Hi there. Roofers are pounding overhead and my body is gradually getting back to normal after my colonoscopy, but that doesn't mean I won't be laser focused on this week's chat, which I expect will include questions never before asked in a Blues chat. Let's go.
Yes he would, and there's an excellent chance he would again be the first player Pietrangelo handed it to.
Not to my knowledge. Unnecessary travel is likely not a big thing for him right now.
If the choice is between playing Tarasenko and playing Sammy Blais, I say you play Tarasenko. This team had pretty good chemistry with him in the lineup last season. It's not like they're bringing in someone from another team. He skates with the guys every day. He's an assistant captain .The players know he's really good at scoring goals and doing other things. His reappareance will not impact team chemistry negatively.
Kyrou's fine. Berube has wanted to get the regular scratches in a game lately so they don't know go months between playing with the playoffs approaching. So de la Rose went in when Kyrou was sick and stayed in, and now MacEachern is in. Eventually, Kyrou will get back. Though when Tarasenko returns, someone is going to come out and the options are Kyrou and Blais. So that will be something to watch in the days ahead.
Yes I do, and it could be very soon. It would be the right thing to do to slow the spread of the virus. But teams are probably going to wait to be ordered to do it, because as Frank Seravalli wrote on TSN.ca today, that could make a difference on whether the team's financial losses are covered by insurance or not. Ultimately, I think it's going to be unavoidable.
I haven't checked with Brouwer since he told me that when he came back this time, but I can't see why it would change. He would go to San Antonio with the understanding he would be recalled as soon as the season ended and be around the team for the playoffs. He can get in some games in San Antonio since he hasn't played in forever. It's a very reasonable tradeoff for him. And when he came back, he would skate with the team and not with the Black Aces.
For those who aren't multi-tasking, Jim Thomas just reported from Anaheim that Tyler Bozak is not on the trip because his wife is expecting.
I'll also point out, in case you didn't do the math, that it's been almost exactly nine months since the Blues won the Stanley Cup
From the people I've talked to about it, it sounds like a good situation. I'm sure the Blues would have liked something closer to St. Louis, but their Midwestern options were fairly limited. With the closeness of the teams in the Northeast, most games are a reasonably short bus ride away. Players and coaches are home more. There's more practice time, less time sitting in airports. (It's also very good news for assistant GMs Bill Alexander and Kevin McDonald, who live in the area.) It's a bit of a longer haul on callups, but Southwest has recently added a nonstop from nearby Hartford to St. Louis, and there other airports in the region. And the San Antonio coaching staff will move to Springfield.
I guess the answer would be yes. Not sure if all the stats transfer over, like hits and faceoff wins and things like that. Bozak played in that first game and won't play tonight, but didn't have a point.
Blues, FYI, should be taking the ice for their morning skate in Anaheim right about now
The procedure itself is nothing. You lay down, you wake up, it's over. The prep is the toughest part. No one should be afraid of getting one.
Binnington got his chance because at the time the Blues gave up on Chad Johnson, Ville Husso was hurt, and of such things, Stanley Cups are won. Now, Husso wasn't playing all that well last season, and considering the situation, that the Blues wanted someone to sit on the bench while Jake Allen played all the games, they might well have left Husso in San Antonio to get games even if he was playing well. Binnington wasn't THAT far down on the depth chart. He was behind Husso, so he was third after they dumped Johnson. The Blues liked Binnington, but based on how the goalies had played in training camps and exhibition games, Husso was the guy. I've seen Husso play some great games in the preseason against NHL teams. So it's not like this was some decision out of left field. Teams have to prioritize the goalie position, and the Blues had put Husso ahead of Binnington. Binnington, when given his chance, seized it and changed Blues history
The fact that the Blues made the Brouwer roster move certainly points to it being pretty likely. We should have an idea shortly when Berube talks to Jim in Anaheim after practice. If they think he's ready, he'll play.
I've been meaning to do that but haven't. Pretty sure they're league mandated. It seems like over the years, the younger guys have gotten quite adept at manipulating them in their mouths while they play. I've never seen one of them drop one. I think it's just a, well, not a nervous habit, but a habit for them
As opposed to sitting down by the glass? Yes. I would assume that the media would operate on a fairly normal basis. What you don't want is 18,000 people sitting in close proximity and spreading the virus in untold directions
You can only tell a guy so many times. Parayko has been told for years about shooting. MacInnis has told him for years. Larry Robinson has told him. Heck, pretty sure I've told him, or at least asked him. He's heard the crowd react whenever he gets the puck. It's not that he didn't know to do it. He just didn't do it. He says he feels more comfortable out there. And his accuracy has gone up substantially. It's been a long time coming.
The Blues are pretty hush-hush on that. When I did a story on it a few years ago, Armstrong said it was him and another person, whose identity he wouldn't reveal. I doubt it's grown much. Berube is more honed in on numbers than you would expect. Every now and then he throws out something that shows he's looking at another level of numbers. But a lot of his in-game moves seem to be seat of the pants moves. But between periods, by the time the coaches get to their office, they have a breakdown of the period waiting for them.
