To this point I haven't minded that the Blues have made no other splash in the Free Agent market other than signing Ty "One On" Conklin. All Blues fans know the major pieces of the puzzle are working their way up through the organization (for a change), so we don't have to be real committed buyers, and that is a good thing. For starters, the Blues need not get into bidding wars for anybody. We are not desperate. Right now the Blues are the hot chick with the great body who isn't looking for Mr. Right and the long term relationship.
That being said, I sure wished the Blues would act like they want to get laid by Mr. Right Now.
All the signs point to this being a pretty weak market for free agents. All teams seem to be shy about running their budgets up to the cap, especially since they are not sure what it will look like next year. That is one reason why there was a flurry of activity as soon as the ball dropped on July 1. Teams knew what their wad was and they shot it. That is also why things have quieted considerably over the last 48 hours.
That is also why I think the Blues can afford to be a little more active. And I'd like them to sign a winger. (I'm thinking maybe a Ales Kotalik, Petr Sykora, or Alex Tanguay...if we wanted to be a skanky whore about it we could add Richard Zednik to that list.) Here is my reasoning:
- Last season we lacked depth at wing. As a result we continually played natural centermen out of position (though some of that had to do with having rookie centermen I know). Adding another winger who can take some of the scoring pressure off the top line never hurts, and you have more insurance if we suffer another rash of injuries like last season.
- The team is still carrying Janssen AND King. C'mon, the Blues have to be getting to a point where that situation is unhelpful.
- I think we could afford to give this free agent a two year deal. This season is probably it for Tkachuk, and whoever we sign could fill that vet role after big Walt hangs up his skates (or at least fill part of that role.)
- Adding a winger shouldn't really hurt upcoming players like Eller or Palushaj who can still fill in as needed without too much being demanded of them too soon. On the other hand it may mean we see less of Cam Paddock and Yan Stastny. (That's called a win-win.)
So, c'mon all you free agent wingers. Just look at this organization with her long legs and lascivious smile. You know she wants it.