You think you know what will happen because of past performance.

Coming up short in the past does not mean that they will come up short again this year.

It gets lame listening to Blues fans continue to over and over again talk about how this team will fail 6 weeks from now when they have overcome so much already this year and put themselves in a great position. They might fail. But that isn't known yet, regardless of you or anyone's half empty look at things. Is a new year, things can change. Players can finally step up in the playoffs. The other team might play poorly and let the Blues gain confidence that they desperately need. So many things can change from what went wrong in the past.
- carcus

Yes "Past Performance is Not Necessarily Indicative of Future Results" but poorly managed funds (or teams) tend to typically underperform the market.

Team pulls the same crap it has the last few years well have a new guard to lead the way. Hopefully we all can eat crow. But honestly its more palatable to expect the worst and be surprised if better things happen. The team has made us this way. Only way to fix it is to win.

You think you know what will happen because of past performance.

Coming up short in the past does not mean that they will come up short again this year.

It gets lame listening to Blues fans continue to over and over again talk about how this team will fail 6 weeks from now when they have overcome so much already this year and put themselves in a great position. They might fail. But that isn't known yet, regardless of you or anyone's half empty look at things. Is a new year, things can change. Players can finally step up in the playoffs. The other team might play poorly and let the Blues gain confidence that they desperately need. So many things can change from what went wrong in the past.
- carcus

You're precious.

Come on now. Teams carry insurance to cover salaries to injured players. Once a player hits a games missed threshold, it used to be that an insurance policy kicked in and paid their salary.

To suggest that the Blues are paying the salaries of players on LTIR doesn't ring true to me...
- eggsegan

I would suggest to you that what you outline may likely not be the case. For players like Tarasenko and Petro, sure they carry insurance. They aren't likely to carry insurance on players like Jaskin. Do they on Elliott and Ott? Maybe, maybe not. Do they care a group type plan on all but a few? Maybe, maybe not. Does this plan only kick in after a certain amount of losses? What is the team's retention on the losses? Etc.

Insurance is an art and a science. It would not be fair to assume the Blues are recovering these overages. Nor would it be fair to assume they are not recovering any of them.

It doesn't really matter if they expect Steen/Ott/Elliott all to return before the end of the year. If that is the case, they couldn't add more money as they didn't have cap space to add.

It only becomes possible if guys aren't going to come back before the playoffs.
- carcus

This was kind of my point. Even if it was possible, they have never said they were authorized to spend the extra money.

I must have been in feisty mood today....

I sent this tweet -

Jammer ‏@stlgoalie · Anyone ask @DougArmstrongGM if he was authorized to spend more even if he knew the #stlblues LTIR players would be out until the playoffs?

Of course, I don't expect an answer, lol.

You're precious.
- bcallaway

I would rather be precious than a Debbie Downer.

Why even watch since you know what is going to happen?

This was kind of my point. Even if it was possible, they have never said they were authorized to spend the extra money.
- stljam

If Armstrong knew they were coming back, do you even have to ask if you can spend more money?

Because their timetables were a couple of weeks before the end of the season. So I'm sure it's too early to tell if they won't be ready.

I think the only way the question is asked is if they were sure that someone wouldn't be ready before the middle of April.

From http://www.theglobeandmai...h-season/article16403001/

"While team insurance would cover some, but far from all, of the losses (team insurance policies generally cover 80 per cent of lost salary if a player loses more than 30 games to a single injury), the fact that approximately one-half of the entire league loses playing time during each regular season should be cause for concern, the researchers claim."
- eggsegan

Yeah, that's in line with everything I read. But it's not talking about how many players are covered, just how much coverage there is for players who are insured.

I can't find the article Rutherford posted where Armstrong talked about only the biggest contracts being insured. The only ones that specify how many players are a couple talking about how it's just 5 or 5-7 players per team covered:

http://www.thestar.com/sp...surers_pull_coverage.html

http://www.sportsbusiness...acts-For-Seven-Years.aspx

If Armstrong knew they were coming back, do you even have to ask if you can spend more money?

Because their timetables were a couple of weeks before the end of the season. So I'm sure it's too early to tell if they won't be ready.

I think the only way the question is asked is if they were sure that someone wouldn't be ready before the middle of April.
- carcus

Or if they could manage someone to be back after the regular season. With some of these injuries, it would not shock me if they were "managed" as to how long they were out. Even nuances like can a guy be on LTIR while he is in the AHL on a conditioning assignment, rehabbing from an injury. I would not put it past teams to "manage injuries". They can't be unreasonable about it but a week or so would likely be plenty grey. And no I am not suggesting the Hawks did this last year, just saying it wouldn't surprise me if they did. Some of these injuries are very subjective.

