Game Day: Alexandre Texier in Blues lineup for first time in more than two weeks
DENVER — Forward Alexandre Texier will play for the first time in more than two weeks when he returns to the Blues lineup in Colorado on Friday night.
Texier last played on Jan. 14 against Calgary, and was a healthy scratch for the last six games before entering on the top line in Colorado. He will play alongside Robert Thomas and Pavel Buchnevich.
Texier's inclusion meant that Oskar Sundqvist remained a healthy scratch for the second straight game.Â
Defenseman Colton Parayko missed Friday's morning skate because he was sick but is expected to play in the game. Joel Hofer will start in goal for the Blues.
Projected Blues lineup at Colorado on Friday, 8 p.m.
Pavel Buchnevich - Robert Thomas - Alexandre Texier
Dylan Holloway - Brayden Schenn - Jordan Kyrou
Jake Neighbours - Nathan Walker - Zack Bolduc
Alexey Toropchenko - Radek Faksa - Mathieu Joseph
Cam Fowler - Colton Parayko
Philip Broberg - Justin Faulk
Ryan Suter - Tyler Tucker
Joel Hofer
Jordan Binnington
Scratch: Oskar Sundqvist.
Injured reserve: Nick Leddy (lower-body), Torey Krug (ankle surgery).
Texier skated with Robert Thomas and Pavel Buchnevich during Thursday’s practice, jumping into a prime spot after he was a scratch for eight of the past nine games.
It’s been since 2010, when Montgomery was an assistant at RPI, that he’s not made the postseason.
Blues promote Matthew Kessel from AHL to provide depth on blue line
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DENVER — The Blues recalled defenseman Matthew Kessel from AHL affiliate Springfield on Friday afternoon, adding an extra body on the back end to help fill the void left by Scott Perunovich when he was traded to the Islanders on Monday.
Kessel, 24, began the season in the NHL and played in 26 games before he was sent down on Dec. 14 to make space for the acquisition of Cam Fowler. In 17 games with Springfield, Kessel has four goals and seven assists.
The team announced that Kessel would meet the Blues in Colorado, where they were set to play the Avalanche on Friday night. The Blues finish a brief trip in Utah on Sunday night.
Blues defenseman Matthew Kessel pursues a loose puck in a game against Chicago on Wednesday, April 10, 2024, at Enterprise Center.
David Carson, Post-Dispatch
Kessel’s promotion to the NHL gives the Blues a seventh defenseman on the active roster, an insurance policy to protect against injury or illness. Colton Parayko, for example, missed the morning skate on Friday because of illness, and Nick Leddy (who is on the trip as he works his way back from a lower-body injury) is not ready yet to play in games again.
The Blues now have just one spot open on the active roster.
The right-handed Kessel will return to the NHL to a slightly different defensive corps than he left in December. Fowler has been added via trade from Anaheim. Pierre-Olivier Joseph was shipped back to Pittsburgh. Perunovich was traded to the Islanders. Tyler Tucker has made himself a staple on the third pairing. And Leddy appears close to playing for the first time since Oct. 15.
Cap announcement
On Friday morning, the NHL and the players’ association announced significant increases to the salary cap for the next three seasons, beginning with a $7.5 million increase for next year to $95.5 million. That will go up $8.5 million, to $104 million in 2026-27, and up $9.5 million, to $113.5 million in 2027-28.
Of players on the current Blues salary cap, 12 forwards, seven defensemen and one goaltender combine for a $85.56 million cap hit, giving the Blues about $10 million in cap space to work with next season. Goalie Joel Hofer will be due a raise to about $3-4 million annually, which will eat into that figure slightly.
The $10 million figure also includes Torey Krug, who will miss all of this season because of an ankle surgery. Should Krug also miss next year, the Blues have the option of placing him on long-term injured reserve in order to exceed the cap by close to his $6.5 million cap hit.
