mjk: Hey Jeff,

It's pretty clear the Blues will have to take a defenseman at no. 4 in the draft, since 5 of the top 6 are defenseman...By the time the Blues pick, Doughty and Bogosian should and will be gone based upon the projections...So, whose your choice at that pick? Alex Pietrangelo(two way defenseman), Luke Schenn(defensive & a leader) or Tyler Myers(Chara type)?

Thanks for your time

Jeff Gordon: Actually, I'm intrigued by the top international skater, Nikita Filatov. He is a high-risk, potentially hight-reward scoring winger. I'd rather see the Blues go there than a defenseman like Schenn, who won't have the skills to help their power play over the long term.

scott: When do you think they will sign David Backes to a long term contract? Any idea of length and type of money? Seems they should lock him up for a while..Not too many tough,hard nosed type of guys who play in front of the net..

Thanks!!

Jeff Gordon: Tough guy to figure on a long-term deal, since his goal scoring didn't materialize this year. If I'm Backes, I want to play another season and try to drive up my value. Tkachuk can't play forever and he's the next best power forward in the organization. Is he a 20- to 25-goal guy? I believe he could be. But right now, the Blues would only offer third-line money for multiple years.

nicedream: Hi Gordo,

Since we are going to have to build the Rams a new stadium anyway why don't we put it somewhere where people can spread out and breath? Honestly, who really wants to go into downtown St Louis for a football game? IMHO a new state of the art retractable dome natural grass facility in Earth City makes much more sense.

Not only is there plenty of land available, there are also major North/South and East/West interstate highways, casinos, a major concert venue, and the Rams practice facility all in the neighborhood.

Talk about a place to Party! Your thoughts?

Jeff Gordon: It would be nice to have a tailgate lot, no? IF there is suitable land in that area, it wouldn't be the worst spot, given the westward population migration.

So much has to happen, though. Somebody has to buck up to buy the team, then buck up some more money to offset some of the stadium cost. The next Rams owner will have to put big money into the project to make it happen. That is the norm now. Taxpayers aren't going to foot the whole bill any more.

Jonny Faux: Hey Gordo,

Thanks for taking my question. I was wondering about the Blues newest front office employee Doug Armstong. What does this mean for Jarmo? I thought he dreamed of being a GM of an NHL franchise and after he signed a contract extension he would have a fair shot here at the job after Pleau. So I ask again, what about Jarmo?

Jeff Gordon: Davidson addressed this point with me on KFNS (noon to 2 p.m.). Given Larry Pleau's situation with his wife's cancer fight, J.D. wanted to add somebody with GM experience to his team. Obviously Armstrong would be a strong candidate to succeed Pleau down the road, if another opportunity doesn't pop up first. For now, the Blues want Jarmo to focus on nailing the '08 draft. What happens in two years depends on how the current arrangement works. If Armstrong does the job I expect him to, he would likely get the nod over Jarmo.

Lynn: Hi, Gordo! Is there any word about how Carp, Thompson, and Izzy did in their simulated game Saturday? How will the Cardinals decide when it is time for Izzy to make his (hopefully) triumphful comeback? Do you think he has a chance to get 8 more saves as a Cardinal?

Jeff Gordon: I expect Izzy to take one more run at the closer's role, after taking several weeks to regroup away from the team.
Carpenter (41 pitches), Thompson (30 pitches) and Izzy (42 pitches) all reported progress -- but as we've learned with Mulder, it's tough to get excited about a pitchers comeback until he shows up ready to work again in St. Louis.