The Blues roster is not all doom and gloom though. Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou provided the youthful exuberance for the Blues’ cup run and they’re now full fledged stars in their prime. They are at the front edge of a cohort just starting to reach it’s prime and it’s time for the Blues to fully transition the leading roles on the NHL roster to this group.
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Midpoint Check-in: Central Division
We’re at the midway point of the 23/24 season. Let’s take a look at where things stand in the Central Division. Preseason Projections We’ll start Continue Reading
Transaction Assessment: Maple Leafs acquire Ryan O’Reilly and Noel Acciari
The Toronto Maple Leafs acquired Ryan O’Reilly and Noel Acciari from the St Louis Blues yesterday, with the Minnesota Wild acting as a third party broker to retain salary and also sending Josh Pillar to Toronto. The Blues retained 50% of O’Reilly’s cap hit and the Wild retained another 25%, landing O’Reilly in Toronto with only 25% of his total cap hit. The Blues received Adam Gaudette, Mikhail Abramov, a 2023 1st round pick (TOR), 2023 3rd round pick (OTT), and 2024 2nd round pick (TOR) while the Wild received a 2025 4th round pick (MIN).
Transaction Assessment: Rangers Acquire Vladimir Tarasenko
The New York Rangers acquired Vladimir Tarasenko from the St Louis Blues yesterday, along with defenseman Niko Mikkola. The Blues also retained 50% of Tarasenko’s cap hit. In exchange, the Rangers sent Sammy Blais, prospect Hunter Skinner, a conditional 2023 first round pick, and a conditional 2024 1st round pick. Let’s dig into the deal to see how it fits each teams needs.
22/23 Mid-Season Power Rankings: #32-22 – Lusting for Lottery Luck
We’ve hit the mid point of the 2022/23 regular season. I thought it would be a good time to check in on how the NHL’s 32 teams stack up against one another based on their projected roster strengths.
Today we’ll start with the bottom third of the league, looking at teams ranked #32 through #22. Most of these teams are clearly in the tank mode looking to land a top pick in the 2023 draft but there are a few surprises…
Central Division Snapshot: November 27, 2022
Today we’re checking in on the Central Division. In our last Central Division Snapshot in late October, there were still plenty of early season trends playing out. With a quarter of the season now in the books, we have a better idea of which of those early trends will fade away and which may stick through the season.
Central Division Snapshot: October 30, 2022
While we’re getting a better idea of long term trends, there’s still room for early puck luck to mask long term indicators. So, which teams’ early results are for real and which teams are masquerading as something they aren’t?
Central Division Snapshot: October 16, 2022
In the previous Central Division Snapshot, we looked at how the division shaped up as the start of the regular season approached. With a few regular season contests now in the books, let’s check in to see how the landscape has changed over the first week of the season.
Central Division Snapshot: September 26, 2022
In our previous Central Division Snapshot, we looked at how the division was shaping up after the initial flood of free agent signings in mid-July. With training camps now underway, let’s take a look at how the landscape shifted over the second half of the summer.
Team Synopsis: St Louis Blues – September 18, 2022
The St Louis Blues locked up a pair of young stars to long term extensions this summer. Do they have the talent surrounding them to contend this season and beyond?