Jason Millen: Vladimir Sobotka staying in the KHL Vladimir Sobotka staying in the KHL

Blues have too many fourth Line players and him making $2.7 million would be way too much for a fourth liner

He wont be missed for one second

A win for the Blues.

Blues have too many fourth Line players and him making $2.7 million would be way too much for a fourth liner

He wont be missed for one second
- sycsam

Hello more cap space

Hello more cap space
- Jason Millen

Would you thin kthe Blues would move Shattenkirk for a young LHD to kind of move Jay Bo down the depth chart a bit

Would you thin kthe Blues would move Shattenkirk for a young LHD to kind of move Jay Bo down the depth chart a bit
- sycsam

Hard to make that deal unless Shattenkirk extends in the new place before the deal or at least has the primary workings of a deal otherwise what you likley get back as a young LHD isn't much.

So, essentially his buyout is his NHL salary this year? 2/3rds of $4M is $2.66M, and his NHL salary when he comes back is $2.725M. He would make around 65k net for the year after paying his buyout to play for the Blues?

If that is the case, why was this dragged on so long? He wasn't going to do that and the Blues couldn't pay the buy out his contract. Sounds like this was a big tease by Sobotka/his agent.

Take a hike, you are not welcome here. If he finally comes back next year when he no longer has a KHL contract, I hope the Blues bury him in the AHL and just eat the cap difference.

I think if memory serves me he only had an out after the first year of the contract.

So I was a little shocked.

No big deal. I will be happy to have him back next year. This is good as it will give some young players a chance though Hitch seems obsessed about turning someone into a center. He keeps saying Schwartz was a natural center and I do not know if he means before junior and college or what. I thought he has been a LW at higher levels.

Well hopefully that gives a shot for real ice time for some of these younger guys.

Scroll down to the bottom of this link to the player usage chart of teams, basically gauging their effciency in deploying players properly in ice time.

http://www.thehockeynews....preview-detroit-red-wings

St. Louis did a great job.

Now look at Minesota. Because they had Yeo for most of the year and I recall their blgger complaining about player usage. That could be concerning. I hope we are nt getting some knd of Andy Murray 2.o.

So, essentially his buyout is his NHL salary this year? 2/3rds of $4M is $2.66M, and his NHL salary when he comes back is $2.725M. He would make around 65k net for the year after paying his buyout to play for the Blues?

If that is the case, why was this dragged on so long? He wasn't going to do that and the Blues couldn't pay the buy out his contract. Sounds like this was a big tease by Sobotka/his agent.

Take a hike, you are not welcome here. If he finally comes back next year when he no longer has a KHL contract, I hope the Blues bury him in the AHL and just eat the cap difference.
- carcus

You are right, i need to fix what i posted. Ugh. Trying to do this too fast with too many work issues going on. The only answer could be that he wanted the blues to share in it or pay it.

I think if memory serves me he only had an out after the first year of the contract.

So I was a little shocked.

No big deal. I will be happy to have him back next year. This is good as it will give some young players a chance though Hitch seems obsessed about turning someone into a center. He keeps saying Schwartz was a natural center and I do not know if he means before junior and college or what. I thought he has been a LW at higher levels.

Well hopefully that gives a shot for real ice time for some of these younger guys.
- BluemanGuruu

You want him back another year older, with perhaps more injuries, at the same contract from 3 or 4 years ago? No thanks.

http://www.thehockeynews.com/news/article/thn-s-2016-17-nhl-season-preview-detroit-red-wings

- BluemanGuruu

"That’s not all. Gustav Nyquist, one of the team’s best offensive threats, was getting middle-six ice-time while Justin Abdelkader, a third-liner on any other team, got first line minutes. "

And a spot on Team USA in the WCOH

If the Blues had Sobotka last year they go to the SC finals. Depth especially up the middle is so important. Sobotka as a 3rd or 4th line center would have given Hitch another tool. Bottom 6 scoring is the difference in any 7 game series(see Detroit in their Cup dynasty years), and the Blues would have been better with Sobotka.
The Blues this yr without Elliott, Brower, and their captain will not be improved, so the window for this group may have just shut. Sobotka would have lessened the loss of those 3.
Cap issues are a problem for every competitive team.( as is a bad contract or two) Winning with young players in key rolls is iffy, Sobotka isn't a player trying to figure out the NHL and where he belongs or if he belongs. He's not a 1st line player, but he wins draws and is tough along the boards. He's a good PK guy and not a liability in his own zone. Under 3M per he's an asset for most of the other 29 teams.

If the Blues had Sobotka last year they go to the SC finals.
- Weakglovehand20

Good grief. You couldn't be wronger if your name was Wrongie Wrongerson.

Blues lost to the Sharks because their best scorer disappeared in the series. It certainly wouldn't have come out any different with Vladimir Freaking Sobotka.

Now i have makeup all over my hand because i face-palmed you so severely.......

