Blues pick up Stastny, top FA - 4 years $28m

[DCH]

http://espn.go.com/nhl/story/_/id/11162665/st-louis-blues-sign-paul-stastny-28m-free-agent-deal

Good news for my tied-for-2nd-favorite home-town team. Good offensive touch, great leader, hurts the Avalanche a lot losing him - they maybe the hockey Cubs, but this offseason is off to a great start for our Blues.

 

[Yamahopper]

That's a great signing for the Blues. And only for 4 years, they didn't have to overpay in years. Stastny and signing Jori Lehtera today makes center a position of strength. Only question is if Bergland or another center gets traded for more help.

 

[FRO]

It was a move that had to be done if the team was serious about winning a cup. Great move. I'm glad we didn't have to trade a ton of assets to get someone.

 

[bluecoconuts]

Who is going to play in goal next year for St Louis?

 

[Memento]

Who is going to play in goal next year for St Louis?

Brian Elliot, but I fully expect Jake Allen to overtake Elliot for the number one goalie slot. After all, when you make saves like this:



You deserve to start. Period.

 

[FRO]

Brian Elliot, but I fully expect Jake Allen to overtake Elliot for the number one goalie slot. After all, when you make saves like this:



You deserve to start. Period.

A combo of Allen and Elliot will be good. Allen should eventually develop into the guy we were expecting Miller to be for us.

 

[DCH]

A combo of Allen and Elliot will be good. Allen should eventually develop into the guy we were expecting Miller to be for us.

I think it's Allen's job to lose. Elliot is a phenomenal backup/spot starter but the Blues are likely going into 2014/15 a legit Stanley Cup contender, and I don't see Elliot as the starting netminder for a legit Stanley Cup contender.

I'm intrigued by Husso, the Finn they drafted in the 4th, as a developmental guy.

 

[bluecoconuts]

I think it's Allen's job to lose. Elliot is a phenomenal backup/spot starter but the Blues are likely going into 2014/15 a legit Stanley Cup contender, and I don't see Elliot as the starting netminder for a legit Stanley Cup contender.

I'm intrigued by Husso, the Finn they drafted in the 4th, as a developmental guy.

It'll be a few years before he's ready for the NHL, most of the time it's only guys at the top of the draft that play right away.

 

[DCH]

It'll be a few years before he's ready for the NHL, most of the time it's only guys at the top of the draft that play right away.

Absolutely. As a developmental guy though, he's got some nice upside.

 

[ChrisW]

Looks like they are all in for Hitchcock's last year.

Also, unless he can play goalie, you guys have a pretty big gap...and will continue to be your Achilles heel.

On another note, if you saw all the transactions, the West is going to be BRUTAL this year. GO HAWKS.

 

[STL_Bighorn]

Hopefully Stastny and Lehtera are exactly what the Blues have been missing and can get them to the promised land...getting swept in the second round. All joking aside,Love them Blues and much as I love the Rams and anything less than the Conference finals will be a let down. LGB!!

 

[ZigZagRam]

Looks like they are all in for Hitchcock's last year.

Also, unless he can play goalie, you guys have a pretty big gap...and will continue to be your Achilles heel.

On another note, if you saw all the transactions, the West is going to be BRUTAL this year. GO HAWKS.

As a fan of a team that's won the Cup with Corey Crawford in net, you should be well aware that a team doesn't need a top netminder to win the whole thing.

 

[ChrisW]

As a fan of a team that's won the Cup with Corey Crawford in net, you should be well aware that a team doesn't need a top netminder to win the whole thing.

To be fair, Crawford played damn well throughout the playoffs the year they won it with him in net.

 

[PowayRamFan]

To be fair, Crawford played damn well throughout the playoffs the year they won it with him in net.

And he was doing OK this year, until the Kings showed up....

 

[HometownBoy]

To be fair, Crawford played damn well throughout the playoffs the year they won it with him in net.

This, people give Crawford a lot of shit, but the guy was fairly solid both this year and last, he's stolen quite a few games in the Hawks favor.

 

[Memento]

GODFUCKINGDAMMIT! Why in the fuck did we resign Ott? Ott, who had no goals, five fucking assists, ran around like a chicken with his head cut off, took unnecessary penalties like they were going out of style, played shitty defense, turned the puck over more times than I could count, and - to top it all up - is a cheapshotting goon who I personally can't stand? FUCK! And we lost Sobotka to the KHL. Fucking shit! Would have rather let Paajarvi or Jaskin take on his role and get the minutes. Why in the holy fuck did we sign this useless fucking plug instead?!!! Dammit, I can understand Berglund. I can understand Reaves. But Ott? A fucking rat agitator with no hockey sense or skill whatsoever? AND WE SIGNED HIM TO A FOURTH-LINE ROLE FOR 2.6 MILLION-PER-YEAR FOR TWO YEARS?! WHAT THE FUCK KIND OF SICK NIGHTMARE IS THIS?!!!

 

[Boffo97]

GODFUCKINGDAMMIT! Why in the freak did we resign Ott? Ott, who had no goals, five freaking assists, ran around like a chicken with his head cut off, took unnecessary penalties like they were going out of style, played crappy defense, turned the puck over more times than I could count, and - to top it all up - is a cheapshotting goon who I personally can't stand? freak! And we lost Sobotka to the KHL. freaking crap! Would have rather let Paajarvi or Jaskin take on his role and get the minutes. Why in the holy freak did we sign this useless freaking plug instead?!!! Dammit, I can understand Berglund. I can understand Reaves. But Ott? A freaking rat agitator with no hockey sense or skill whatsoever? AND WE SIGNED HIM TO A FOURTH-LINE ROLE FOR 2.6 MILLION-PER-YEAR FOR TWO YEARS?! WHAT THE freak KIND OF SICK NIGHTMARE IS THIS?!!!

I'm marking Memento down as undecided for now. We'll come back to him later.

 

[GreeneCounty]

I FELL OUT OF LOVE W/NOTE WHEN HULL LEFT

 

[ZigZagRam]

I FELL OUT OF LOVE W/NOTE WHEN HULL LEFT

That's a shame because this team is better than any of the Brett Hull era teams.