Will undergo surgery.
Press Conference tonight at 7:00.
From earlier......
It appears we will officially know the status of Erik Johnson sometime late this afternoon.
As I reported a few days ago Johnson will get a second opinion today in Cleveland by the same Doctor who performed an operation on his shoulder just after the season ended last April.
The Blues have a more than decent idea of what the results from the MRI will be and I get the feeling Blues officials aren’t anticipating good news.
Stay Tuned….
Rink Rats!
I’m told New Jersey is the Eastern Conference team trying to acquire D-man Mathieu Schneider. Los Angeles is the team from the Western Conference.
Former Blackhawks TV Play by Play man Dan Kelly has been hired to do TV work for University of Denver telecasts.
If Johnson misses significant time this season it certainly will present some obstacles for the Blues, primarily on the power play.
The bottom line is the Blues don’t have a replacement for Johnson who can quarterback the PP. They just don’t.
The Blues will look at guys like Steve Wagner and Jeff Woywitka but at the end of the day there isn’t a whole lot to get excited about here.
I know it’s only one game but Jeff Woywitka did very little to help his case Monday night in K.C.
With that being said it’s only one game so I won’t be too quick to judge.
Wagner can help this team in other areas but as we sit right now I don’t think his game is mature enough to efficiently run the first unit power play. It doesn’t mean his game won’t evolve but as we sit today he isn’t there yet. Can he skate and push the play up ice? Sure, but he doesn’t present the threat up top a guy like EJ certainly can.
It looks like Eric Brewer will likely be given PP minutes to start the season which could create an all out protest from Blues fans.
To be perfectly honest I’d rather the Blues just use five forwards as opposed to an incapable defenseman.
We have plenty of time to address this issue on a later date. It’s way too early in the season to begin breaking down the PP.
I will say this though, the overall PP scheme isn’t nearly as complex as fans make it seem. The PP from team to team is pretty much the same all the way from the breakout to when they eventually set up in the offensive zone.
The players the Blues throw out there have been playing the PP pretty much their entire lives.
It’s all about execution and directing pucks towards the net. The challenge for Andy Murray will be to find a defenseman who can pound it from up top and consistently get pucks through traffic.
This has never been Brewer’s strength. In my opinion fans will start to lay off this guy (at least a little) if he’s given less responsibility. I’ve always come to his defense for his ability to do what he’s best at, which is playing D. At the end of the day with Johnson’s injury, Brewer may end up being the Blues best option which doesn’t create a whole lot of optimism.
One player who could end up sticking around is Mike Weaver. He plays a physical style for his size and is relatively steady in his own end. He stood out early in the game on Monday night and the fact that he has NHL experience will work to his advantage. Weaver played in 55 games last season with Vancouver.
As we sit right now Roman Polak has been far and away the best of the group of D-men fighting for a final roster spot. He has a lot of the tools you look for in a NHL D-man.
Polak’s shoulder appears to be stronger after missing most of the development camp this summer. He was given a cortisone shot this summer and has had no issues since.
The challenge for Polak will be learning how to be hard to play against every shift. Can he play with a consistent edge? Does he have that in his overall package? We do know one thing, when he hits, he hits to hurt you. He has an underrated shot and is extremely quick for his He-Man like physique. He works extremely hard and keeps his game relatively simple which is really what you want from your fifth or sixth D-man. He’s been impressive thus far.
Maple Leaf fans would like to know that “The Woz” Andy Wozniewski has started right where he left off last season. He takes lazy penalties and appears to have very little awareness or hockey sense. He has almost no chance of making this roster. Finding defenseman with two-way contracts isn’t as easy as you would think.
Jonas Junland left after the first period Monday night when he felt a pop in his surgically repaired shoulder. He had an X-ray during the game and he will probably sit out the next three days or so.
If you think these injuries will create a spot for Alex Pietrangelo, not so fast.
He probably needs another year in the OHL. It is interesting that Pietrangelo may end up being the only defenseman of the “Big Four” from this past draft to not play in the NHL this season.
Obviously I’m talking about Zach Bogosian, Drew Doughty, Luke Schenn, and Pietrangelo.
It really means nothing especially if Pietrangelo ends up being the best of the group down the road.
The Blues do have some stability on defense with Jay McKee who I think has a real chance to bounce back to form this season. He’s healthy and was able to fully prepare this off-season which injury prevented him from doing a year ago.
Obviously Barret Jackman along with Brewer brings veteran experience.
The bottom line is the Blues need more offense from their defense, and without EJ there should be legitimate concern here.
Blues Clues!
It’s good to see Patrik Berglund is as concerned with his defensive responsibility as he is with his game offensively. The guy is appears to be a true two-way player. He protects the puck and takes it wide as good as anybody on the roster. The fact that he’s 6’4 obviously helps. Like Perron, the pucks seems to follow this guy.
T.J. Oshie is a hockey version of a high motor football guy. He never stops moving his feet and finds a way to deliver punishing blows to opposing players who are coming full speed looking to run him through the glass. He will get at least ten ugly goals this season from the goal mouth area as a result of his hunger and determination. Oshie was so excited to see his jersey hanging in the dressing room prior to the game saying it was “unreal”! He couldn’t believe the Blues store inside the Scottrade Center was selling jerseys with his name on the back. He told me he bought a few for his sister and Mom to wear to the game in K.C.
The Scottrade Center will host the 2011 NCAA D-1 regional. The games will be played at 5:00 and 8:30. Lower bowl tickets will sell for $30.00 and upper bowl tickets for $20.00.
The Blues will in fact host a free food game this March 15th.
Goaltender Chris Mason is very close with Blues legend Brian Sutter and the entire Sutter clan. He comes from Red Deer, Alberta and works out in the off-season with Brian’s son Shawn.
Cam Janssen trained this summer with Mixed Martial Arts instructor Jesse Finney.
Tough guy Anthony Peluso has taken boxing lessons for the last ten years. Peluso, who will play in the NHL one day, will play in Sault Ste. Marie. Peluso by the way is a great kid with a terrific attitude.
Keith Tkachuk coached his son’s 1998 AAA St. Louis Blues team to the championship in the recent Toronto Marlies hockey Tournament up in Toronto. Tkachuk also has a son on the 1997 team as well who lost in the semi-finals.
Roman Polak trained this summer with NHL D-men Pavel Kubina and Marek Malik.
Marek Schwarz looked decent in goal for St. Louis. The Blues have worked with him on playing a controlled game where he isn’t so busy in the crease. He saw a sports psychologist this summer and appears to have his confidence in order. Schwarz took a step backwards last season and has a battle on his hands with Ben Bishop on the organizational depth chart.
The Blues would like to see Bishop use this year to possibly play a backup role with the Blues next season.
Manny Legace was hoping to get a contract extension from the Blues at the end of last season and the Blues don’t appear to be ready to commit to Legace beyond this season. Obviously Legace could force the Blues hand if he performs at an All-star level again this season.
It was good to see former Blues Video Coach Jamie Kompon serve as the Kings Head Coach on Monday in K.C. The Kings also played a home game in LA and split up their coaches.
More to come,
Andy Strickland
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St Louis Blues Blogger •1380 ESPN • 
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