STL Blues Links of the Day

Blues look for improvement within

Jeremy Rutherford writes that due to problems with team ownership, the Saint Louis Blues will be forced to rely on the players currently within the organization to provide the offense next season.

When TowerBrook Capital Partners decided to divest their share of the team, it left the Blues with some serious budget constraints. Not including new contracts that will be issued to David Perron, Erik Johnson, and DJ King, the Blue Note’s payroll will be around $40 million, that’s $8 million less than last year.

GM Doug Armstrong tells Rutherford that despite the budget constraints, the Blues are okay in relying on their current roster.

Question: Do you agree with Armstrong’s statement? Or do you think that the Blues could have been doing more this off-season in terms of signing/trading for “big-name” scorers? If you think they could have been doing more, who do you think they could have gone after?

Perron gets 2-year extension from Blues

Blues forward David Perron inked a 2-year contract extension with the Blues late Wednesday morning.

Perron, 22, netted a career-high 20 goals last season for the Blues, including what many regard as the goal of the year against the New York Islanders.

The Blues forward will be with Jay Randolph Jr., Joe Pelusi, and Sara Bruce on The One to Three Show on 590 “The Fan” KFNS Thursday afternoon around 2:05 CT. You can stream the show (or listen to a podcast of the interview) at InsideSTL.com.

Blues’ Production: Murray vs. Payne

The Blues had a spike in offensive production following the replacement of Andy Murray with Davis Payne. After coach Payne took over for Murray on January 2, the Blues scored 117 goals in 41 games. Apply that number over a whole season and the Blues would have ranked 7th in the NHL for goals scored.

Question: Do you think the Blues offense will be able to continue generating goals at a high rate this season under coach Payne?

Blues’ salary cap figures for 2010-11

A breakdown of the Blues’ salary cap numbers for the upcoming season. While it does not include Perron’s new contract or pending deals for DJ King and Erik Johnson, it does give you a pretty good idea of where the Blues stand in terms of salary cap room.

NHL Too Slow to React?

Andy Strickland examines the NHL’s reaction to Ilya Kovalchuck’s 17-year contract and gives an update on the Blues’ contract negotiations with Johnson and King. ODS also looks at some possible players the Blues may make try to trade for.

Question: Do you think the NHL did the right thing in rejecting Kovalchuck’s contract with the Devils? And do you think they would have done the same thing to Sidney Crosby had he signed a similar contract with the Penguins?

On the topic of DJ King: King allowed a 1-year offer from the Blues to expire on July 15 meaning that he remains a restricted free agent. Once King re-signs with the Blues, GM Doug Armstrong will most likely trade either King or fellow enforcer Cam Janssen.

Question: Who would you rather see the Blues keep: DJ King or Cam Janssen?

DJ King and Cam Janssen actually dropped the gloves during the 2004 Memorial Cup. Here’s footage of their little scuffle:

In conclusion…

With Perron signed for 2 more years, the Blues will now focus their attention on RFAs Erik Johnson and DJ King. Patrick Berglund’s name has been mentioned as being possible trade bait, but personally, I don’t see any trades coming from Armstrong until King signs, and even then, I’m not sure that there are even teams out there looking for an enforcer.

As for Berglund, I’m not ready to give up on him just yet. He has potential to become the prolific scorer the Blues have been looking for. I think that if you pair him up with Steen and Perron or Boyes and he has the potential to put up some big numbers this season.

This is my first post for Hockey Independent. My goal is to put together a post like this (with interesting stories/links) and a regular story or two each week. I am also trying to line up some interviews with local Blues reporters so I will definitely post those if/when I am able to line them up. I look forward to writing for Hockey Independent and working with fellow Blues writer/fan Jeff Quirin. Thanks for reading! Here are today’s questions…

1. Could the Blues have done more this off-season?

2. Do you think the Blues offense will be able to continue generating goals under Davis Payne this season?

3. What did you think about the NHL rejecting Kovy’s contract? Would they have done the same thing if it was Sid the Kid signing a 17-year deal?

4. DJ King or Cam Janssen?