Ty Conklin gets back between the pipes for the Blues tonight in New York after consecutive sub par performances by Chris Mason. It didn’t help Mason that the Blues sat on their backsides close to the entire first period vs. Colorado but I think it’s safe to say Mason would admit he could have played better.
I realize Mason’s career numbers against Colorado are pretty impressive, but this is a different Avalanche team who has had Mason’s number this season. I’m not suggesting Mason be replaced as the Blues number one goaltender, but this is why the team went out and picked up Conklin. He’s a veteran guy who’s played on the big stage and is more than capable of giving Mason a night off here and there even while the team is fighting to get in the playoffs.
Is it too little too late?
We’ll soon find out. All signs point towards this being the case but we’ll know for sure sooner than later.
There is no other way to evaluate this season other than to point the finger at the Blues record at home especially in the first 15 homes games of the season. Anybody with a head on their shoulders was fully aware then and even more so today that overcoming such horrific play at home would be incredibly difficult to overcome.
I’m afraid at the end of the year we’ll all be wondering if things may have turned out differently if the Blues cut ties with Head Coach Andy Murray sooner than they did. This isn’t intended to be a shot at any one individual, but it became quite obvious as early as November that Murray would not be finishing the season as the Blues head coach.
Once the players quit on Murray, something needed to be done. In fairness the organization tried with GM Larry Pleau addressing the team in a intense closed door meeting following another lethargic home loss. The team actually responded by going out to Western Canada and sweeping the three game road trip. Even Owner Dave Checketts publicly addressed his unhappiness with the Blues struggles on home ice.
At the end of the day too many players inside the Blues dressing room quietly went about their business waiting for the shoe to drop and for Murray to finally be let go. In the meantime the losses at home continued to pile up.
What Doug Armstrong elects to do with Davis Payne will be interesting. At the end of the day it doesn’t matter if Armstrong elects to retain Payne or bring in a different guy, the decision will land squarely on his shoulders.
With that being said it would seem to make the most sense to re-sign Payne and continue evaluating things moving forward. If Armstrong brings in his own guy to replace Payne and that individual fails to take the organization to the next level it would reflect poorly on Armstrong. If Payne were to struggle moving forward at least Armstrong would be in position to keep the fans optimistic by eventually bringing in a coach fans will view as his “own guy”. Payne has shown enough, in my opinion, to where the organization should feel comfortable moving forward with this guy and removing the interim tag from his title.
If the Blues elect to not keep Payne as their NHL Head Coach, he is contractually obligated to return to Peoria and remain with the organization as their AHL Head Coach.
I would like to see Payne be a little bolder in some of his decision making. Playing Conklin this past week could certainly be viewed as one of them, but it goes beyond the goaltending situation.
Payne had changed the D-Pairings the morning of the Colorado game Tuesday night but went back to his regular pairings that night when the team faced the Avalanche. Word is he wanted to send a wakeup call to his defensemen basically telling his players to either play better or changes are coming.
One change that wouldn’t hurt to explore would be to separate Erik Johnson and Eric Brewer. I actually have little to complain about when it comes to Brewer’s recent play but it’s quite apparent these tow don’t exactly mesh.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. It’s time for Johnson to step up and start to take a little charge and begin to dictate the style and pace he’s going to play when he’s on the ice. I don’t see this happening when he’s paired with the Blues Captain. Exploring other options heading into next season wouldn’t be a bad idea.
Look I realize Johnson is young, but he’s also capable of playing better. It’s obvious the Blues are preparing him to be the guy to take on 25 plus minutes a night moving forward. He’s getting an enormous opportunity to play in all offensive situations while seeing big minutes. One area Johnson must work on is getting pucks through traffic, getting his shot off quicker and more importantly, he’s got to start hitting the net.
The Blues selected this kid first overall for a reason. As we saw in the Olympics he has terrific upside, but fans are waiting for him to have that moment where he delivers in crunch time in a Blues uniform. The puck found his tape in position to create scoring opportunities on numerous occasions but Johnson was unable to cash in.
Rink Rats!
A few years ago Dallas forward Fabian Brunnstrom was the big European free-agent, last season is was Toronto goaltender Jonas Gustavsson. This season we look to Finland to produce the big free-agent prize and his name is Jussi Rynnas.
