St Louis Blues - Page 2 - Fantasy Sports Forums

Riverboat Danglers · #11 07-27-2011, 01:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ross10019

Welcome aboard Diamondback!

I actually see St Louis being much more competitive than 10th to 13th this year, despite the brutal competition in the West.

Their forward corps is really deep and now there's a ton more leadership with Arnott, Langenbrunner and (underrated signing) Nichol coming aboard, and there was already lots of leadership with Steen and Backes. Besides the top 9 you mentioned, which would be bolstered SIGNIFICANTLY if Perron returns healthy at some point next season, they've got a very gritty 4th line anchored by Crombeen and Nichol.

Their goaltending is just fine, Halak is a gamer and should keep them in most games and steal more than his fair share when the team hasn't brought its A game.

Their D is young but pretty damn solid. Offensively they have two of the most dynamic young offensive Dmen in the league in Shattenkirk and Pietrangelo, and Pietrangelo also brings size (6'3 205) and underrated two-way play. Then they have the vets with experience in Jackman and Huskins, who also brings size (6'4). Plus they have another offensive Dman with good skating and puckmoving ability and underrated grit factor in Colaiacovo (although he is maddeningly injury-prone). And finally you throw Polak into the mix, who is coming into his own as a stay at home dman.

With a lineup like this, if they can avoid the just BRUTAL injuries that impacted them last year, they should be battling teams like Nashville for the 7th or 8th spots. They should easily finish ahead of Colorado and Edmonton, and my bet is that they finish ahead of Dallas, Minnesota, Phoenix and Calgary too.

My prediction, StLouis breaks through and finishes 8th and, with their roster including a few more Stanley Cup champions, presents a very tough first round opponent for Vancouver or San Jose in the West.

UPDATE: It's a longshot, but worthwhile mentioning the Cheechoo signing too. If he can return anywhere near his previous form, that's a big bonus too. Doubt it but you never know.

Your prediction is defiantly fair. I think the blues are one of those bubble teams and if everything goes right they could sneak into the playoffs. My biggest concern is injuries. They have a lot of guys who to me have been kind of injury prone in their careers. McDonald, Colaiacovo and Oshie have had their fair share of injuries already. If these 3 can stay relatively healthy for an entire year I think the blues chances of moving up the standings improve drastically.

At the start of last year the blues were really coming on strong out of the gate. Oshie to me was one of the biggest reasons for the quick start. He put up 10pts in 13 games. When Oshie is firing on all cylinders he is one of the more effective players in the game with his speed and intensity. He kind of reminds me of a poor mans Theo.

I agree with you on their veteran signings this off season. Bringing in Arnott, Langenbrunner, Huskins and Nichol will do wonders for this team. I think Nichol was an excellent signing who will help replace McClement on the PK.

Their D has a perfect mix of offensive guys along with tough defensive guys. Shatty and Pieter can manage the points on the PP and help get the puck in the back of the net. Jackman, Polak, Huskins can do their job in their own zone and knock guys done on their ass. Colaiacovo is the wild card in this bunch and if he could remain healthy for a season he could be a huge help. I feel that the earth is gonna freeze over before this guy plays a full season.

Quote:

Originally Posted by PrairieDog

Nice to have you following a team, db87...

I'm a huge fan of the Blues' roster, obviously Berglund, Oshie, Stewart, Shatts, Pietrangelo are all exciting players - I am also wondering what you think of another highly touted youngster - V Tarasenko. The Blues F corps is deep, and they have no need to rush him - he has expressed that his only desire is to play in the NHL, but of course there always remains some KHL threat. IMO he needs at least 1 yr in the AHL to get a feel for the N. American game, but by all accounts this guy is already close to ready...

Thanks PD, I forgot to thank you, who i guess deserves all the credit since you were the one who guided me to this magical place. LOL. I plan on doing some write ups on some of the players like Tarasenko when i get the time. I think your dead on in saying he should be in the AHL for a year to get a feel for the game over here. Im mainly scared about the fact that he is Russian. You never entirely know what their intentions are until the decision day comes. I do have a gut feeling though his chances of coming over are a lot greater than a guy like Kuznestov. If he comes over here to play he could turn into one of the biggest steals of that draft. Everybody knew he had top 10 talent but that russian factor is always scary.

