Hello hockey fans, Blues fans, and FORF fans looking to view Marty Winkler’s latest Cards analysis. After an intense forty-eight hours and another day for recovery the news surrounding the draft is starting to slow. However before we get down to business, I would like to invite a round of applause from all you FORF fans. Yes, we are congratulating yours truly. If anyone questioned my credibility, I’m sure those questions were answered when I successfully picked the top four picks in last Friday’s NHL Draft. I’ll pause to let the cheers from my parents in the back row die down a bit.
Now to the matter at hand. Following the draft and the recent buyout of Jay McKee’s contract. I believe there is big news on the horizon for Blues fans.
The 2009 draft choices have left me slightly baffled. The Blues need an elite goal scorer, and soon. Keith Tkachuk is on limited time before he retires, as is Paul Kariya, and neither are goal scorers anymore. Brad Boyes is streaky at best and needs a quality setup guy to be effective. After a 40-goal binge in 2008, it seems he will grow into a 25-35-goal scorer. David Perron, Andy McDonald and T.J. Oshie are all solid players but not one of them will probably hit the fifty-goal mark. Finally Patrik Berglund will probably take a couple of years before he becomes the goal scorer the Blues believe he will be. So the Blues face a problem, too many setup guys, not enough scorers. Dany Heately is available for trade, but he comes with a price tag and baggage. The two Marians, Hossa and Gaborik are available via free agency; it’ll take more than a student loan to Harvard Law to sign one of them. But finally, there’s Phil Kessel. Rumor has it that the Blues had actually traded for Kessel in 2009, but the paperwork hadn’t made it to the NHL before the deadline.
Both sides deny this rumor, but regardless the rumor suggests interest between both parties in dealing. But I won’t waste your time with rumors, lets check out the facts.
Jarmo Kekalainen is known around hockey as a guy who will often go off the board on draft day to get a player he wants. Jarmo has said time and time again that he refuses to draft for team needs and instead will always take the best available player at the time. This is where I become confused.
I believe when the Blues selected David Rundblad as the 17th overall pick, there were two players available not only better, but also better suited for the Blues. Let’s start with 5th ranked North American skater and my personal pick, Jordan Schroeder. Most mock drafts including my own, had him taken by the 12th pick. He did however fall to 22nd overall. At 5’8 size may have played a role, so I’ll let that one slide. But Jacob Josefson? He’s a Swedish dynamo that could play with Patrik Berglund or Brad Boyes and make them both 30-40-goal scorers, while scoring 30 himself. He’s the third best European skater in the draft. I know the rule of thumb is, “build your team from the net out,” but frankly the Blues have already done so. This team is stacked on the blue line for years to come with Eric Johnson (1st overall in 2006), Alex Pietrangelo (4th overall 2008), and Ian Cole (18th overall 2007). Not to mention the already established youngsters Carlo Colaiacovo (17th overall 2001) and Roman Polak (a Jarmo steal at 180th overall in 2004). Fill in vets Barret Jackman, Eric Brewer, and Mike Weaver and the team already struggles to trim the list down to the seven D needed for a game. Then there’s Jonas Junland, Cade Fairchild, and David Warsofsky, all players who will have solid NHL careers.
So why draft three more defensemen when the team lacks an elite lamp lighter? Here’s where the excitement comes in. I believe the trade winds are blowing in St. Louis. Buying out the final year of Jay McKee’s four million dollar deal opens up salary cap room for the Blues. Trading from the wealth of team defense may free up even more room. I won’t stake my reputation on it just yet, but I will however gloat in my next column if Bruins star forward Phil Kessel wears the Blue Note soon.
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