Despite being in a "rebuilding mode,' the Blues are in the midst of contending for a playoff spot in the very competitive Western Conference. Don't expect the Blues to trade away any picks or prospects, but at the same time, John Davidson wants this team to be competitive. So, if I were JD, these are goals I would have for the Blues lineup:
First off: The Tradeable Assests
Without mortgaging the future, the Blues have a couple of tradeable players, namely defensemen. As pending UFAs, Salvador and Jackman look to be on the chopping block, although most Blues fans would ship out Christian Backman or eric brewer.
Short term goal
Yes, the Blues need scoring. Every fan will tell you that. But more specifically, I think the Blues need one more top six forward so we can at least roll two legitimate scoring lines, with Backes, McClement, and Stempniak providing a dangerous third line. So,
the Blues need a veteran scoring forward! I've brought this up on these very message boards. And I'm not talking about a guy like Sundin. I'm referring to an acquisition similar to the Pens getting Mark Recchi a few years ago, a guy who was affordable and could still get the job done and provide playoff leadership. There's also a possibility the Blues could sign a player like this who was pinched out because of the CBA, similar to what the Hawks did last year with Nedved.
Long term goal
A marquee forward! Right now, the Blues have a dearth of defensive and goaltending prospects, and the forwards we've drafted are solid, but not All-Star game-breakers of an Iginla-calibur. Oshie or Perron may be this man, but in the next couple of drafts, I would start shoring up on offensive prospects so we can't miss. This may seem unrealistic, but given the Blues strength in scouting, I think it can be done. Daniel Briere was 24th overall and Scott Gomez was 27th. As long as the Blues have a 1st round pick, and considering the depth of the next two drafts, the Blues have the potential to get an offensive centerpiece for the future. The Boyes trade was a step in the right direction and I think offense is where the Blues are headed next.
The Blues and a lot of other teams may have missed a good opportunity by not grabbing Mark Recchi off waivers. He's an asset that doesn't cost you any assets, nor are you stuck with him beyond this season. So far for Atlanta - 16 pts in 17 games. I think the big-time offensive prospect you may desire might very well be Patrick Berglund.
berglund just needs some more strength.i agree with you and why not sundin? i was teasing you earlier but i was looking and we have a lot coming up here and there in the system there's not a space available for everyone, but some players certainly have more weight than others. i personally like prospal and considering his age and an attempt to resign, he shouldn't be too expensive but he's a decent skater with good size and a prowess around the net. so i'm liking him especially if after getting him you can resign him. what would he be worth? how about a woywitka or dupont maybe a fourth or third rounder or a lars eller and somebody. i like the kid but we're going to have to give something to get something of value. the way it is now a days it's going to be rough.currently it looks like we have a fair chance to be in line to draft the younger toews as our number one pick. a little bit of a sutter brother rivalry? also if someone like a jeff carter or eric staal were for whatever reason attainable for a price would you do it?what about campbell? he's one thing the blues really need--a power play quarterback. they might need this more than another offensive player.i doubt anybody'll will pick up backman. he's only a 2.2mil hit for us but would become i believe a 3mil plus hit for some team. a good trade would be mckee or brewer for campbell.(though somewhat secretely it'd be hard to lose one of those guys).there's players out there and this should get interesting soon.
maybe they should just fly the kid over now and dress him. i think patrik'd work out right now.
Remember this club will get a boost w/ the likes of Oshie signing in late February. He might be the top 6 forward we are looking for.
that's still a lot to expect from a kid, especially since we have seen how andy murray has used the kids thus far.