Hello,​ The Athletic friends!

Let’s recap​ some recent​ stories from​ @TheAthleticSTL:

Report card:​ See what grade The Athletic’s Dom Luszczyszyn​​ gave the Blues after an offseason in which they added Ryan O’Reilly, Pat Maroon, David Perron and Tyler Bozak. Click here.
Hometown headaches: Maroon gets advice from four St. Louisans who wore the Blue Note. Click here.
Jake Allen is taking a different approach this summer, but the Blues’ starting goalie is staying silent on the details. Click here.
Ranking the Top 50 drafted NHL prospects: How high does The Athletic‘s Scott Wheeler have the Blues’ Jordan Kyrou and Robert Thomas on his board? Click here.
Let’s get to this week’s mailbag …

Any idea if they will sell the seats they’re replacing at the Enterprise Center like they did at The Arena and Busch Stadium? Will they wait until the lower bowl is replaced as well? Secondly, have you come up with a nickname for the Enterprise Center? I like the idea of calling it the Car Barn. — Jeff

JR: Regarding the seats, only the mezzanine and club levels are being replaced this year. The Blues did allow season-ticket holders who wanted their seats to purchase them at the cost of retrieval, and I’m told they had 100 or so takers. A nickname? Hmm. I’m not very creative when it comes to that stuff. Maybe call it the Make-Sure-You-Fill-It-Up-Before-You-Return Center or the Check-The-X-If-You’d-Like-To-Decline-The-Insurance Arena. See what I mean? I’ve got nothing. That said, I’m not sure “Car Barn” is going to make the cut, either. Perhaps the rest of the readers can give us more suggestions in the comments section at the bottom of this page.

Being a Blues fan in Chicago can be tough at times, but hey, that’s what I get for living in a rival’s city. I wanted to get your opinion of the Top 50 drafted NHL prospects (referenced above). It’s always nice to see an outsider’s opinion on rankings, especially when it comes to Blues prospects. I thought it was interesting to see he had Jordan Kyrou ranked over Robert Thomas at Nos. 16 and 17, respectively. It seems like he thinks Kyrou has a better shot at making the lineup, mostly because of our newly found depth at center. Do you think this is the case now, or do you still feel Thomas has a better chance at making the team out of camp? — Matt

JR: I love Scott’s work and enjoyed the article. The majority of the prospect gurus and scouts I’ve spoken with like both Kyrou and Thomas, but probably Thomas a little more because of his extremely high hockey IQ. That’s not to say that Kyrou isn’t intelligent as well, it just means Thomas really thinks the game and is always in the right spots. Kyrou has the lightning speed, though, so they both have qualities that make them elite prospects.

As far as which one makes the team, or whether they both can, I don’t think it will come down to who is better — there are other variables involved. First of all, Thomas has a lingering foot injury that kept him out of the Blues’ prospect camp, followed by more rest. The team is being cautious, and he’s expected to be ready for camp, but how ready? Secondly, Thomas can’t play in the AHL because of his age (19), so he either has to be on the Blues’ roster or sent back to Hamilton of the Ontario Hockey League. Doug Armstrong believes Thomas has proved all he can at that level, so I think they’d like to keep him in the NHL. Third, he plays center, and even though the Blues added O’Reilly and Bozak this summer, I’ve heard that the Blues wouldn’t be opposed to easing Thomas in on the fourth line. None of that means Kyrou won’t be NHL-ready this year, but with the logjam at forward, including Vladimir Tarasenko, David Perron and Alexander Steen on the right side, where Kyrou is probably best-suited, and the fact that he’s old enough (20) to play in the AHL this year, I think he’ll start the year in the minors.

So glad I got a subscription this year. I spent all summer studying for the Missouri Bar, and the Blues’ offseason plus your articles sure added some great motivation! Onto my question: I think the Blues don’t really have a leadership issue if they have the right leaders. Can Brayden Schenn become captain? From what I’ve read, he’s really taken over that role with the players and has been intangible in the locker room. I’ve got no problems with Alex Pietrangelo as a leader, but I think it’s hard to pass up what Schenn brings, and I think he can win us that beautiful silver prize. — Jason



JR: Thanks for subscribing, Jason. I think Schenn has done a tremendous job stepping into a new situation and becoming a highly respected teammate and voice in the locker room, so I agree with you that he’s one of the leaders of this Blues team. However, unless they expand the group that wears the letters, I’m not sure how they put a patch on his chest. I think Schenn could be captain material, but the Blues obviously aren’t going to take the “C” away from Pietrangelo, nor would they do so with the “A’s,” worn by Tarasenko and Alexander Steen. If they add a couple more alternates this year, Schenn would be a no-brainer, but I don’t expect them to do that, and honestly he doesn’t need the letter to continue being a strong influence on the ice and in the locker room.

