Miller would be quite a impressive mentor to Allen and help the Blues ease Allen into the #1 job over time, I have a feeling that trading one of our current goalies and keeping and resigning the other to split time with Allen is a much cheaper and more realistic option. But, I do think some young star power could add the secondary scoring that the blues are lacking and need to compete long term as Stanley cup contenders. maybe not at the deadline, but in the offseason , I think the Blues shouldn't close the door on trying to sign Thomas Vanek, everyone thinks he's too much and he already plans to go to the Wild, but I think the Blues are alittle closer to being a cup contender than the Wild are at this time, and that could go far in his decision where to sign.

Heading into the Olympic break, the Note is tied for best record in the central, but hold the tie breaker over the hawks, with three games in hand, and three points out of the best record in the league, So, we all hear the rumors, but other than the Blues recent few games blowing late leads to pull out the victory in shootout or at least getting one of the two points. Do the Blues really need to make a move to be true cup contenders, or are they better off to build on the young core's confidence and feel we have the parts but just need to get them playing at higher level.

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/hockey/professional/morning-skate/article_79069dd8-416e-57c2-ba93-152c5f08506c.html#.UoaEr0wCSYA.twitter Is it just me, or does it seem like the Blues are trying to get someone to take Chris Porter's 2 year $675,000 contract off their hands to free up salary room. doesn't that sound like a sales pitch. and As much as I usually like to give Armstrong the benefit of the doubt, I think letting a promising young player just walk away, for free at that, just to add another "veteran" to the mix, a veteran who is only signed here for this season and who could easily walk away for more money or with recent injury issues the last few seasons for morrow, is completely insane. I think porter has a much promising and more successful future than Morrow, and to keep opening him for waivers is a waste of organization depth and a very short minded decision, I don't think morrow can bring anything to the table worth throwing talent away just to hope he stays healthy and give us a short term boost. we shouldn't make decisions for the blues future based on middle aged players' past glory days.

Definely a big momentum bump for the note, never bought into the hype and didn't get caught in the awe of the Penguin. Even though Sid and company looked little more intimidated by the note than the latter, mental mistakes, 4 or 5 offsides which could have been big odd man rushes, and Pens seemed little off, still quite a talented effort by both sides, and the Blues took advantage of the chances and got 2 big points. hope we can keep it going tuesday against the Yotes. LET'S GO BLUES!!!!

http://blues.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=687277

Well, I really don't think a decision should be made about either Halak or elliott right now, but, I know it's on everyone's mind and trade rumors are going crazy right now. Jake Allen is close, and I think he could fill in just fine, but the long haul, I think he has more seasoning to do, and since he isn't really getting much playing time in chicago, getting Allen up here just as a back up might be doing him more good than split time with the wolves. But, I think, especially after last night's game against the sharks, I think we really need to make sure we're backing the right horse before making any huge decisions. I was more wondering if this was all a ploy to run both elliott and Halak's stock up in the trade market, than actual preparation of changing course, but, time will tell.

The Blues play their 5th game of the season tonight, and brian elliott hasn't even had a sniff at the net yet, even though there is a chance he could start thursday or friday as the Blues have back to back game for the first time this season, however, in recent days, Elliott seems to have become the hottest trade commodity on multiple rumor sites, and many "experts" already have elliott linked to edmonton and the New York Rangers in a back up role, even Jeremy Rutherford of the Post Dispatch, is cited in saying that the elliott rumors have "substance" So, many people think the best elliott will fetch is a third or fourth round pick, and cutting his 1.8 million contract would give the note a little more room to wiggle from the cap. Also, it would give them a chance to promote Allen and get him regular time with the Blues goalie coach Corey Hirsch and regular time practicing with the big club instead of splitting time in chicago with Matt Climie, who was the Wolves starting goalie last season before the Blues sold the Rivermen. All signs point to the Blues wanting to rally around Halak as their number one and if Halak can stay healthy, the odds are very good he will be wearing the Bluenote on his chest next season, but, I also see Halak as a much bigger cap hit next season, as with most likely Allen as his backup, there would be a much clearer label on Halak and he can demand more money as the clear #1 to go along his more proven playoff record. I though the Blues Might keep elliott so they could have a pretty reliable goalie at a cheaper price and groom Allen along and if elliott stumbled at all, Allen could step right in. and Halak might fetch more in a trade, But, Halak's actions this offseason staying in St. louis to train instead of going home, and his recent hot start could be Halak starting to secure the top spot. So, Is this just more smoke and mirrors to try to push Elliott's value up as halak's value continues to grow with his hot start, or is elliott really on his way out in the near future, and what do you think the Blues should or can actually get in return for elliott.

LET'S GO BLUES!!!!!

Even though most of St. louis' eyes will be on the cardinals as they will be a few blocks away hosting the pittsburgh pirates in a decisive game 5 playoff game, the Blues have a very huge game of their own, playing their biggest divisional rival in the the chicago blackhawks. though my attention will be split alittle, I'm definely bleeding Blue. LET'S GO BLUES!!!!!