While the Blues will benefit from a $7.5 million increase, they’ve already used some of that space to sign Pavel Buchnevich to an extension that will take his cap hit from $5.8 million currently to $8 million the next six seasons. They’ve also signed Jake Neighbours to an extension worth $3.75 million annually, up from his $835,834 cap hit on his entry-level contract.
Blues forward Dylan Holloway passes the puck past Flames forward Jonathan Huberdeau in the first period Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025, at Enterprise Center.
Seeger Gray, Post-Dispatch
The Blues also will have certainty with the cap this summer should they want to enter extension negotiations with Dylan Holloway or Philip Broberg. Both players will be eligible to sign extensions beginning on July 1.
Saad signs with Vegas
Former Blues forward Brandon Saad cleared unconditional waivers on Friday, and his contract with the team was terminated. That made him an unrestricted free agent, and it didn’t take him long to find a new team.
Saad signed a contract through the rest of this season with Vegas worth $1.5 million across an entire season. He joins fellow former Blues Alex Pietrangelo and Ivan Barbashev with the Golden Knights.
With 78 days left of a 192-day season, the deal should pay Saad about $609,375. He will become an unrestricted free agent this summer, and the Blues no longer will be saddled with his former $4.5 million cap hit.
Saad forfeited $5.425 million when he agreed to terminate his contract, which allowed him to sign in Vegas.
Schueneman extended
The Blues signed defenseman Corey Schueneman to a one-year, two-way contract extension on Friday, a deal that will pay Schueneman $775,000 in the NHL and $425,000 in the AHL. Schueneman is currently playing in the AHL for Springfield, but played four NHL games for the Blues in November.
Schueneman, 29, was scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent in the summer. His signing leaves Ryan Suter as the only Blues defenseman expected to become a UFA this offseason. Tyler Tucker will remain an RFA this summer when he plays in 11 more games this season, not including Friday night in Colorado.
Worthy: Brayden Schenn doesn't question the Blues' effort. Hopefully, they prove him right
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In describing the emphasis of the Blues’ practice session earlier this week, head coach Jim Montgomery used the term “battle practice.†He then made a distinction between the initial one-on-one battle and the “second quick battle,†the latter being the first player to rally to their teammate in pursuit of the puck.
It’s an area the Blues feel they “can have a lot of growth in,†Montgomery said. That’s a nicer way of saying they need more of it. They need more guys hungry to win those battles and hungry to help their teammates win those battles.
While it’s just one aspect of play — puck battles — it’s also indicative of the Blues’ situation. They need more guys rallying to pull themselves out of their collective funk, which is now four losses in their past five games after three consecutive losses on home ice.
Monday night, it took the Blues less than three minutes to fall behind. Their captain Brayden Schenn responded on the ensuing faceoff by dropping the gloves and cracking the Vancouver Canucks’ J.T. Miller in the face, undoubtedly unleashing a measure of frustration in the process.
That rather literal “battle†shown by Schenn ideally would have sparked something in his club and gotten teammates to rally.
“At the end of the day, you have to just try to lead by example and play up to my abilities and play the best I can,†Schenn said. “There’s a group of us that have to do that, and hopefully everyone else follows.â€
Instead on Monday, the Blues fell behind by three goals before they put the puck in the net.
Yes, the Blues had a goal wiped away by a controversial goalie interference call late in that first period. But the spark shouldn’t have taken that long to ignite. Ultimately, it fizzled out to the tune of an uninspired 5-2 loss.
At times during this recent down stretch, the Blues have admittedly lacked energy.
A consistent level of play has also evaded them.
However, Schenn drew a clear line when asked if effort was part of that equation.
“I don’t think you ever question guys’ effort,†Schenn said after practice Thursday. “I think guys are always trying. Guys are always going to put their best foot forward. Some nights you don’t have your A-game or whatever, but I would never question effort.
“Consistency comes with a lot of things. It comes with confidence. It comes with energy. It comes with feel. It comes with wins, losses, all that types of stuff. We’ve got to worry about one win at a time and go from there.â€
The Blues have five games remaining before the break for the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament, but it feels like they’ve already reached a bit of an inflection point.
