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sptsman said:
Changes need to be made. Changes will be made. To have this much talent and not be able to advance past the first round is unacceptable...

Quite honestly, the only thing I really feel bad about is the owner's situation. Tom Stillman bought this team (with some help but a huge investment for him) and NEEDED the Blues to go past the first round to be profitable. He has opened the pocketbook when necessary and has a true passion for the game and love of the Blues. He is what the Blues have needed in an owner for a loooong time. I hope he can afford to stick with it...

It was pretty impressive to watch Minnesota play with such discipline and organization. They had a game plan and executed it flawlessly. Other than Game 4, that was a playoff ready team. I can see them beating another team in a 7 game series, if they keep playing like that. In contrast, the Blues spent most of the series chasing the Wild around like it was the B-team chasing around the Varsity team. They looked disorganized and scattered much of the time. You could see absence of a cohesive team supporting the puck offensively and defending as a five-man unit. They were just simply outplayed by a group of less talented players that wanted it more and were willing to play together, as a team, to win...

As for the rest of these worthless forks, get rid of the whole stinkin' lot of them, with the exception of Shattenkirk and Tarasenko. I would have said Schwartz too but he was a big disappointment in the playoffs as well. Of course that isn't going to happen, so we'll just have to sit back and see what Armstrong and Stillman decide. My best guess is Hitchcock retires and they have a new HC.

Sorry last stand, Backes just doesn't get it. Whether it is his low IQ or just something in him, he just doesn't get it. But on the bright side, he now has a bunch of extra time to scour the alleys of St. Louis for stray animals to rescue. He may have great skills and the potential to be a great player but his leadership skills and ability to come up big when needed most are non-existent. A "Captain" has to take some responsibility for rallying the troops, for picking them up after some adversity, for leading... Let's hope a new look for the Blues includes a new Captain and a new role for Backes... And let's be clear, Backes is not the reason the Blues are starting their summer vacation today. But to think it isn't a part of the problem is to have blinders on and refuse to recognize a pretty significant issue.

This is from Sports Illustrated: "And then there's the captain. David Backes has scored five goals in 28 playoff games, and just one in his past 10. Everything about him and his game screams postseason warrior and yet he was all but invisible in this series, going 1-1-2 while registering 10 shots in six games. The Blues have won just 10 playoff games while he's been in the lineup. Is he really the player that a team can be built around up front?"

Go Cards!!

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