Équipe: 2020-21 Blues de St-Louis

Date de création initiale: 27 mars 2020

Publié: 27 mars 2020

Mode - plafond salarial: Basique

1. Perunovich
Really high hockey iq combined with excellent vision and deceptive skating. He should be able to run a top PP unit and his defense and strength has improved a ton which makes me think he can push play at 5v5 as well. He’s undersized which is fine, but I’d like to see him be more disciplined as he’s been ejected twice this year and can turn the puck over. Armstrong said he has a chance to play in the playoffs and he will almost certainly play next year.
Comparable: Jared Spurgeon

2. Kostin
Powerful winger who has a really fluid stride, he is tough to knock off pucks when he gets going. Kostin also has an awesome shot, but struggles to find time and space to get it off. He’s improved a ton over the last season and has finally found success in his third AHL season. Be cleaned up his defense and penalties, but also figured out how to become a threat on the power play where he generated a lot of offense. He can be a bit of a ghost some games and is still pretty raw, but I think he can be a nice complementary winger who can play physical while also popping in some goals.
Comparable: Pavel Buchnevich

3. Alexandrov
Two-way center with great hands around the net and a very responsible game. I love the way Alexandrov is able to get himself to dangerous areas of the ice and he’s sick at beating goalies from in tight. Alexandrov is also great at tracking back in his own zone and recovering pucks. Some times he shows flashes of more, but not often and I definitely think he could add a step or two to his skating to make him more dangerous in transition.
Comparable: Lars Eller (in appearance as well)
4. Hofer
Tall, athletic goalie with a nice looking track record. He’s been great all year and of course gained some notice with his WJC performance. I’ll be interested to see what he can do in the AHL next season and maybe just maybe the Blues goalie situation till force him into action earlier than expected.
No comparable

5. Mikkola
Big defensive defenseman who looked excellent in the few games he played this season. He’s sound positionally, surprisingly mobile, and has improved his puck skills enough that he should be okay at the NHL level. Not a huge ceiling, but he could be one of those solid players who eat a lot of minutes and anchor more offensive partners.
Comparable: Marco Scandella
6. Tucker
Underrated physical defenseman with surprising production and solid defensive results. He’s an insane hitter, but actually wins possession and can consistently break up cycles and transition with his physicality. I think his point totals are deceptive, but he does have a booming shot and can make simple passes out of his zone. He’s improved his skating a ton, but he still may struggle when competition and pace increase.
Comparable: Ilya Lyubushkin
7. Walman
I thought he was dead a year ago, but after a great AHL season he’s back in the mix of being a player. He’s an unreal skater with a great shot, but I’m not sure he can defend well and his decision making isn’t that great either. Given his talent, I believe he should be in the NHL, but he’s got no path to the Blues and is getting pretty old which leads me to think he’ll ask for a trade.
No Comparable
8. Husso
Was great in Finland and early in his pro career, but has fell off hard the past two seasons, San Antonio isn’t very good defensively so that’s part of it, but I really thought Husso was gonna be an important piece at this point. He’ll probably get a run at backup next year and he better succeed if wants to be an NHL goalie.
No comparable
9. Laferriere
Very talented play maker who’s relatively unknown. He’s great at rushing pucks and also has the ability to create chances for his teammates at 5v5 and on the power play. Had a really disappointing first half due to injury and apparently attitude, but he went on a heater for the rest of the year and looks like he’s still a name a follow going forward.
Comparable: Dennis Malgin
10. Stevens
Had a great college career between two great line mates and has been really good this year for the Rampage. He’s a hound on the puck and seemed to be skilled enough to make plays. Nobody talks about him in Blues circles, but I think he’s got a really good chance at carving out an NHL role.
Comparable: Freddy Gauthier

HM: Zherenko
Russian goalie with great numbers in the MHL and solid VHL appearances as well. He’s a total unknown to me, but maybe he gets on the Russian WJC team next year? I’ll be interested to follow his career.