St. Louis Blues Send Mixed Signals Regarding Prospects Readiness

The St. Louis Blues, like many teams, are doing their best to bring along their prospects at just the right time. However, it can be frustrating as fans to know when that time will be.

The St. Louis Blues are not the only team in the NHL that has prospects fans are excited about but have to wait on. Teams around sports treat their top prospects like a souffle. They want them to get just the right amount of experience, but hope they don’t wait too long to where they get burnt.

It’s a trial in patience, both for the team, player and fans alike. As fans, all we can do is sit there and wait and hope our faith is well placed. That is easier said than done.

Making matters more difficult is when you get differing reports about the readiness of some of these guys. GM’s like to play things close to the vest, but the Blues seem to be even more at odds sometimes.

For example, Lou Korac basically said there is zero chance a prospect makes the NHL team this year.

I doubt it. Someone would have to really knock it out of the park to drastically alter #stlblues thoughts. https://t.co/lmx5DL2dhL
— Lou Korac (@lkorac10) June 30, 2017

Korac obviously doesn’t know everything. He’s around the team enough to get a sense of what Doug Armstrong’s plans are. From his Twitter statement, he doesn’t seem to believe Armstrong is planning on these guys being ready.

On the flip side, it seems like we hear nothing but glowing reports about guys like Tage Thompson and Jake Walman. “Any time a college kid or junior kid can come in and play pro hockey, it’s a little bit of an adjustment but they realize the difference in the game,” said Blues assistant coach Craig Berube, who coached Walman at Chicago last season. “I think that Jake and Thompson understand what it takes to be a pro now.”

“He has the skills,” said Blues development coach Barret Jackman speaking about Walman. “You just hope he continues to progress and get better. … He’s got the tools. He’s got a big shot, and he’s smart with the puck. His speed and his skating are top notch, and he makes pretty good decisions out there. He needs to get bigger and stronger, like everybody else around here, and continue to learn the defensive side of the game so that he can be reliable on every shift.”

Ok, so all prospects get talked up a bit. Unless it’s behind closed doors, nobody is going to say Jake Walman is years away because he just doesn’t have it right now.

Even so, those comments seem to suggest he’s pretty close. Armstrong even said that one of Walman, Jordan Schmaltz and Vince Dunn would likely see a good amount of time with the Blues.

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If these guys are so close, why is it their NHL.com writer says none are likely to make it this year? Korac might have a loophole in that he could have assumed the question was about prospect camp and Schmaltz and Dunn were not there since they spent significant time in the minors.

However, even the Blues are confusing regarding where someone might go. Take Klim Kostin for instance.

They’re talking about how big and strong he is. There is a lot of reporting about the situation where Dynamo Moscow might release all their players, allowing Kostin to come to America immediately.

Then Armstrong will turn around and say he’s only 18 and they don’t want to rush him, blah blah etc. and so on.

“He’s a big man, he can skate, he’s got a real good physical package. But I don’t like to get too over-hyped in the summer,” said the Blues GM about Kostin. “We’re excited to have him, I think it was a good pick by our staff, where they were able to acquire him. I’m looking forward to seeing him in Traverse City.”

I’m usually the first to say these guys don’t need to be rushed. I just hope they get their fair shake this season. Even as a fan of the trade with the Penguins, Armstrong’s insistence that Oskar Sundqvist will be on the NHL team is a bit worrying.

Sundqvist’s 28 NHL games don’t make him that much more ready than some of the guys with no experience. If the Blues are really trying to become more dynamic, they need to let the most talented guys play.

Russia is not the NHL. However, if you’ve been playing pro since you were a teenager then how much will the ECHL really teach you?

This all circles back to the Blues AHL problem. All these guys need to be playing together in the AHL. Instead, the Blues will likely have to loan several guys out or keep them in junior longer, like Jordan Kyrou.

Next: 10 Ways Brayden Schenn Deal Immediately Impacts The Blues

So, for the time being we can get as excited as we want about any one guy. The likelihood of seeing them in a Blues uniform in 2017-18 seems small though.

Of course there is a chance someone breaks through ala Colton Parayko or Robby Fabbri. It would just be nice to think the staff is more open to those possibilities than they do at present. The Blues will be a good team this year, but they don’t have enough guys set in stone that can flat-out deny any newcomers.