Archive for September 27th, 2009
Puck September: St. Louis Blues
This past summer has been all about the money. There was the unrestricted free agent *frenzy.* That was around the same time the Phoenix Coyotes financial problems came into the spotlight, when BlackBerry billionaire Jim Balsillie threw his two cents into the fray and the league kept talking out of both sides of its mouth. You know, the place they seem reluctant to put their money in.
Screwed up contracts — both legitimate Chicago fuck-ups and the over-spending variety — became commonplace, and some players decided to gamble on the bigger payday in Russia. Terms like “escrow” and “cap numbers” came to be a part of the conversation, too. Then there was even more change — and even less sense — from Patrick Kane, who allegedly tag-teamed a Buffalo cab driver with his cousin over 20 cents.
It seems talk of climbing out of this recession has put money on the mind and our mind on the money, so in the spirit of cash, let’s take a look at all 21 teams 30 teams as training camps get set to fire up this month. Like most financial ventures, some teams will offer a greater return than others.
ST. LOUIS BLUES
Central Division
2008-09 record: 41-31-10, third in the division, sixth in the conference
Cap space: $9.823 million
Tip sheet:
The ‘Baby Blues’ have all grown up and now face the prospects of having to supplant the Chicago Blackhawks and the Detroit Red Wings in the Norris. Man, talk about bad timing on the rebuilding project…If this team can somehow stay out of the trainer’s room, they could be a force…There’s no getting around the fact that GM and president John Davidson has done a wonderful job. What I really like about the way JD has transitioned from the broadcast booth to the running the show is the manner in which he’s handled himself. Very composed, very insightful. Back in the CBC and Ranger days, he was the king of the yuk-yuk sect, and it overshadowed his commentary. I thought so, anyway…Keith Tkachuk is still in the NHL, eh?
Fun fact:
While in St. Louis, you’ll find the Anheuser-Busch tour quite boring.
You should really invest in this club because…
The young forwards up front. They don’t get the benefit of the NHL or TSN hype machine like say Kane and Toews, but David Backes and TJ Oshie are terrific players. I thought Backes was the best player on the ice in the series with Vancouver last spring.
The bottom will fall out with…
Goaltending. St. Louis has the lessor of the Mason tenders in Chris. Steve would be a huge upgrade. Hell, even Bob might be at this stage of his life.
Key acquisition:
Again with the net. Is Ty Conklin an answer back there?
Bottom line:
Andy Murray is a smart coach and deserves some Lindy Ruff/Barry Trotz-sized credit for getting his club into the post season last year. Now that everyone knows the Blues are a real deal, how will they respond to the challenge night in and night out?