They’ve gone 7-8 in their past 15 games. Earlier this week, they traded away defenseman Scott Perunovich (New York Islanders) and waived veteran forward Brandon Saad.
In the aftermath of those moves, president of hockey operations and general manager Doug Armstrong spoke with reporters and acknowledged the club leaned heavily on a core group of players, including Pavel Buchnevich, Robert Thomas and Schenn, as they embarked on their retool.
Armstrong also acknowledged that they’ve now changed the support players around that group as well as the head coach multiple times, and the results have remained stagnant.
That may, perhaps, prompt some reassessment.
“This year coming out of the Christmas break, we looked at our schedule (and) we saw teams that we felt we needed to get wins against — not just compete with but get wins against,†Armstrong said. “Now, we’re in January and we’re back in the same spot. We had an opportunity to gain ground and we lost ground. That’s doing soul searching for all of us.â€
Soul searching from the front office shouldn’t be taken lightly.
The Blues will have had three days between games when they take the ice Friday night in Colorado. They’ve had a couple of hard practice days since Monday’s malfunction.
Thursday, Schenn called the players together and addressed them away from the coaching staff at center ice at the conclusion of practice.
“That’s leadership. That’s what you want,†Montgomery said. “Right? You want guys to huddle up and break at the end of practice and look each other in the eye and: ‘Hey, we went to work today.’â€
Schenn has tallied 20 points in the 29 games since Montgomery took over, and he flipped his individual plus-minus from negative to positive. He ranks second on the team in hits this season. He’s left it all on the ice pretty consistently, especially since the coaching change.
Defenseman Colton Parayko is having a career year. Jordan Kyrou continues to be the most productive offensive weapon on the club. Newcomer Dylan Holloway has been a breakout performer.
So it’s not as if Schenn’s lead-by-example approach has fallen completely flat.
However, the Blues need more guys rallying to get in on the battle, and they need it now.
Forward Alexandre Texier looking forward to chance to play on Blues' top line
Blues forward Alexandre Texier shoots, scoring a goal, during the Winter Classic against the Blackhawks on Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024, at Wrigley Field in Chicago.
Allie Schallert, Post-Dispatch
It was clear on Tuesday that Alexandre Texier would receive more of a look in the Blues lineup. Thursday revealed how strong that look might be.
Texier skated on the top line with Robert Thomas and Pavel Buchnevich during Thursday’s practice, jumping right back into a prime spot in the lineup after he was a scratch for eight of the past nine games. Texier has played with Thomas and Buchnevich twice before: on Dec. 23 at Detroit and Dec. 29 vs. Buffalo.
“Play with pace, play with purpose, make plays, stay connected to the other two,†Blues coach Jim Montgomery said. “They need to stay connected with him. It was a really good line there for us two games in a row.â€
Texier became a topic of conversation on Tuesday when the Blues announced that they would place Brandon Saad on waivers. Instead of recalling a player from the AHL, Blues general manager Doug Armstrong wanted to see more of Texier, for whom the Blues traded a fourth-round pick to the Blue Jackets over the summer. Texier signed a two-year contract with a $2.1 million with the Blues.
This season, Texier has just three goals and five assists in 24 games. He’s been a healthy scratch 21 times and missed seven games while hurt or sick.
“It’s been a while, so I’m just going to keep it simple and try to read off those guys,†Texier said. “They’re going to make those plays, so I’ve just got to be in the right spot in front of the net and do those little details the right way. Should be good.â€
Texier appeared to build momentum before Christmas when he strung together good games on the road against the Lightning, Panthers and Red Wings. But he was sick after the break and missed a Dec. 27 game vs. Nashville and hasn’t found his game since then.