Quote:

Originally Posted by JHM

The Blues seem to be on the verge of some good things. They're waiting, and have done a pretty good job being patient, for someone to step up and lead. Whether this comes from within (perhaps imminently) or whether they are able to land their own version of Richards/Carter the next time one comes available, waits to be seen. Their drafting has been excellent in recent years, so they can hope for the growth from within. It also means they have some trading power. They don't have the good luck with the high profile UFAs selecting them as a destination. To add that 80-90 point front man, would do a world of good for them, and hockey in St. Louis and push them over the top.

I really like the Arnott/Langenbrunner signings. This duo should add numerous elements to the team - off ice preparation, dealing with stress, game preparation, handling ones self in public, practise habits... not every day you add two former Stanley Cup winners and two players who have captained highly respected franchises. Oh, and they should still be assets when on the ice.

I agree, they are coming close to where they used to predominantly be for a few years. I think John Davidson has done an excellent job as GM and now they are finally starting to form into what his original vision was. It will be interesting to see what pieces fall and what pieces are added in the next couple of years. And thanks to everyone for the warm welcomes.

Riverboat Danglers · #12 07-27-2011, 02:19 PM

In the next coming months i will try to do a weekly article on some of the prospects and fantasy studs on their roster. For anybody that missed one of the better write ups i have ever read on Jaden Schwartz here is a link to an extensive read on one of the better up and coming prospects.

http://www.dobberhockey.com/index.ph...ad.php&t=87264

Shakedown · #13 07-27-2011, 06:02 PM

Awesome stuff Chris. Looking forward to it!

TK12555 · #14 07-27-2011, 06:38 PM

Hey diamondback, how many points should I expect from Backes this year? Is pegging him as a 68-70 point guy too high?

Riverboat Danglers · #15 07-27-2011, 07:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TK12555

Hey diamondback, how many points should I expect from Backes this year? Is pegging him as a 68-70 point guy too high?

I would think we probably will see numbers similar to last season. I think he should be close to your expectation but more realistically he should get around 65pts. I think in his peak season we could see 70+ but i see him constantly improving by a small margin. He is still only 27 so I think he is still on the upward slope in his career and we could some numbers close to a PPG once this team finally turns the corner

TK12555 · #16 07-27-2011, 09:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by diamondback87

I would think we probably will see numbers similar to last season. I think he should be close to your expectation but more realistically he should get around 65pts. I think in his peak season we could see 70+ but i see him constantly improving by a small margin. He is still only 27 so I think he is still on the upward slope in his career and we could some numbers close to a PPG once this team finally turns the corner

thanks buddy!

27Blue · #17 07-27-2011, 09:52 PM

if healthy, the blues should contend for a playoff spot.

they allowed the second fewest shots per game in the league last year, with a decimated blue line and a number one goaltender that was either injured or playing hurt and he was adjusting to a new team.

they also scored more than any other team down the stretch... after the all-star break (with the arrival of stewart and shatty- and a fairly healthy line-up), no team scored more goals...

i love watching the blues and i look forward to dropping in and reading your thoughts on the team.

GMGates · #18 07-27-2011, 10:47 PM

Officially tweeted and great start already.

Good luck Chris!

duballstar014 · #19 07-27-2011, 11:05 PM

Very excited for Blues coverage. Welcome!!

horrorfan · #20 07-28-2011, 09:38 AM

Welcome aboard. Is it fair to suggest that we have to temper our point predictions due to the amount of depth they have up front, and the amount of ice time they will have to share? With Oshie, McDonald, Stewart, Berglund, Backes and Steen as arguably their top six offensive players (maybe D'Agostini will emerge at some point), there is only so much scoring to go around. They were the sixth highest scoring team in the Western Conference last season and only had one 60+ point player.

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