What does the NHL actually do to a team if they exceed the salary cap? — Craig

JR: Teams can exceed the salary cap only in the offseason, and only by 10 percent, and they must be back down to the cap by opening night. After that, it’s virtually impossible to exceed the cap because it’s monitored daily by the teams and the league, and if a club were on the verge of exceeding the cap, it would have to play with a lineup less than 20 players (18 skaters, two goalies). The one exception to what we’re discussing is this: It’s difficult for teams to know which bonuses players will reach by season’s end, so once those are calculated, a club may indeed end up over the cap. That is called a “bonus overage,” and the amount is deducted from the following year’s available cap space. For example, Capfriendly.com says the Blues went over by about $150,000 last year because of bonuses, so that will carry over to 2018-19; they will have $150,000 less to spend of the $79.5 million cap.

Love the work over at The Athletic. Best collection of sportswriters out there! Seeing as though our only question mark is goaltending, are you aware of any changes to Jake Allen’s offseason or preparation to avoid a slow start or midseason funk? — Matthew

JR: Ah, you must not have noticed my story about Allen this week. The link is above, so check it out. I spoke with Allen for about a half-hour this week and asked him if he were doing anything differently this summer that could help him be more consistent through the middle months. He said he was, but didn’t want to get into specifics, and it’s believed the reason is because it has to do with him seeing a sports psychologist. In the article, I also interviewed a former NHL goalie who, along with being a goalie coach, has spent 30 years in the league, and that was his guess, too, that Allen is probably talking with someone who can help him deal better with the mental grind of the long season.



What are the chances Pat Maroon has a good year and signs a long-term deal in St. Louis? Same for Joel Edmundson, though I bet his chances are much better. — Hunter

JR: With Maroon, we’ll just have to see what kind of season he has. There was a lot of speculation when Maroon signed that he and Armstrong had a wink-wink agreement to give him an extension when he’s eligible for that in January. While I understand what people are saying, it’s against the rules to have any formal agreement and actually doesn’t make sense for either side anyway.

Let’s say Maroon and the Blues were to shake hands behind the scenes on a three-year extension worth $3.5 million per season, to be executed in January. Hypothetically, what if Maroon has 24 goals by January and is on pace for 42? He’s not signing a deal with a $3.5 million AAV. Conversely, what if his back injury acts up and he has played in only 15 games by January? The Blues aren’t signing that deal. So really, it makes no sense. Certainly the Blues can tell Maroon they’ll be interested in an extension if he plays well, and that’s what it comes down to.

On Edmundson, both sides are interested in a long-term deal. He would have gotten it this season, but the Blues didn’t have enough cap space after making some necessary upgrades and Edmundson wisely signed the one-year extension so he can get a much higher AAV on a long-term deal next season.

I was curious about the status of Zach Sanford and how he’s been doing? I haven’t seen his name mentioned much in the lineup-speculation conversations. I really liked his play when he came over and think his injury last year affected the team more than has been mentioned. Do you have any info on him? — Gary

JR: I have to be honest here, I haven’t seen or spoke to Sanford in a while, so that’s why he hasn’t been mentioned much. But you’re right, we can’t forget about him. He came over from Washington in the Kevin Shattenkirk trade two years ago and played only 13 games with the Blues, but showed some skill in the last few. I thought he had a chance to work himself into the top nine last year, but he suffered a shoulder injury in the collision with Dmitrij Jaskin on the first day of training camp last season.

I agree with you that the Blues missed his potential. He got into the lineup with the Blues’ AHL affiliate in San Antonio at the end of the year, but missed some more time because of injury and never got called up to St. Louis. I’m looking forward to seeing him in camp, but with him having played only 39 NHL games (none since the 2016-17 season), I find it hard to believe he can crack the top nine out of camp. If the Blues go with a fourth line that can skate and put up some offense, I could see him on the right side of that line. He might need some time in San Antonio to get his feet under him, but either way, I still see him with a future in the top-nine in the NHL.

Now let’s head to the Twitter-verse …


Jeremy Rutherford
✔
@jprutherford
 · 27 Jul
 Have any Blues questions? Let's do a mailbag. Send them to jrutherford@theathletic.com or tweet using #theathleticstl


Petro's offseason workout
@anarchymotive
Can we start the season now? #theathleticstl

8:45 AM - Jul 27, 2018
1
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JR: We could, but I think there might be a few issues, like no ice at Enterprise Center and players aren’t in town. Plus, I’ve still got a few vacation days to burn. But I know, I know, you’re antsy after the Blues’ moves this summer, and you can’t wait to get going. Be patient, it’ll be here before you know it.


