Rookie Watch

[RoyalDude]

Can somebody explain to me how Tarasenko goes 16th overall? I know, it's the draft, it's a crap shoot, but shite does this kid look good. The Blues got a couple of good rooks in him and Schwartz in the line-up this year. With Ty Rattie in the system, they look to be solid for the future up front.

Big game from Huberdeau last night, 1 goal and 2 assists

Granlund played a good game for the Wild

the Rookie 3 stars for last night

1. Tarasenko
2. Huderdeau
3. Granlund

Other note-able rookies who played last night

Schwartz
Gaylenchuk
Silfverberg
Krieder
Despres
Scheiffle
Matteau
Hamilton

[Diehard1]

Blues have a lot of good youth, but their issue will be affording it very shortly. They have a strict budget in St. Loo and guys like Pietrangelo are up for renewal this off-season. They are paying about $10 million total to 7 dmen right now, they may have to pay Pietrangelo $5 million himself next season.

Give the Nucks about 3 or 4 years and they'll be in a similar situation - most of the core players on this team will be done and a rebuild will be underway. We'll have lots of rookies and hot shots to talk about then.

[RoyalDude]

Blues have a lot of good youth, but their issue will be affording it very shortly. They have a strict budget in St. Loo and guys like Pietrangelo are up for renewal this off-season. They are paying about $10 million total to 7 dmen right now, they may have to pay Pietrangelo $5 million himself next season.

Give the Nucks about 3 or 4 years and they'll be in a similar situation - most of the core players on this team will be done and a rebuild will be underway. We'll have lots of rookies and hot shots to talk about then.

The thing is, it's not like the Blues have been total bottom dwellers, i.e. Edmonton Oilers, over the last decade other than a couple miss-steps here and there but overall they have been a decent club, yet they manage to draft quite well. I know Pietrangelo was a top 5 pick but not so high picks Schwartz(14th), Tarasenko(16th), Oshie(24th), Backes(62nd), Berglund(25th), Perron(26th), Polak(180th), Jackman(17th), Rattie(32nd) all points to good scouting by St. Loo.

Not too mention pulling off great trades like trading Johnson to Colorado for Shattenkirk and Stewart.

[Diehard1]

Blues have a lot of good youth, but their issue will be affording it very shortly. They have a strict budget in St. Loo and guys like Pietrangelo are up for renewal this off-season. They are paying about $10 million total to 7 dmen right now, they may have to pay Pietrangelo $5 million himself next season.

Give the Nucks about 3 or 4 years and they'll be in a similar situation - most of the core players on this team will be done and a rebuild will be underway. We'll have lots of rookies and hot shots to talk about then.

The thing is, it's not like the Blues have been total bottom dwellers, i.e. Edmonton Oilers, over the last decade other than a couple miss-steps here and there but overall they have been a decent club, yet they manage to draft quite well. I know Pietrangelo was a top 5 pick but not so high picks Schwartz(14th), Tarasenko(16th), Oshie(24th), Backes(62nd), Berglund(25th), Perron(26th), Polak(180th), Jackman(17th), Rattie(32nd) all points to good scouting by St. Loo.

Not too mention pulling off great trades like trading Johnson to Colorado for Shattenkirk and Stewart.

True - though a guy like Jackman was drafted 13 years ago so if we're going back that far the Nucks have Daniel, Henrik, Bieksa, Kesler, Schneider, Edler, Hansen all as major components to their team, while guys like Tanev, Jensen, Gaunce, Schroeder, Corrado, etc should be part of the future. I do agree they have drafted well over the years, they've had some good scouting and should be good for years to come.

[Blob Mckenzie]

Lot to like about that Blues team. They can roll four lines , and they are skilled, big and young. Would be nice to somehow pry Patrik Berglund out of there.


Pietrangelo is going to demand upwards of 6 million if he has another year like the last one. He could be the best player in that 08 draft. HArd to choose between him , Doughty and Stamkos. Going to be interesting to track the careers of those three and also Myers and EK. Great draft year !

[Per]

Anyone in a keeper pool should consider Silfverberg.