Example, how long did Schwartz skate and practice before he deemed himself ready to return to a game? Much of this is not an exact science.

Yeah, that's in line with everything I read. But it's not talking about how many players are covered, just how much coverage there is for players who are insured.

I can't find the article Rutherford posted where Armstrong talked about only the biggest contracts being insured. The only ones that specify how many players are a couple talking about how it's just 5 or 5-7 players per team covered:

http://www.thestar.com/sp...surers_pull_coverage.html

http://www.sportsbusiness...acts-For-Seven-Years.aspx
- Antilles

You could do it so that all were covered but that would be more expensive from an insurance premium standpoint. Lloyd's will "insure" a ton of stuff that some might see as more like gambling.

Based on the small twitter gif I saw (thanks @myregularface), seems a bit harsh to not give Schwartz an assist on that for the shot.

Never mind, NHL site was just late in updating them.

I would suggest to you that what you outline may likely not be the case. For players like Tarasenko and Petro, sure they carry insurance. They aren't likely to carry insurance on players like Jaskin. Do they on Elliott and Ott? Maybe, maybe not. Do they care a group type plan on all but a few? Maybe, maybe not. Does this plan only kick in after a certain amount of losses? What is the team's retention on the losses? Etc.

Insurance is an art and a science. It would not be fair to assume the Blues are recovering these overages. Nor would it be fair to assume they are not recovering any of them.
- stljam

Maybe so. I wonder if it's always been this way... I seem to remember, back in the 90's, a ton of talk about this...

Or if they could manage someone to be back after the regular season. With some of these injuries, it would not shock me if they were "managed" as to how long they were out. Even nuances like can a guy be on LTIR while he is in the AHL on a conditioning assignment, rehabbing from an injury. I would not put it past teams to "manage injuries". They can't be unreasonable about it but a week or so would likely be plenty grey. And no I am not suggesting the Hawks did this last year, just saying it wouldn't surprise me if they did. Some of these injuries are very subjective.

Example, how long did Schwartz skate and practice before he deemed himself ready to return to a game? Much of this is not an exact science.
- stljam

I don't see the Blues doing that. We don't have guys who are proven playoff performers outside Tarasenko. These guys all need a few games to get back in the swing of things. We can't afford to keep guys out for cap space and have them come back and be ineffective.

I have seen very little of this game and listened to some on the radio on the way home from work so this may not be fair but is this like the Nashville game in reverse? Sounds like the officiating has been poor against the Senators - the radio guys were talking about a brutal call on the Sens (perhaps the Zack Smith holding play pang was referencing), the call in front of the Blues net (Pageau tripping), the quick whistle on the Stone break, etc.

Patrik "hands of stone" Berglund

Way too many grade A chances not converted on this season, looks like the playoffs of years past. I'm hoping the reversal happens come April.

Jake sure seems prone to those bad angle goals. Ugh.

Makes Berglund non-conversion even bigger. ugh.

I have seen very little of this game and listened to some on the radio on the way home from work so this may not be fair but is this like the Nashville game in reverse? Sounds like the officiating has been poor against the Senators - the radio guys were talking about a brutal call on the Sens (perhaps the Zack Smith holding play pang was referencing), the call in front of the Blues net (Pageau tripping), the quick whistle on the Stone break, etc.
- stljam

No where near as bad. Sens are getting the bad end of officiating, but the Nashville game was a whole different level.

Both Stastny and Gunarssson fail to clear....Carl's could cost them...

let's see if the clock hit zero or not.

Gunnarsson's terrible attempt to clear after the faceoff started the whole play. He would not be my choice to be on the ice up one with under a minute left. To add insult to injury, he is out of position on the game tying goal.

How many times can Blues players almost run into each other on 3 v 3? Really?

Lucky that puck never sat down.

That shootout.

That's the worst shoot out I've ever seen.

That's the worst shoot out I've ever seen.
- bcallaway

I saw an adult weekend tournament have one last year where they lapped the lineup and it wasn't because people were scoring so it's only the second worst for me.

That shootout.


- carcus

James Duthie ‏@tsnjamesduthie · OTT/STL is the shootout equivalent of trade deadline. Umm...somebody do something.

Any chance Shatty meant to do that? I know the announcers were quick to call it a mistake but the way he watched it slide toward the goal line has me wondering.