“As a player, you always want to be out there, but those thing happen in sports and it’s a challenge every time,†Texier said. “It’s not going to be perfect all year long. You’re going to have some ups and downs. It just happens, and (you) kind of learn from the past and to take it the positive way. It’s in the past, so nothing I can do. I’m just focusing on tomorrow.â€
Texier will again become another option the Blues have tried with Thomas and Buchnevich. Jake Neighbours played with them on Monday vs. Vancouver, and Zack Bolduc was with them on Saturday vs. Dallas.
“Just got to bring something to the table, physicality I think,†Texier said. “Just play hard and don’t try to think too much. Sometimes, you try to pass the puck too much and stuff like that. Just going to keep it simple and play my game.â€
Leddy making progress
Injured Blues defenseman Nick Leddy was on the ice for practice Thursday morning, and Montgomery said he was getting closer to a return, although he did not reveal a target date. Leddy has not played since Oct. 15, as he’s missed the past 47 games with a lower-body injury.
“We are starting to see him climb the ladder and make the steps to being a player,†Montgomery said. “Now, when that exactly is, we don’t know, we don’t have a target date still. But he is getting better. That’s been a real pleasant surprise in the last three or four days.â€
Buchnevich was back on the ice after missing Tuesday’s practice due to maintenance. Captain Brayden Schenn was fine after getting hit in his head during Thursday’s practice.
Saad hits unconditional waivers
The Blues placed Brandon Saad on unconditional waivers for the purposes of contract termination on Thursday, as they announced that they would on Wednesday. When Saad clears on Friday, his contract will be terminated, and he will become an unrestricted free agent free to sign with any team he wants to.
When his contract is terminated, Saad will forfeit about $5.425 million in total salary due to him for the remainder of this season and all of next season. The Blues will no longer be on the hook for his $4.5 million cap hit.
Jim Montgomery searches for right buttons to push as Blues look for turnaround
Blues head coach Jim Montgomery talks with his team during a timeout during the Winter Classic against the Blackhawks on Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024, at Wrigley Field in Chicago.
Allie Schallert, Post-Dispatch
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Jim Montgomery hasn’t been in this position in a decade and a half.
That’s the last time one of his teams missed the postseason, like the Blues are currently positioned to do as they head to Colorado and Utah for a two-game road trip.
In both of his years in Boston, the Bruins qualified for the playoffs. When he was an assistant in St. Louis, the Blues made the playoffs in 2021 and 2022. Montgomery’s Stars made the playoffs in his first season in 2018-19, and then he was fired before they made a run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2020. Before that, he made the NCAA Tournament in all five of his years at Denver. Dubuque made the USHL playoffs in all three of Montgomery’s seasons, including winning the championship twice.
It’s been since 2010, when Montgomery was an assistant at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, that he’s not made the postseason.
“It’s been disappointing, and I’m disappointed in myself not being able to have a better impact,†Montgomery said. “That’s where my disappointment comes. With that, it’s about how are we going to get better? I like to be solution-based. Your emotions get the best of you after a loss or a win. Sometimes, you think your team is way better than it is. Sometimes, you think your team is not as good as it really is.
“But the next morning when I come and review the film, I really come up usually with one to two to three, max, things that we need to do and focus on to get better. Usually, that puts my mindset in the right place. When you are solution-based, you look at it, and this is how we’re going to get it back.â€
The Blues have an uphill climb in front of them. They entered Thursday six points back of the Canucks, having played one more game than Vancouver. If the Blues want to reach the typical 95-point cutoff for a playoff spot, they’ll need to go 22-8-1 to get there. Even to get to a lesser 90-point threshold, they’ll still need a 20-11-0 record.
Under Montgomery, the Blues are 14-12-3, but that record doesn’t measure the strides they’ve made at five on five. Since Nov. 24, the Blues are 15th in the league at controlling expected goals, 12th in scoring chance share, seventh in high-danger chance share and third in goals for percentage at five on five.
But the team’s penalty kill has allowed goals at a rate higher than every other NHL team since Montgomery was hired, and the power play is about league average. So some of what has been accomplished at five on five has been given back during special teams.