Last season this kid scored 54 points in 49 games for Brynäs in the SEL, and another 20 in 17 playoff games, including the championship winning goal. He also picked up the Swedish equivalents of Art Ross, Hart, Conn Smythe and Lady Byng and was named team captain when Andreas Dackell retired due to injuries halfway through the season. At age 21.

His transfer to North American hockey wasn't all smooth. In his first ten games for Binghampton he only scored three points. But over the next 24 he scored 26! Now Ottawa are planning to try him out on their first line, and if that doesn't work out, the second. In that surrounding, with top line minutes, I expect a lot from him!

[RoyalDude]

Some note-able Rookies in play on today's sched -

Sven Baertschi
Granlund
Laughton
Grigorenko
Yakupov
Schultz
Despres
Kreider

I really like this Laughton kid. With all the centres Philly has and if Bryzgalov continues to shit the bed????

[RoyalDude]

Anyone in a keeper pool should consider Silfverberg.

Last season this kid scored 54 points in 49 games for Brynäs in the SEL, and another 20 in 17 playoff games, including the championship winning goal. He also picked up the Swedish equivalents of Art Ross, Hart, Conn Smythe and Lady Byng and was named team captain when Andreas Dackell retired due to injuries halfway through the season. At age 21.

His transfer to North American hockey wasn't all smooth. In his first ten games for Binghampton he only scored three points. But over the next 24 he scored 26! Now Ottawa are planning to try him out on their first line, and if that doesn't work out, the second. In that surrounding, with top line minutes, I expect a lot from him!

I really like Silfverberg. Could be the steal of the '09 draft

[RoyalDude]

Tarasenko with 1 goal and 2 assists. Fellow Blues rook Schwartz with an assist.

Shite, look out for the Blues if Tarasenko and Scwartz are the real deals

Jakob Silfverberg with his 1st goal tonight.

[rats19]

didnt know where to put this:

schroeder recalled up and vandermeer sent to the wolves

[herb]

didnt know where to put this:

schroeder recalled up and vandermeer sent to the wolves

Vandermeer cleared...now we can all breathe a HUGE sigh of relief.

[Tciso]

didnt know where to put this:

schroeder recalled up and vandermeer sent to the wolves

Vandermeer cleared...now we can all breathe a HUGE sigh of relief.

Hey, he's no Cam Barker!! So, which under-performer is sitting next game against Calgary? Bringing up a 125lb forward is not what I would have done going into a game against Calgary, but...I am neither a GM or a coach.

[herb]

So, which under-performer is sitting next game against Calgary? Bringing up a 125lb forward is not what I would have done going into a game against Calgary, but...I am neither a GM or a coach.

It's pretty obviously going to be Ebbett who will be sitting.

Is there something about Calgary in particular that would have you not play Schroeder? I would think a home game against a weak opponent would be a great time to try out a rookie.

Not that I find Schroeder to be a particularly exciting prospect, but I'm rooting for the kid and am excited to see him play tomorrow. His size definitely puts him at a disadvantage, but Chris Tanev is a beanpole who has managed to make it in the NHL with his hockey IQ and cool demeanor, so there's nothing saying Schroeder absolutely cannot carve out an NHL career.

[dbr]

I'm excited to see how Schroeder does. He's a stocky kid so I don't expect him to be as weak on his skates as say, Mason Raymond if he stays aware of his limitations.

I don't watch the Wolves but some pretty sensible people who do seem to think he's been vastly better than his point totals down there would suggest.

Anyway you know AV is going to give Schroeder's line a manageable assignment and Calgary is becoming the weak sister of the division so I'm not particularly worried about that.

[RoyalDude]

I'm in complete utter shock since hearing that Schroeder has been called up. Giving a rookie a chance, especially one that was drafted almost 4 years ago? Holy shit, this is so unlike MG and AV. They must be sweatin' bullets with this decision. How long into the game until AV has him parked on the 4th line getting 3 minutes max a game and how long until we see him flying back to Chicago with AV responding "Jordan is a great kid, with a good work ethic but we feel he is better served getting the minutes down in Chicago under Arniel to work on his game"?