Do the Blues players have it way too easy playing in St. Louis?
They absolutely do.
The bottom line is, way too often mistakes made by highly paid individuals go unnoticed way too often.
If this was Montreal or Toronto the players would be getting hammered almost every game with their recent performances.
The bottom line is it’s not good enough.
Recently I had veteran Keith Tkachuk tell me the injuries to significant players should not be used as an excuse and he added the players who are in the lineup should be good enough to get the job done.
Should I take his advice?
To say the Blues are playing shorthanded is an understatement to say the least.
Trying to compete without Paul Kariya, T.J. Oshie, Andy McDonald, Erik Johnson, and Eric Brewer is an incredible task.
I would like to see how most teams would compete under these circumstances?
With that being said the players who are in the lineup need to be held accountable and should not excused for underperforming.
This thing is on the verge of tanking real fast if Brad Winchester and Yan Stastny are outperforming Tkachuk and Brad Boyes.
I had no problem with Andy Murray calling out individual players following the Blues defeat to Boston on Sunday night.
I was really confused as to why a veteran player such as Keith Tkachuk (who for the most part has had a great season) would have an issue with it either? This was a perfect opportunity for Tkachuk to really step up and show some leadership but he instead took issue with the comments made by Murray.
This was not some rant Murray went on following the game, he didn’t attack any individual players, he’s simply asking his best players to play better.
Tkachuk has been around long enough to understand this.
I understand that Tkachuk is concerned that a team this young is fragile and could become unglued. He makes a good point. At the same time he should back his coach in a time like this and take it upon himself to make sure the team stays together.
Andy Murray is in a tough spot as well because as we all know if he loses this team the consequences could be pretty severe. That’s where he needs the veterans to understand what he was trying to accomplish following the game.
The Blues had a real opportunity to get at least a point on Sunday, but let it squander with irresponsible play.
If Andy Murray was known for going off the deep end and these post game remarks were nothing new then we could just brush it off as Andy being Andy. This is about as uncharacteristic as ever for Murray to do something like this and to be honest it was refreshing to hear.
Since the end of the lockout the Blues have done their fair share of losing and let’s be honest here, it’s getting real old. The losing culture needs to change around here and accepting lackluster play from the Blues top players won’t cut it.
When I first began covering the NHL the Blues were loaded with winning players. You knew what you were going to get from Guys like Al Macinnis, Scott Mellanby, and Chris Pronger.
Everyone is responsible and has played a part in the losing culture that exists in St. Louis.
The idea that you can just rely on young players to lead is unfair to the 19 and 20 year old players who are sprinkled up and down the lineup.
Fans are willing to be patient and grow with young kids but they need some help.
I really hope ownership steps up this summer and add significant pieces through free agency to allow this organization to realistically compete for the playoffs. Not just hope to sneak in through the back door.
The team needs some veteran pieces to teach these young kids “Whatever It Takes” to win in this league.
It’s obviously fair to question if this team knows how to win.
Rink Rats!
A major factor in Mats Sundin electing to play in Vancouver came down to the fact that the team did not have to disrupt the team chemistry to make room for the Swedish star. He didn’t want to force players to have to move their families just so the club could accommodate him.
The day before Sundin made the announcement he phoned Matias Ohlund asking if he would be accepted in the Canucks dressing room. Obviously Ohlund said yes.
First year Vancouver GM Mike Gillis deserves a lot of credit for showing some veteran poise throughout the entire Sundin saga. Sources say he never once got frustrated with Sundin during the entire process. He never complained to Sundin’s agent, behind the scenes, or publicly to the media. There were plenty of people telling Gillis to just move on but he kept telling everyone to settle down and allow the situation to play itself out. I believe his experience as an agent allowed him to remain patient. Agents are used to these types of situations and often deal with rejection from NHL General Managers but at the end of the day are accustomed to moving forward.
The Canucks are still in a position to make a move come trade deadline time. Will they inquire about Tkachuk who is in the last year of his deal with the Blues? How does a Demitra, Sundin, Tkachuk line sound to Canucks fans?
First things first, Tkachuk would need to waive his no movement clause. We recently had a discussion about the trade deadline in which Tkachuk told me he remains focused on winning in St. Louis and isn’t even thinking about the deadline.
There will be a lot of rumors floating around nowadays, but understand GM’s phones have not been ringing as of late. Things have been very quiet recently despite what you might be hearing.
Islanders forward Doug Weight recently injured his groin but is not expected to miss much time.
Is Marc Savard to most underrated player in the NHL? The guy in a true superstar and in my opinion is the best passer currently in the game.
Sources say Peter Forsberg is eyeing a return to Colorado. Word is his girlfriend is a student at Denver University.
Toronto forward Jamal Mayers will have an X-ray on his broken hand on Tuedsay. The veteran winger hopes to return to action in the next 7-10 days.
Referee Tim Peel has been selected to officiate the Winter Classic on January first at Wrigley field in Chicago.
Blues Clues!
Look for David Perron to sit out Tuesday’s game in Detroit. Perron has just six goals in his last 67 games. Perron has struggled as of late but I don't agree he needs to be individually signaled out. He gives the Blues lineup skill, playmaking ability, and offense even when he's struggling scoring.
Erik Johnson is off crutches after undergoing surgery to repair a torn ACL. He’s riding the bike regularly, doing pool workouts, and seeing a physical therapist every day. Johnson will be heading down to St. Louis shortly after Christmas where he’ll stay and train up until training camp next fall.
Cam Paddock has been called up and will play Tuesday in Detroit.
Jay McClement, who rooms with Eric Brewer on the road, was unaware that Brewer had played earlier this season with a broken rib.
We were close to seeing Chris Mason square off against Bruins goalie Manny Fernandez during the third period on Sunday night. Mason has been in a couple of fights in his career including one against former Blues goaltender Cody Rudkowsky.
Oshie and Paul Kariya skated again on Monday morning but both appear to remain several days away from returning to action.
Tony Twist will be my guest tonight at Johnny Mac's on Watson Road for my radio show Blues Buzz. The show will broadcast live from 6-7 and can be heard on Team 1380.
More to come,
Andy Strickland
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St Louis Blues Blogger •1380 ESPN • 
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