The Blues have had inconsistent energy levels, which has led to slow starts, and in turn, led to Montgomery trying to address those issues.
This week, he talked about changing his team’s routines. He talked about the coaches spending more time in the dressing room before a game, perhaps drawing inspiration from Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola.
“I’m a big Pep Guardiola fan, and if you watch how the culture is in soccer, he’s in the dressing room for like the last 10 minutes before they go out,†Montgomery said. “He’s going around, he’s bumping everybody. They don’t play as many games — they’re starting to play as many games as us, but it’s a different culture. But can we bring maybe half of that? Those are things we’re looking at, and it’s got to be something that it’s communicated and that the players want as well.â€
Montgomery said he pulls tactics from other coaches around other sports. You’ve heard of the names before: Gregg Popovich, Mike Krzyzewski, Steve Kerr, Bill Belichick, Bill Parcells and Jimmy Johnson. He watches how they interact with their players or how they run their staffs or how they react to adverse conditions.
“I’ve stolen some of that stuff,†Montgomery said. “Looking at it from a different angle.â€
Another button Montgomery can push? Practice time.
On Tuesday, Montgomery conducted one of the hardest practices of the season, a session that lasted close to an hour and finished with two tough skating drills. One asked players to lead a two-on-none rush, then backcheck after a shot. The other lined them up on the blue line to stop and start at the red line and the far blue line.
Earlier on, the team spent about 10 minutes on a one-on-one battle drill that was physically demanding. And the team worked on more competition and battle drills later in the practice.
“If there’s an area of our team in the stats that we keep that we need to improve, it’s our battle percentage,†Montgomery said. “It’s not only one-on-one battles, but we count second-quick battles, which is you and I are in a battle, who’s the next teammate that’s going to come and get the loose puck?â€
The practice came after Monday night’s 5-2 loss to Vancouver, but it was designed about a week before that, Montgomery said. The Blues saw the three-day break between games and found an opportunity for a hard skate Tuesday, an off-day Wednesday and another practice Thursday before flying to Denver.
“I told them it’s not a punishment, it’s about us getting better in an area that is not up to the standard that we want it to be,†Montgomery said.
St. Louis Blues head coach Jim Montgomery gave an update on defenseman Nick Leddy's injury recovery. (Video courtesy of St. Louis Blues)
Brandon Saad gives Blues a 'gift' with contract termination: Net Front Presence
Blues bid farewell to Brandon Saad and his contract: Net Front Presence
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Post-Dispatch Blues beat reporter Matthew DeFranks joined columnist Jeff Gordon to discuss the departure of Brandon Saad and the impact of his contract termination.
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Blues, forward Brandon Saad agree to terminate contract
The Blues’ Brandon Saad celebrates after scoring in the first period, en route to notching a hat trick in his team’s 4-0 victory over Ottawa on Friday, Jan. 3, 2025, at Enterprise Center.
Laurie Skrivan, Post-Dispatch
The Blues and forward Brandon Saad mutually agreed to terminate his contract on Wednesday, the team announced, as the veteran will forfeit more than $5 million owed to him to avoid assignment to the AHL and become an unrestricted free agent.
The Blues announced that they would place Saad on unconditional waivers for the purpose of contract termination on Thursday. When Saad clears on Friday, he will be free to sign with any team in the league, and the Blues will be clear of Saad’s contract.
That means Saad’s $4.5 million cap hit will come off the books for the remainder of this season and all of next season. Saad will also forgo the approximately $1.8 million owed to him in salary the rest of this season and the $3.625 million owed to him next season, about $5.425 million in total.
The Blues placed Saad on regular waivers on Tuesday afternoon with the intention of assigning him to AHL affiliate Springfield (Massachusetts). He cleared waivers on Wednesday but was never assigned to the AHL.
Had Saad been assigned to the AHL, he still would have counted $3.35 million on the Blues cap, as only $1.15 million can be buried in the minors. Instead, the Blues have been given financial flexibility with Saad’s decision to terminate his contract.