Anyone else listen to JR on Bernie's show this am....

my take of what he said is that Sobotka's camp claims his buyout clause was modified after the fact. This could be a pretty strong claim....It could include things like the claim that it was altered after both signed (think fraud) or that the team changed it but didn't red-line or black-line it, not pointing out that it was changed (usually a common courtesy in contract negotiations and very standard practice) and his group didn't review the whole contract well enough to catch it (think he signed believing it said one thing but didn't check to make sure)

Anyone else listen to JR on Bernie's show this am....

my take of what he said is that Sobotka's camp claims his buyout clause was modified after the fact. This could be a pretty strong claim....It could include things like the claim that it was altered after both signed (think fraud) or that the team changed it but didn't red-line or black-line it, not pointing out that it was changed (usually a common courtesy in contract negotiations and very standard practice) and his group didn't review the whole contract well enough to catch it (think he signed believing it said one thing but didn't check to make sure)
- Jason Millen

Translation: the KHL is corrupt, and probably mobbed up.

In other Breaking News: Water is Wet. The Sky is Blue.

Good grief. You couldn't be wronger if your name was Wrongie Wrongerson.

Blues lost to the Sharks because their best scorer disappeared in the series. It certainly wouldn't have come out any different with Vladimir Freaking Sobotka.

Now i have makeup all over my hand because i face-palmed you so severely.......
- bcallaway

Blues lost because Tarasenko was absent and they played at least three additional games they didn't need to if they could have won a game vs the Hawks and Stars at Home

Game 5 vs the Hawks
Game 6 Vs the Stars

They were beat by a great team but playing extra games did not help them

Blues are not a much worse team this year if thye are worse at all IMO

Anyone else listen to JR on Bernie's show this am....

my take of what he said is that Sobotka's camp claims his buyout clause was modified after the fact. This could be a pretty strong claim....It could include things like the claim that it was altered after both signed (think fraud) or that the team changed it but didn't red-line or black-line it, not pointing out that it was changed (usually a common courtesy in contract negotiations and very standard practice) and his group didn't review the whole contract well enough to catch it (think he signed believing it said one thing but didn't check to make sure)
- Jason Millen

Not surprising.

But I don't trust anything coming out of Sobotka's, or his agent's, mouth.

I hope he signs an extension over there. Stay away please. Not worth the arbitration award.

Not surprising.

But I don't trust anything coming out of Sobotka's, or his agent's, mouth.

I hope he signs an extension over there. Stay away please. Not worth the arbitration award.
- carcus

nope let him rot in Russia and save that 2.75 million for someone that produces more than 9 goals a year

"That’s not all. Gustav Nyquist, one of the team’s best offensive threats, was getting middle-six ice-time while Justin Abdelkader, a third-liner on any other team, got first line minutes. "

And a spot on Team USA in the WCOH
- Jason Millen

I was thinking the same thing. This is where you balance fancy stats against what younthink you see.

If the Blues had Sobotka last year they go to the SC finals. Depth especially up the middle is so important. Sobotka as a 3rd or 4th line center would have given Hitch another tool. Bottom 6 scoring is the difference in any 7 game series(see Detroit in their Cup dynasty years), and the Blues would have been better with Sobotka.
The Blues this yr without Elliott, Brower, and their captain will not be improved, so the window for this group may have just shut. Sobotka would have lessened the loss of those 3.
Cap issues are a problem for every competitive team.( as is a bad contract or two) Winning with young players in key rolls is iffy, Sobotka isn't a player trying to figure out the NHL and where he belongs or if he belongs. He's not a 1st line player, but he wins draws and is tough along the boards. He's a good PK guy and not a liability in his own zone. Under 3M per he's an asset for most of the other 29 teams.
- Weakglovehand20

Obviously you are relying too much on your bias and not balancng that with the myriad of statistical data available to you.

For instance did you know the top duos in the league that Schwartz-Tarasenko rank higher than Kane-Toews? Boom.

The Blues also have the third best top four on defense.

What we lost hurts for a short period of time maybe, but their slowness and lack of offensive accumen takes away two top options for Hitch and forces him to play other players who either were or should be better replacements.

Consider last season the real reason Backes or Brouwer were playing so much is due to the enormous amount of injuries.

Anyone else listen to JR on Bernie's show this am....

my take of what he said is that Sobotka's camp claims his buyout clause was modified after the fact. This could be a pretty strong claim....It could include things like the claim that it was altered after both signed (think fraud) or that the team changed it but didn't red-line or black-line it, not pointing out that it was changed (usually a common courtesy in contract negotiations and very standard practice) and his group didn't review the whole contract well enough to catch it (think he signed believing it said one thing but didn't check to make sure)
- Jason Millen

I can see that.

Translation: the KHL is corrupt, and probably mobbed up.

In other Breaking News: Water is Wet. The Sky is Blue.
- bcallaway

There are awesome stories about garbage bags full of cash as payment to players.

You want him back another year older, with perhaps more injuries, at the same contract from 3 or 4 years ago? No thanks.
- Jason Millen

His value might be more in line with the market at that time.

And to be honest no. I would just keep him suspended. I would get nto a fight with the league or players association suggesting that cap space and being gone for three years gave me the right to suspend him from my team.

Let him be a free agent after a year's suspension and let him revisit the choice he made between little or no pay this year next year. Basically black ball him from the league.

JR interview

http://www.101sports.com/...-who-should-not-be-named/

Go to about the 2:45 mark of the clip