Rynnas is a big 6’5 goaltender who currently plays for his hometown team Assat Pori in the Finnish Elite League. His team has had a rough year but the 2010 version of the “Monster” has quietly turned some heads in his first year as a starting goaltender. At 23 years old Rynnas was never drafted but is currently drawing interest from as many as 18 NHL teams. It wasn’t long ago Rynnas was considering quitting hockey altogether, it’s a good thing he changed his mind as he’s taking full advantage of his opportunity as a starting goaltender.
Rynnas is attracting interest from organizations looking for a number two or three goalie. A number three seems to be the more likely scenario. As an undrafted European player he remains under the entry level system until the age of 27. Look for Rynnas to narrow down his choices to about five NHL teams before he comes over to take some face to face visits next month. Look for Dallas, Detroit, Philadelphia, Phoenix, and Anaheim to show considerable interest.
Speaking of Brunnstrom, look for Dallas to shop him around this summer.
As impressive as Colorado has been this season they sure do spend a lot of time in their own end. Their defense is average at best and they have superior goaltending to thank for their surprise season. They don’t spend a ton of time in the offensive side of the rink but their transition game is lethal.
Word is the Dubuque Fighting Saints are close to naming their Head Coach for next season when they enter the USHL. I’m hearing RPI assistant Jim Montgomery and former NHL D-man Rick Zombo are both receiving strong consideration.
Blues Clues!
Blues Owner Dave Checketts will be taking Blues players and staff on a sightseeing boat cruise Friday while the team is in New York City.
I’m not sure why Paul Kariya elected to force a pass to the middle of the ice which led to Colorado’s fifth goal Tuesday night. His better option would have been to direct the puck on goal considering the Blues had bodies driving hard to the net.
Look for the Blues to likely extend qualifying offers to both D.J. King and Cam Janssen before making a decision in October on retaining one or both tough guys. Look for Chicago to take real hard look at King if the Blues were to set him free. This scenario seems unlikely.
There is no other way to desribe Brad Boyes season year other than the puck just isn’t going in. He had seven shots on goal in Tuesday’s loss and I thought he was noticeable throughout the night. I’m a little confused why he’s being used almost as a fill in player and why he was taken off the Steen, McClement line?
There really is nothing else to say in regards to the Blues goal being disallowed against Colorado other than if a referee is going to make that call he better be 100% sure. That call was costly in more ways than one.
There is a chance goaltending prospect Jake Allen finishes the season in the AHL if Peoria has games left once Allen’s season is over. There is no guarantee this will happen as Allen plays for a very good team in the QMJHL.
Officials close to the Sprint Center in Kansas City are hoping the Blues accept an invitation to play a pre-season game there next fall. Recent talks with future Blues GM Doug Armstrong have been described as productive. Three Saturday nights have been blocked off next September in hopes of inserting an NHL game.
Word is D-man prospect Cade Fairchild will likely return to the University of Minnesota for his senior season next near.
Former Blues third rounder Jori Lehtera will finish his season in the Finnish Elite League as the leagues leading scorer by a wide margin. He’s currently sitting with 68 points with a few games to play. He could join Peoria after his season as he did a year ago.
David Backes will keep the "A" on his sweater for the remainder of the season.
Andy McDonald will be my gust Monday night at Johnny Mac’s for Blues Buzz. Show will begin at 5:30 this week do to the stations obligation to Illinois basketball. As always Blues Buzz can be heard on am 590 The Fan.
The St. Louis Blues have partnered with Verizon Wireless to hold the 2nd Annual HopeLine® Phone Drive. As fans enter the Scottrade Center prior to the Blues/BlackHawks game on Tuesday, March 30th, volunteers will be collecting no-longer used wireless phones, batteries and accessories to benefit HopeLine®. The Verizon Wireless HopeLine® program collects used phones from any wireless company and turns them into support for victims of domestic violence.
Donation stations will be set up at each entrance inside the Scottrade Center prior to the game. All fans who donate will receive a special ticket offer to an upcoming Blues game.
Last year for the third year in a row, Verizon Wireless collected more than 1 million no-longer-used wireless phones through its HopeLine® program.
More to come,
Andy Strickland
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St Louis Blues Blogger •1380 ESPN • 
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