The Blues deserved a better fate than a regulation loss tonight, but the Avs get a weird bounce go in with 40+ seconds left and that's the game. Just the way things are going this season for our squad. 
The Blues deserved nothing Kev and they got what they deserved. They had plenty of chance to win that game. They’re just not a good team. Our top players are not performing......they’re all too streaky and inconsistent. Early on I gave the team a pass due to being wrecked by injuries but that’s part of the game. Binnington let’s two soft goals a game in.....our top players miss prime scoring chances time after time.....the head coach praises lackluster efforts.....it’s just a cluster F.
So while yes....they played a competitive game......that’s how they SHOULD be playing. But they’ve played so horrible over the past month and half that when they play a good, hard fought game and lose we the fans think they deserve better. They don’t. Good teams win games like the AVs did last night. Bad teams lose them like the Blues did.
Maybe. 
But yeah, it's a mess. Binnington's soft goals do not help, but their problems are much bigger than him. Can't help wondering now if maybe they should have overpaid Petro to stay, for the sake of the short term. Felt like they still had a championship window and perhaps they should have gone all-in to maximize their chances of making another Cup run. Spitballing a bit, but I can't help but wonder.
The single player that the Blues couldn't afford to have hurt this year was Colton Paryako. He was going to eat the minutes that Petro left behind, he's a shut down D man who is capable of those top line match ups. having him start the season with a bum back then go on LTIR with the back issues was utterly brutal given the role he was slated to play. Add in losing Sudquist who played big minutes....was a PK specialist and the 'straw that stirs the drink' for the Blues.....the entire team identity was lost. Losing Gunnarson on D is looming large as well. The dude was a steady, reliable pro who was smart and 'knew' the game. Those three gone in themselves is enough to disrupt a team.
The injuries to Schwartz,Thomas, Bozak, and not having Tarasenko return until a dozen games ago was tough but those are manageable losses if you have guys stepping up. Hoffman is a bust and it's clear all he can do is shoot....I mean literally that's all he can do. There is no other aspect of his game that is NHL caliber. Horrific on the back check, zero energy to forecheck....it's painfully obvious that there's a reason teams passed on him. Schenn, Sanford, Schwartz (when healthy)....these guys are so streaky and unreliable to consistently give us offense that it's brutal. Tarasenko doesn't look the same and may never will. This leaves O'Reily who is literally doing everything he can to try and win games himself because all the other guys are going through the motions.
It's evident now as well that Binnington was a huge benefactor of that stout D that won us the Cup. Now, he had a magical run and had moxi running out his a$$ during that Cup run.....but the Blues D in that championship season was unreal. Boumeester and Paryako shut the top line down of every team we beat to win the cup. Every one of them. Losing Boumeester and Petro was always going to be a beast to make up...add Paryako into that mix and it's just a tough mountain to climb.
Krug has had a rough introduction to playing on a team that doesn't have elite talent out the wahzoo.....he's being asked to step up in ways he hasn't had to yet. I'm not concerned that he can't turn it around eventually but this season has been tough on him. Faulk has looked good and is playing well but he's playing a ton of minutes and it's catching up on him. They need to turn the page on Dunn and let him walk, Bortuzzo is a handy third pair guy and our rookies in Walman and Mikkola are something to be excited about. But taking Paryako out of that D core just blows up everything.
Maybe they make a small run and squeak into the playoffs. But there's no delusion in my mind that there simply is no way they're winning a series....much less a division championship or cup. It'd be a small miracle for them to make the playoffs much less win a series. I'd prefer them to miss it entirely so Armstrong can evaluate and clean house a bit and approach next season....which should be a "normal" season with a fresh new look.
Topic: NHL (2020-2021) v. Draft, sign, & trade. (Read 73419 times)