When Saad becomes a free agent on Friday, there will surely be interest in the seven-time 20-goal scorer at a greatly reduced rate — and likely without the commitment of another year that he had on his contract.
This season, Saad has seven goals and nine assists in 43 games. He has scored in just three games this season but had multiple goals in each of them: two vs. Winnipeg on Oct. 22, two at Buffalo on Nov. 14 and three vs. Ottawa on Jan. 3.
Saad was in the fourth year of a five-year contract signed with the Blues in 2021. He will finish his Blues career with 76 goals and 68 assists in 274 games. Saad was a healthy scratch five times this season.
Without Saad on the roster, the Blues will look to Alexandre Texier to become more of a fixture in the lineup, something general manager Doug Armstrong said he wants to see more of. Armstrong said Tuesday afternoon that the team does not intend to call up anyone from Springfield to fill a roster with two open spots now with Scott Perunovich’s traded to the Islanders and Saad’s contract terminated.
Saad’s decision will also allow the Blues to use his $4.5 million in the offseason to try and improve a team that is currently positioned to miss the playoffs for the third straight season. The Blues will already be dealing with raises for Pavel Buchnevich ($5.8 million cap hit to $8 million next season) and Jake Neighbours ($835,834 to $3.75 million), with one likely for Joel Hofer as well. Goaltenders of Hofer’s caliber and age have typically received $3 million to $4 million on comparable contracts.
With reinforcements needed up front and a salary cap that is supposed to increase more than $4 million, Saad’s decision will impact the club’s ability to make moves over the summer.
It also will impact the team’s ability to get under the salary cap this season. Because the Blues are currently using long-term injured reserve with Torey Krug, they are allowed to exceed the cap by close to his $6.5 million cap hit. But if the Blues finish the season with a total cap hit over the $88 million limit, performance bonuses earned this season will roll over into an overage next season.
Ryan Suter has already earned $1.125 million in bonuses this season and will earn $600,000 when he plays in his 60th game. A final $500,000 is due if he plays 60 games and makes the playoffs. If the Blues finish over the cap, they could be dealing with Suter’s bonus overages on next year’s cap.
Clearing the remainder of Saad’s $4.5 million hit and Perunovich’s $1.15 million hit helps with that, as would potential trades of Suter himself ($775,000 hit) or Radek Faksa ($3.25 million hit).
This maneuver with Saad is one example that points to the difference between a no-trade clause and a no-movement clause. If Saad had a full no-movement clause, the Blues would not have been able to place him on waivers in the first place, and he would not have accepted a contract termination as a result.
A no-movement clause would have kept Saad glued to the Blues as long as he wanted to be, but instead, St. Louis will emerge later this week without Saad’s contract on the books anymore, both in terms of the salary cap and in terms of real money paid by payroll.
Sylvegard also terminated
The Blues placed minor league forward Marcus Sylvegard on waivers for the purpose of contract termination on Tuesday, and when he cleared Wednesday afternoon, Sylvegard’s contract was terminated.
Sylvegard signed with Vaxjo in the SHL, returning home to Sweden after about half a season playing for Springfield in the AHL. Sylvegard, 25, had 21 points in 35 games with Springfield, mostly playing on a line with Aleksanteri Kaskimaki and Dalibor Dvorsky.
As Blues prune roster, what comes next for GM Doug Armstrong and St. Louis core?
As the Blues roster trims itself this week, what comes next?
The Blues traded spare defenseman Scott Perunovich to the Islanders on Monday, then waived forward Brandon Saad on Tuesday, cutting ties with a player drafted seven years ago and then one with a $4.5 million cap hit. They are no longer changing their roster by shuffling out Jakub Vrana or Kevin Hayes, and adding Alexandre Texier and Mathieu Joseph.
As general manager Doug Armstrong put it Tuesday afternoon, the Blues are “chipping further and further up†into the organization, expelling players with some history in the Note. The Blues have no current plans to replace Perunovich or Saad with minor-league reinforcements, Armstrong said, and will instead roll with two empty spots on their active roster.
