Close second is Boyes followed by Halak and I would even toss in Backes. Backes is due to fully arrive and take over the leadership of this team.

To prove that his ‘07-’08 (and, to an extent, his ‘08-’09) season was what we should expect of him, and to show that the Missed Five Feet Wide Tour of ‘09-’10 was a fluke. The Note need NAMBLA to be successful, and Boyes needs it too, especially if he doesn’t want to be plying his craft in the KHL in a couple years by means of exile.

…its not just one player. We need at least 6 players to improve substantially (my list: EJ, Backes, Boyes, Perron, Berglund!!, and Oshie) if the team is to make the playoffs. The only one who needs a “career” year is Boyes. My reasoning is simple: 2011 is likely not the year for our parade down Market Street (despite my prediction of same in 2007). Therefore while all of the youngsters need to improve, I don’t want this season to be the peak of their career. I want more improvement (and a Cup run) next year. But Boyes will be gone without a career year

Berglund needs to prove he’s not a bust. His performance up until now has shown otherwise. We need him more than anyone else to live up to his full potential and take the next (big) step.

A close second is Backes. I want to see a Brendan Shannahan type player come out in him. And he is capable of being that damn good.

Then I would say Johnson, followed by Oshie, Perron, Pietrangelo, and Halak.

not necessarily only in pts but he needs to take over leadership of this team.
Followed closely by Boyes with a huge pt improvement.
Who is our media poll today. Last wk they were busting out of the seams and this week only getting meted out stingily.

but it’s time for the kids to take off the training wheels, and IceBurg’s at the front of that list. Obviously last year was a big pile of IKEA furniture for him, bit even the year before he had long stretches of inconsistency and ineffectiveness. If he doesn’t really start to pick it up this year he might end up as trade bait, assuming he still has value. We need him to be that second line playmaker, but more importantly he needs to see the back of the net at least as often as two years ago.

from Perron, Oshie, Berglund, and Johnson; “bounceback” years from Boyes and Backes; and continued good play from Polak, McClement, Steen, Crombeen, et. al.

I think Halak’s the real deal; if the “D” is as solid as last year’s, he won’t have to stand on his head to be effective.

But What Do I Know?™

but apparently the whole battle of the blades thing with chaser was all a joke (http://blues.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=535156&cmpid=stl-twt-073010)

to save you time reading the blog.. kurt browning (some famous figure skater) showed up and had them all start doing some ballerina stretches and chaser said “if im gettin punk’d, im gonna give you a beating” and sure enough that turned out to be the case lol

alot of people need breakout years… i would say boyes but honestly i dont think hes that good.. yeah he had the 76 goals through 2 years and thats nice but if you remember i think he was pretty streaky at times over that span.. which to me.. not good…

berglund has to show me somethin or i dont see any reason to resign him when hes up at the end of next year i think… i have not seen any positives from him really… his size is a plus but ive never seen him use it.. he does not get physical in the corners.. he does not go to the net.. on power plays (when he plays on the PP even) i never see him in front of the faceoff circles even… with walt gone we need another body in front (other than winchester; someone that can actually do somethin) and personally i think it needs to be him or i would like him off my team

you get Boyes, Backes and Berglund to simply duplicate their ’08-09 numbers and STL has an extra 41 goals . . . three guys- 41 goals . . . it is a sobering stat as to how off the whole of the team was last season . . . if you add together all of the goals from the 4 vets STL “lost” over the summer (32) . . . there is still an 8 goal difference.

I would expect Perron to have a better year, simply because he is consistently scoring more each season (needs to improve his assists, but if the guys you pass it to, miss the net by 5 ft, it messes up your assist numbers)

Same goes for EJ . . . he had a rookie year, a blank year and a recovery year. . . now he needs to show us where his actual talent level is, it will hopefully not be his best season ever (because I hope he is here for years to come, and being as young as he is, I am OK if this year is Better)

and Oshie . . . I cant give Oshie too much crap today . . . just had to listen to a guy complain about how all of last season’s scoring problems were Oshie fault (cause somewhere down the line this guy convinced himself Oshie was a 40+ goal scorer . . . thinking having Hull ruined the casual fans understanding that loud personality does not ultimately equal goal scorer

I leave on a plane in 3 hours…so if FU Friday is not up before I get to leave, and thus I don’t get to see it…you can infer where my FU is going…

and asking Brad Winchester to have a breakout year. I wanna see this mammoth of a man parked in front of the goal, getting shit tip ins and scrapping for position. If he isn’t the strongest player on the team come October 1st, behind EJ and the Oslava Muscle of course, then ship him to Peoria. Call it a pipe dream, but if the 4th line steps up and starts burying points here and there, wouldn’t that be an enormous load off the scoring lines’ shoulders? Sobotka can shoot, D’ags hasn’t been given a decent opportunity, and Winnie needs to do what, and it pains me to say this, guys like Byfuglien do and become a presence down in front. At the very least, draw some penalties. Fuck.

/end rant
//continue pipe dream

If the Blues would just find someone to feed the Perronha this kid will burn out goal lamps I tell ya. The first time I saw him use the slapper both the goalie and me were looking around like WTF was that as the puck ricochetted off the crossbar. We need scoring right fucking now and this kid packs the firepower to deliver but he’s like the pimple faced teen in the back seat on prom night. Eventually he’ll get the one handed bra clasp release down, hopefully that time is near.

FEED THE PERRONHA!!