Re: What's Next for The St. Louis Blues?

by davetherave on Mon Jun 29, 2009 7:33 pm

With the Blues' plethora of prospects, there figures to a battle for spots on this year's roster... a situation which speaks to the excellent work of John Davidson and Larry Pleau, as this article underlines:

Ice time may not come easily for Blues' many prospects
Jeremy Rutherford, St Louis Post Dispatch/STLTODAY.com, June 29, 2009

On Friday night, David Rundblad stepped onto the stage at the NHL draft and
pulled on a Blues sweater with his last name stitched on the back.

The club's first-round pick at No. 17 overall, Rundblad is a highly regarded
defenseman who could be ready for the NHL in two seasons. After Rundblad, the
Blues chose five other players who also have the potential to wear the Bluenote
one day.

There's only one problem: The Blues can personalize all of the jerseys their
sewing machine will crank out. But soon, an organization that was short on
prospects before the NHL lockout of 2004-05 could find itself short on ice to
provide its recent draft picks.

The Blues have 17 players who were chosen in the first three rounds from 2006
to 2009 who are either already on the roster or still considered NHL hopefuls.
Of course, the likelihood exists that a number of those picks won't make the
grade and will find themselves playing elsewhere. Of the 13 players who were
drafted in the first three rounds from 2002 to 2005, only five are still with
the organization.

"You hope that everyone turns out to be a real good NHL hockey player, which
normally doesn't happen," Blues President John Davidson said. "It's up to our
organization to present an opportunity to all these kids. You try to do that by
having information for them to get better as pros ... the orientation camp, the
weight training ... nutrition. If you give these kids chances, they're going to
be the best they can be.

"You never want to move anybody, but if all the defensemen we drafted turn out
to be outstanding, you only have a certain amount of room. If you keep them,
develop them and then have too many, it gives us a chance to maybe go for a
larger piece. Or, you also have the option of (trading them) for future draft
picks. There are no negatives when you draft good players."

Already endorsed by Hockeysfuture.com as having the No. 1 group of prospects in
the NHL, the Blues are inching closer to the point where they could afford to
trade prospects for immediate help.

In fact, at the draft, the club attempted to make a trade with Anaheim for
defenseman Chris Pronger. Davidson said the Blues were involved in talks with
the Ducks up until they dealt Pronger to Philadelphia.

Anaheim acquired forward Joffrey Lupul (a first-round pick in 2002), defenseman
Luca Sbisa (a first-round pick in 2008), the Flyers' first-round pick this
year, their first-round pick in 2010 and a conditional third-round pick.

Davidson would not comment on the players requested in a potential deal for
Pronger, but sources said that T.J. Oshie, Patrik Berglund and David Backes
were targets of the Ducks.

"A lot of people have tried to pry our good, young players away from us,"
Davidson said. "If you took some of those guys and moved them this minute,
you've got to be sure you're improving your team. When we get into a position
as a team where we feel we're close, then we're going to try to improve our
team the proper way.

"We're going to let our guys play, and if they develop like we think they will,
they'll either play for us, or the return (in a trade) will be even higher. An
example would be David Backes, who became a real legitimate hockey player."

But not all of them turn out to be like Backes.

That's why the Blues have to do a quality job of evaluating the development of
their prospects. The club has to see what it has in each player and choose the
right time to make a trade.

"You've got to figure out who's an A-plus, an A, a B-plus, a B, all the way
down," Davidson said. "We're not in any rush. (But) sometimes in this league,
the window between having a chance to win and having that window close can be
decided on when you make those deals."

An example came last season when the Blues traded Lee Stempniak, a former
fifth-round draft pick, to Toronto for Alex Steen and Carlo Colaiacovo, both
former first-round picks.

After going to the Maple Leafs, Stempniak scored 11 goals and had 30 points in
61 games. Meanwhile, Colaiacovo led Blues defensemen with 29 points in 63
games, and Steen had six goals and 24 points in 61 games.

"It's very hard to judge," Davidson said. "It's just got to do its thing.

"Hockey is an intriguing game. You've got to find a way to get better. It's
almost like a pyramid ... you've got all these players and you've got to go up
the sides to get to that point. You want to develop from within, which is what
we're in the middle of. Sometimes you think your own guys can get you to the
top of the mountain. That's possible. But we've got to have all our options
wide open, and that's why you have your pro and amateur scouts. You might have
to do things to help yourself."

by **marakh** on Sat Oct 03, 2009 6:04 pm

I'm quite impressed by this team's defensive coverage and counter attack. THey are deep, they are tough, fast, some players have laser shots and EJ looks like he didn't miss 500+ days of NHL. Solid Goaltending duo, good leadership and excellent young gunz. I think they can take the Central this year.

by N4L on Sat Oct 03, 2009 6:09 pm

EJ looks amazing right now. STUD.

by **marakh** on Sat Oct 03, 2009 6:11 pm

Jay McClement might be the best 3rd line center in the league.

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