Doug, don’t hit the button.
The Stanley Cup, championship trophy of the National Hockey League, breaks apart,
February 17, 2023
After missing the playoffs just nine times in their 56 year existence, the Blues have gone cold. If you’re a diehard fan, you might have a little spark of hope left, a belief in young talent sparking a 2019 run, but it’s not happening. Gathering small wins here and there in exchange for an eight game losing streak isn’t exactly pleasing the season ticket holders. To some, it’s time for the rebuild. Send the big names packing for draft picks, and ruin our chances of making the playoffs for the next couple years. Yet, there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. We don’t need to rebuild, instead, it’s time to get creative.
Blues fans are either in denial, or over-eager to waste away the years of selectively developing our core by trading away all the key components. To those in denial, have you taken a look at the standings? Barely above the Blackhawks and the Coyotes in the division. Two teams taking decade long rebuilds, and we can’t seem to compete.
Then there’s the fans who have seen the Blues play hockey in the last year. Understandably, they want Head Coach, Craig Berube, fired and our generational talents traded away. They’ve seen how slow Ryan O’Reilly looks on the ice, how Torey Krug can’t defend and how Colton Parayko is continuing to flounder.
It’s time to put Vladimir out of his misery.
At least, a rebuild is what most Blues fans are willing to do. But, let’s be real. The Blues suck because the front office has let them down. General Manager, Doug Armstrong, isn’t some mystical being. He’s imperfect, and he’s shown his hand. The reality that we can’t pray away our woes is setting in for (some) Blues fans, so let’s talk solutions.
Trade Vladimir Tarasenko. He’s been a city hero for years. Even I fondly remember going to his first game in the NHL. But, it’s time. His public temper tantrum over not being named captain has shown me that he’s toxic in the locker room and arrogant on the ice. Worse, he’s made it public that he wants out. Leaking to the media a trade request that he still hasn’t rescinded? I’ve been to enough parties and played on enough teams to know that if someone isn’t having a good time, they’re the last person you want to be around.
To a young star, seeing your veteran leader constantly complain isn’t exactly motivational.Unfortunately for them, they have no control over who’s on the bench. Blues fans, it’s time to put Vladimir out of his misery. Give him some food, some water and send him floating down the Mississippi on his raft of mopey-ness.
That being said, the river serves as a metaphor for the good left in this team. As long as the river keeps flowing, the Blues will have talent. In huge trades, GM Doug Armstrong has managed to keep our talent shed full. And Blues fans, even if sending Vladdy down the river hurts our hearts, soon it will return us a bounty. A silver jug floating gently down the Mighty Mississippi’s waters – etched with the names of the long-bearded, the exhausted, the triumphant. The names of the champions. The names of the St. Louis Blues.