But Armstrong, in discussing this week’s moves, also broached a subject that will determine how successful the Blues’ retool will be: the team’s core.
In discussing the changes to the bottom-six forward group, players meandering in and out of the lineup, Armstrong said, “As our season has gone, we’ve inserted and taken out that level of player, that part of our lineup really to no change above it. Right now, let’s just settle in with a group of guys and play and see what they can do.â€
He mentioned Robert Thomas and Pavel Buchnevich specifically as players who are having down years. Under Jim Montgomery, Thomas and Buchnevich have struggled to find consistency with various linemates or with different power-play usage.
Thomas has 36 points in 39 games, a 0.92 points-per-game average that’s down from the 1.05 he put up last season. Thomas was robbed 12 games due to a fractured ankle, which appeared to be the culprit that would rob him of a chase toward a 100-point season. Instead, it’s been his slowed production as he has three points in the past eight games.
Buchnevich has 11 goals and 20 assists in 49 games, and he’s scoring goals at his lowest rate since his second season in the NHL back in 2017-18. His 0.63 points per game would be his lowest since 2018-19, well before he arrived in St. Louis in 2021. His six-year extension worth $8 million annually will kick in next season.
“Last year, I thought Buchnevich and Thomas had good years, statistically had good years, and (Brayden) Schenn didn’t have a good year,†Armstrong said. “This year, it’s reversed. I think Schenn’s played very well since Monty’s been here. We haven’t had collectively our top six guys pull the rope in the same direction to allow that support group to really have an impact on our team. I think that’s what you see, at least that’s what I see right now.
“It’s just our inability for our top-end players to put long stretches of play together, where you have five of your six top forwards and four of your top five D playing good for not days at a time, or weeks at a time, but a month at a time or six weeks at a time. That’s how you go on runs. It’s well-documented that we haven’t gone on a run yet this year.â€
Armstrong stressed multiple times Tuesday that his job right now is to observe what is happening. It also sounded like he and GM in waiting Alexander Steen are absorbing just how their group is responding to a 23-24-4 record that left them five points out of a playoff spot (with two more games played than Calgary) entering Wednesday.
Armstrong hears the comments that the team is lacking energy, or that the body language is poor, or that the club isn’t fighting through adversity.
“I’m not in the room, I don’t know why they say those things,†Armstrong said. “I don’t know why they can’t correct those things. I don’t know why our home record is under .500. I don’t know why we didn’t embrace the opportunity of a three-game homestand to make hay. My job is to react, or not react to it, but to observe it and then say, ‘OK, well what do we need to do moving forward?’ Part of the retool is we’re finding out positive and negatives about a lot of different situations in our group.â€
The Blues are staring down the prospect of missing the playoffs in three straight seasons for just the second time in franchise history. And they’ll do it while spending to the cap — or over it when accounting for long-term injured reserve figures.
Saad cleared waivers Wednesday afternoon and will have his contract terminated, but was his dismissal just the first ice pick into the side of the Blues mountain?
“He’s been direct and honest with us,†Schenn said. “That’s probably the first time you guys heard it, we’ve heard it. At the end of the day, our job’s to go out there and play as a team. Play hard for one another, and perform at the highest level you can on a consistent basis. We know we have to play better, and that’s just the reality of it.â€
Armstrong acknowledged he’s trying to make moves to improve the Blues, that he’s in communication with other GMs around the NHL. But not every conversation is fruitful, of course, even if they lead to more introspection.
“It’s not like I don’t talk to other managers,†Armstrong said. “It has to fit for everybody. There’s a lot of situations where I hang the phone up and say, ‘That sounds really good for him. I’m not sure what’s in it for me.’ Part of it, maybe I overvalue some of our guys.
“That’s part of what Alex and I are going through right now with Monty is where are we at? Who’s been here the longest? Are we correct in our assessment of where they’re at?â€
