St. Louis Blues Morning Links: Fly, Fly, Fly Away
By Todd Panula
Good morning Blues fans! Hopefully you’re all recovering nicely from your Super-you know what hangovers. It was a great game even if the winner disgust me, but it’s time for hockey.
The St. Louis Blues need a comeback of epic proportions this season if they are to even make the playoffs, let alone be considered a contender. In fact, they need a comeback the likes of which we saw in the Superbowl. One that would make Blackhawks fans upchuck the way I felt sick from last night’s result.
Enough talk of football though. It’s time to carry on with the rest of hockey season without those annoying weekend distractions. Now, we can focus on the good stuff, even if the Blues are mind-bogglingly frustrating at the moment.
Once the news of Robby Fabbri‘s injury set in, the Blues hopefully went to work. The loss of a player like that is not easy to deal with.
It’s not as bad as if it happened to someone else, such as a goaltender or a certain Russian forward who will remain nameless. Still, though Fabbri’s production has been spotty, he was one of the team’s grittiest players.
Fabbri, though undersized, would hit people and go into the corners to battle and do the dirty work that seems to fluster so many of his teammates. That’s what the Blues will miss and what will be hard to replicate even if the AHL guys can replace his scoring.
Speaking of scoring though, I’m very glad they brought up Kenny Agostino to take up a roster spot. After leading the AHL in scoring to this point, he deserves a recall.
The only thing that bothers me a bit is the idea that he might sit in the press box. Missing games might stunt his hot streak.
On the flip side, though I was not in favor of the Ken Hitchcock firing, at least Mike Yeo is not tied to Magnus Paajarvi. The guy has NHL experience, but he has done nothing there and did very little with the Chicago Wolves to earn a call up.
Most of these points are moot since the Blues will likely just insert Dmitrij Jaskin into the roster and have the other two as backups. Nevertheless, St. Louis needs to start looking to the future.
If the Blues could get an extended look at Ivan Barbashev and Agostino before training camp, they would be well served for the 2017-18 season. That’s not giving up on this year either, it’s just good business.
St. Louis is likely not a contender this year and a trade is unlikely to make that big an impact to push them from bubble team to champion. That’s painful to say, but at this point it is more truth than opinion.
More from St Louis Blues News
- St. Louis Blues Giving Nick Ritchie A Look Is No Lose Situation
- St. Louis Blues Torey Krug Already Injured Before 2023-24 Season
- Former St. Louis Blues Forward Going Into Hall Of Fame
- Can Hofer Upstage Binnington in Starting Goalie Spot for Blues?
- St. Louis Blues 2023-24 fourth line depth chart could be surprisingly strong
Still, the Blues can make a little bit of noise if they choose to do so. Tonight they face the Philadelphia Flyers on the road.
The road has been kinder to the Blues of late than home ice, so perhaps we’ll see the team that faced Toronto instead of Pittsburgh. The problem is the Flyers are in a battle too.
Unlike the Blues, Philly is still currently in a playoff spot. Like the Blues, they are trying to keep pace with the teams above while fending off teams below.
Both teams are desperate for points, but nobody reading this likely cares what the team in orange will need. We need the team in white and blue to give a damn tonight and bring home the two points.
Here are your St. Louis Blues Morning Links to get your day started off right.
In case you missed it, our newest contributor Steven Conklin discussed why the Robbi Fabbri trade makes the Blues even more of a seller than many thought they might be. (Bleedin’ Blue)
While we all assumed what it was once we heard ACL, we now know that Fabbri has a torn ligament. There is no timetable for surgery, but the team expects him to be ready for next season. (STLToday)
In case you need a refresher on who Kenny Agostino is, St. Louis Gametime has you covered. They also discuss why Blues fans need to temper their expectations regardless of how many points he has in the minor leagues. (St. Louis Gametime)
The poor Arizona Coyotes. Every time the desert dogs think they are safe and will have a home, the rug gets pulled from under them. The most recent door shut is Arizona State pulling out of a proposed land deal that would have included a stadium in Tempe, Arizona. (ESPN)
Next: Can Anyone Replace Robby Fabbri?
Whether you were happy with the Superbowl result or not, we all have to admit it was an amazing game. NHL players were not unaware of the fact either. (NHL)
The NHL continues its Centennial celebration. While I missed the truck that was in town, I at least got to see the Stanley Cup. Now the league has unveiled some pretty fantastic color portraits of a famous father/son combination. (NHL)
Have a great day Blues fans!