Jeremy Rutherford
✔
@jprutherford
 · 27 Jul
 Have any Blues questions? Let's do a mailbag. Send them to jrutherford@theathletic.com or tweet using #theathleticstl


STL Sports
@Cards_Blues
Are third sweaters coming this year? #theathleticstl

1:05 PM - Jul 27, 2018
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JR: Yes, they are. For those of you who don’t keep up with the uniforms, the Blues did not have a third jersey last year because the NHL was switching from Reebok to Adidas, and there wasn’t enough time to design/produce them. But after a one-year hiatus, they will be back, and the Blues will have a different look than the uniform pictured at the top of his article. They will be abandoning the circular logo with the Arch, which was designed by previous ownership, and all indications are that they will be wearing something very similar to the powder-blue Winter Classic uniforms that were extremely popular.

Fans have been asking me for weeks when they will be unveiled, and I can finally tell you that we will see them at the Blues’ annual Icebreaker event in late August. If you’re never been to the Icebreaker, that’s a fun event every year at Ballpark Village, which is usually packed with fans wearing red, but on that day will be full of Blues gear. If you live in St. Louis, wait for the date to be announced and put it on your calendar.


Jeremy Rutherford
✔
@jprutherford
 · 27 Jul
 Have any Blues questions? Let's do a mailbag. Send them to jrutherford@theathletic.com or tweet using #theathleticstl


robby raymer
@RaymerRobby
Does Mike Yeo have the ability to adjust his coaching style to allow the team to roll 4 lines? #stlblues #theathleticstl

8:53 AM - Jul 27, 2018
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JR: Before I answer that, I have to point out that we don’t even know who will be on the fourth line this season. This will be a different look than the past couple of years, when you went into the year knowing it was Scottie Upshall, Kyle Brodziak and Ryan Reaves/Chris Thorburn. The Blues picked up Nikita Soshnikov late last year, and he has an eye on the LW spot. I mentioned that Thomas could start out in the middle, and the RW spot could be up for grabs. It could be Chris Thorburn some nights, Sanford or maybe Dmitrij Jaskin or Ivan Barbashev.

Does Yeo have the ability to roll four lines? The answer to that is the same every year — if they’re producing. We all know that no coach is going to play his fourth line 13 minutes every night, so I’m not expecting the ice time to be balanced. But if the Blues wind up with a line of, let’s say, Barbashev-Thomas-Sanford, and they’re skating hard and scoring, then I don’t see why Yeo wouldn’t be able to roll four lines and play the fourth line 10 minutes or so. But to me, not even knowing who is going to be on that line makes it tough to know if they’ll get that kind of ice time.


Jeremy Rutherford
✔
@jprutherford
 · 27 Jul
 Have any Blues questions? Let's do a mailbag. Send them to jrutherford@theathletic.com or tweet using #theathleticstl


Super Duper Cards Fan
@BooneStreetBand
Can Doug Armstrong GM the @cardinals too?  Asking for a friend.  #theathleticstl

8:58 AM - Jul 27, 2018
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JR: I know some Cardinals fans that probably wouldn’t mind that, but it looks like the local baseball team is starting to make some moves. It’s so funny how fickle people are when it comes to this stuff. A couple of years ago, the Cardinals could do no wrong, and a couple of months ago Blues fans wanted Armstrong gone. But the Cards have hit tough times, Armstrong has made a few slick moves and the outlook has changed. So tell your friend to be patient a little longer and maybe it’ll circle back. Either that, or tell Cards president of baseball operations John Mozeliak to trade the equivalent of Patrik Berglund — whoever that may be — and everybody will be back in his corner.


Jeremy Rutherford
✔
@jprutherford
 · 27 Jul
 Have any Blues questions? Let's do a mailbag. Send them to jrutherford@theathletic.com or tweet using #theathleticstl


Aaron
@okayfineAaron
If Allen falters again, can you see Armstrong making another deadline deal for a netminder, assuming all other components are there? #theathleticstl

9:00 AM - Jul 27, 2018
2
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JR: If Allen absolutely proves this year that he’s not the answer, I don’t know what Armstrong is going to do. As we sit here in July, I can’t imagine Chad Johnson being able to step up like Carter Hutton did the past couple of years and holding down the No. 1 job, and while prospect Ville Husso appears to have a bright future, I don’t know how anyone could tell you today that Husso will be good enough this year to be the starter. So if Allen falters, I think Armstrong would have to make a move, but the thing is, that move would require doing something with Allen. You wouldn’t be able to trade him in that scenario, so the only alternative would be paying him $4.35 million to play in the minors. We’re getting way ahead of ourselves here, but I’m just trying to provide some context to your ‘What if?’ question.