Recently, Coach Hitchcock has made it clear that Halak could start the first six games for the Blues, due to the light schedule to start the season. A 2-0 start and becoming the franchise"s all time leader in shutouts, is definely big pluses for Halak in the long term. However, with both Halak and Elliott about to become UFA's at the end of the season and Jake Allen is scheduled to become a one way contract next season, Could the Blues be trying to test Halak as the Number 1 job and make sure he can hold up physically and the long haul of the season with all the pressure, or could they be playing saleman, and trying to showcase Halak and see if we can raise his stock and move him. Though I know that the blues just assigned jordan binnington back to the OHL with the current log jam in Chicago, and the only way to keep everyone developing, they need to be regularly playing, so, if Allen does well in chicago, could the blues be looking to move elliott or halak to bring Allen up and then get Binnington to chicago, or do you think that Halak and elliott will be a season long battle and we will just try to see does best (or cost effective) and then Allen will most likely fit in as the backup for the note.

LET'S GO BLUES!!!!!

LET'S GO BLUES!!!!!!

I definely think Sherio will need to work something out, the Pens really don't have the Cap room to just sign a expensive free agent like Bryzgalov, Dipetro or any other nhl ready goalies, also, Sherio has to play a very dangerous game of who's he really trying to replace, Vokoun or Fleury. because if you're only trying to replace vokoun and you just want to spell Fleury every so often, then you need to figure out who's expendiable to trade and wouldn't hurt the long term plans and still get you help. However, the whole reason the Pens brought Vokoun in was the fact that they were worried about overplaying Fleury, so what are their plans now, and how is Fleury going to respond when he needs to carry this team in net all by himself, Fleury is going to need to return to past glory real quick with no real relief in sight, because if not, since fleury is already under the microscope, the Pens may find themselves in deep trouble in goal, and may need to replace two goalies instead of just one, and that will cost them alot more, and definely put the Pen's long term development in a big slow down mode. I hope Fleury can do it, but I'm nervous about the stress all this is going to cost him and how he reacts.

I'm glad Porter cleared, but I'm not as confident if he needs to clear waivers again, but, I doubt that we wouldn't bring him back at some point this season, so the chance probably will come up again. we really need to be careful not to lose a great depth player for nothing. like I said Like Morrow and all, but I'm not willing to start losing pieces for the future just to have a good players for a few seasons, or at least only one season unless we get him to resign, which I fear that players like Roy and Morrow might have big seasons here and raise their stock and then go somewhere else for the big bucks and we will be left with little or nothing because we screwed around with our younger players while trying to keep the new Vets in the lineup for this season.

As much as I agree with the extra need for accountability on offense, I think the Blues need to make sure they take accountability as a team, on paper, we have one of if not the toughest D core to face in the league, which should help halak and elliott and maybe Allen later this season, however, everyone still needs to be doing their job, and for elliott and halak, this is a contract year, so they need to make sure they aren't only playing for bigger paycheck, they are playing for the other 21 players they share the ice with. Too many times, we have made excuses for either the youth is still learning, or tough injuries, or veterans missing a step. every team faces these same issues but still need to fight though them and from the exception of almost 10 teams, they have all raised Lord Stanley's Cup. Every member of the Blues have the ability to play at a higher level, but, instead of focusing on why we can't do it or didn't do it, everyone needs to focus on what am I doing to make this team better and the best it can be. If they do that, we will have a parade down market street with lord Stanley's Cup in hand.

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/hockey/professional/blues-stress-accountability-on-offense/article_53a1401c-227d-53c3-91b5-296103d13360.html

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/hockey/professional/morning-skate/blues-place-porter-on-waivers/article_66c5d338-c791-5f75-acfa-0c1af9a4dfb0.html

I also like the addition of Morrow, I think it gives the note a little extra scoring and a nice vet presents, however, I am starting to get alittle more concerned with the expectations and the cause and effect of morrow's presents, first, there seems to be a sense that morrow is going to be a top six forward to start the season, though, I'd love to have the morrow of 5 years ago when he was a top six, I'm concerned with the extra pressure effect on his aging and sore body. I'm not saying he can't do it, I just have concerns that if he can do it on a every night basis, also, the addition of Morrow will most likely cost us a pretty talented piece of our young core, as chris porter was waved yesterday to make room, and I would be very surprised someone doesn't claim him, he's way too talented for no one to try to steal him for free. I'm hoping porter clears, but, it leaves a bad taste in my mouth if we lose a good piece of the youth for a player who will only help us for sure this season, and if we resign him only a max 5 more years down the road, and all that without saying he needs to stay healthy too.

http://blues.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=683638&navid=DL|STL|home In theory, I think this is a great addition for the note, great leadership and at 34, probably still has some serious firepower, if he can stay healthy, my biggest concern is this gives the Blues 16 forwards who are on one way contracts or strong enough locks to make the club, So, some younger guy who would have played in st. louis will be sent down and make an NHL salary. I wonder who will lose their job because of Morrow, or there will be have to be a trade, but, I think this is a big chance for the note to really step up and pull away alittle bit in the new Central division.