Brandon Ruiz
@BrandonRuiz07
 @jprutherford Did the off-season shake up change the team too much to the point that we should expect a so-so season while everyone acclimates to each other and build chemistry? #theathleticstl

9:00 AM - Jul 27, 2018
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JR: There’s always a chance that when a team brings in several new players, especially at key positions, it’s going to take some time to get a feel for one another. But I don’t think it will be as big of an issue for the Blues this year for a couple of reasons. No. 1 is that O’Reilly, Maroon, Bozak and Perron have been around the league for a long time, and they’re not really flashy, high-maintenance players who are going to need perfect linemates to make them comfortable. They are hard workers, and hard workers are usually able to find chemistry quicker because they do what it takes to win, and the chemistry comes with it. No. 2, some of these newcomers have experience with the Blues, such as O’Reilly playing with Jaden Schwartz and Schenn at the World Championships last year and Perron playing with many guys on this roster. It may be a bit of a challenge early, but it shouldn’t be a situation where we’re still talking about chemistry in December and January.


eden rutherford
@edenrutherford6
 Who do you think maroon will be lined with? #theathleticstl

9:06 AM - Jul 27, 2018
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JR: I think we’re going to see Maroon everywhere — 1st, 2nd and 3rd lines and perhaps even on the right side. He’s very versatile, he can play with just about anybody in the top nine, and the Blues are probably going to move him around to put some of his grit with different players. But to start out, it sounds like the club is going to give Maroon a chance to play on a line with O’Reilly in the middle and Tarasenko on the right. I have no idea how long that will last, but that appears to be the plan initially.


Jeremy Rutherford
✔
@jprutherford
 · 27 Jul
 Have any Blues questions? Let's do a mailbag. Send them to jrutherford@theathletic.com or tweet using #theathleticstl


Drew Stiehl🍞🌹
@drew_stiehl
When will we hear more about assistant coaches in San Antonio? Are the Blues planning on filling those positions internally (e.g. Jackman, Ott), or are they interviewing outside candidates? #theathleticstl

9:18 AM - Jul 27, 2018
1
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JR: The remaining spots on Drew Bannister’s staff have been filled, but they have not been announced publicly. I think we can expect to hear something this week. Barret Jackman loves living in St. Louis and enjoys what he’s doing as a development coach, so he won’t be on the Rampage staff.


Paul Westover
@pdub636
 Have we seen the best the Tarasenko has to offer or do you think he has another level? #theathleticstl

9:47 AM - Jul 27, 2018
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JR: I know that Tarasenko has been one of the NHL’s best even-strength goal-scorers the past few years, but I don’t believe we have seen the best of him. Listen, four seasons of 37, 40, 39 and 33 goals, respectively, is nothing to sneeze at. If you would’ve told Blues fans in 2014 that’s what Tarasenko would deliver, they would have taken it. But this guy is superstar material, and I personally think that he’s just scratched the surface of what he’s capable of doing. Let me rephrase that: He has just scratched the surface of what he could be doing. This is very similar to when Brett Hull had a “good” year, and his head coach at the time, Brian Sutter, told him that he had way more to give.

Easy for me to say, but Tarasenko needs to do a few things:

Stop getting so frustrated with himself, teammates and the referees. Play the game and rise above it.
Get in better shape. That may be tougher this offseason coming off shoulder surgery, but he must take his conditioning to the next level.
Be engaged all the time. I’m not saying back-check somebody into the boards or jump in front of slap shots, but be engaged. Did you see what happened this season when we saw Alex Ovechkin engaged?

Jeremy Rutherford
✔
@jprutherford
 · 27 Jul
 Have any Blues questions? Let's do a mailbag. Send them to jrutherford@theathletic.com or tweet using #theathleticstl


Steven Light
@StLght3
Do you know if the Blues plan on letting Schmaltz walk?  I don’t know why it bothers me but it seems like we could use the depth on the right, even behind Reinke.  #theathleticstl

9:58 AM - Jul 27, 2018
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JR: The Blues aren’t letting Schmaltz go anywhere. As I see the situation, he’s a 24-year-old defenseman who had a good season in San Antonio last year and I’m sure he wants a one-way deal. The problem is the Blues have seven defensemen ahead of him, with six of them on one-way contracts and Vince Dunn on a two-way but here to stay. So if Jay Bouwmeester (hip) and Carl Gunnarsson (knee) are healthy at the start of the season, which they’re expected to be, then Schmaltz is the eighth guy. So the Blues, who have very limited cap space anyway, aren’t going to give Schmaltz a one-way contract when it looks like he’d be in San Antonio.

I can understand the frustration of the team’s 2012 first-round pick. He’s looking for a chance to play and probably deserves that opportunity at this point in his career. I honestly thought the Blues might include Schmaltz in a trade this summer, but I’m not sure his value is all that high, and truthfully he’s a very good depth guy for the Blues as a No. 7 or 8. We’ll see where this goes, but the bottom line is the Blues aren’t letting him go unless it’s in a deal.

Thank you for your questions this week!