Jeremy Rutherford: Well, the schedule is out . . . What do you think? It doesn't look bad for the Blues. They will play eight of their first 10 games at home, including seven in a row. They have fewer Tuesday night games, which have been poorly attended in the past. And there's home games against Pittsburgh, NY Rangers, Philly and Ottawa. Overall, it's pretty attractive.

Hoff: JR, thanks for answering questions again this week (and for "professionally" answering your heckler last week). Not much happening this week as far as the blues go, and it has been a few weeks since I have bashed Brewer so I was wondering your take on when the blues are going to take the captaincy away from Eric Booer and give it to EJ. It seems the only leadership Brewer has is on the +/- sheets, and he is leading the team on the wrong end of that stat. Do you wait until Brewer's contract is up to take it from him to possibly negate an awkward situation on switching while he is still a blue? Im not exactly sure what qualitites ownership sees in him, he must be one helluva leader inside the locker room though. But I don't think that there is any doubt that EJ should/will be the captain of this team. I think it should be sooner rather than later to help capture this "youth movement" the blues are gunning for.

Jeremy Rutherford: Eric Brewer isn't going anywhere, and I can't see the Blues taking the "C" away from him while he's with the organization. Andy Murray believes in Brewer on and off the ice.

As high as the expectations are for Erik Johnson, and I believe he has a good chance of meeting them someday, he's no where near ready to be a captain. That's not a knock on EJ . . . he's just hasn't had enough time to build up the experience that someone like Brewer has.

I've said it before . . . I don't mind Eric Brewer as the captain of this team. He showed some ability last year and I think he'll blossom in the role even more this year.

Andy: Hey JR,

I'm excited to see Erik Johnson's 2nd season. I was able to attend several games in the second half of last season and he was, I felt, the best defenseman by far on the Blues. He skates effortlessly and sees the ice very well. Any news on his shoulder? How well do you think his sophomore season will go?

Thanks,

Andy

Jeremy Rutherford: At times, Erik Johnson was the best defenseman on the roster. I think that's partly to do with his offensive upside. He gets people more excited than the other stay-at-home defensemen.

The biggest thing that will help EJ next season is being familiar with his surroundings off the ice. Last year, he didn't know what guys did after a morning skate, off days, etc. He should be a better player just because he'll be familiar with everything around him from the start.

I would think EJ could put up at least 10 goals and possibly 40 points.

Note Nut: I applaud the Blues strategy of building talent from within and refraining from the FA market unless they can obtain reasonably priced young talent. However, I am confused on some of their recent transactions (trading for Cam Janssen and signing Winchester, Paddock, Foy, Weaver, Reiger). These seem like players with limited offensive potential. I understand the need for tough guys, but it seems like we should focus more on offense (even with Oshie, Burglund, Ellar, you can never have too much). Three questions then: 1) Can you give your impression of these players, 2) Can you explain how these players upgrade our overall "talent" and fit into the long term picture, and 3) realistically how many of these types of players do we really need on the roster since my impression has been in today's NHL you must have the top three lines considered offensively "dangerous" to be successful?

Thanks

Jeremy Rutherford:
This is the situation: The Blues don't have a lot of depth in Peoria. A few weeks ago, they didn't even have enough bodies to fill out a roster. The Blues are signing guys like Winchester, Paddock, Foy, Weaver and Reiger to two-way contracts to bolster depth in the organization. And who knows. Maybe King or Janssen gets hurt, so they need a guy like Winchester in St. Louis. He's played in the NHL and can handle his own. Foy and Weaver have both played in the NHL. When the Blues signed them, writers from Minnesota and Vancouver called asking about the deals they got. I was told they were decent players who could contribute if needed. So it's nice to have a lot of skill in your lineup (Oshie, Berglund, etc.), but you also need depth guys who don't mind playing in Peoria, but will be ready at the drop of a hat to play in St. Louis.

baddawwg: Hi JR.

Thanks for all you do here.
The Blues have loaded up on lots of depth/4th lines guys. Given our (expected) move to skill and youth on the top three lines I'm wondering if all options for the 4th line are on the table. Besides McClement and Backes, who is going to kill penalties? King? Doubt it. Janssen? Can he skate well enough? Statsny? Could be. Hinote? If he's in the line-up. New guys?
Could it be besides the D-men, that the most interesting and heated competition will be for those 4th line spots, where the 4th line is determined by their ability to kill penalties more than goon it up? If I see the roster as below, there can't be but 2 spots open assuming that McClement and King each have a spot. Thank you.

Boyes - Walt - Kariya
Perron - McDonald - Oshie
Stempy - Berglund - Backes
? - McClement - ?
King (PressBox many nights)

Jeremy Rutherford: I spoke to Andy Murray last week and he told me that you can expect to see ANYONE killing penalties next season . . . even Paul Kariya. The main guys will be McClement, Stempniak, Hinote, Porter and Stastny (when Porter and Stastny are with the big club). According to Murray, anybody is a candidate.

I agree that with the top 9 forwards looking solid, the top 4 d-men set and the goalies set, the biggest competition in camp will be defensemen 5-7 and forwards 10-14.

Dave: Jeremy

With the Recent Signings of some 4th line types, Are DJ King and Cam Janssen locks to make the lineup out of camp ?

Or Do the Blues plan on opening up the 4th line for Competition for guys like Foy, Porter etc. ?

I am wondering also where this plays out for Dan Hinote as well

Thanks DZ

Jeremy Rutherford: Yes, both King and Janssen will make the club, unless something unforeseen happens. Foy and Porter will likely open up the year in Peoria, but will have a chance to play in St. Louis if they perform well in the AHL, or there's injuries on the NHL roster.

With the departures of Jamal Mayers and Ryan Johnson, Dan Hinote will be a regular in the Blues' lineup. He's an experienced veteran who can kill penalties and he's physical. All complaining about having too many grinders the past two seasons, the Blues suddenly don't have many players like Hinote.

Mark: JR,

I like the Blues non-involvement approach to this year’s free agent market but I’ll have to admit, I still have concerns about special teams. The Blues PK took a huge hit with the losses of RJ and Mayers and I don’t see much improvement on the PP. Who’s going to replace those two? Oshie and Stastny?? Can Wagner and Woywitka really improve the PP much? The Blues were 30th (out of 30) on the PP a year ago and I don’t see them being much better this season.

Jeremy Rutherford: I agree 100 percent. Oshie and Berglund aren't going to be difference-makers IF they even get on the power-play unit. So the PP has to get better from within and despite good spurts last year, nothing tells you that it's going to suddenly click in 2008-09.

The penalty kill can NOT be better on opening day than it was on the last day of 2007-08. Ryan Johnson and Jamal Mayers were the first two players over the boards when the Blues took a penalty. Jay McClement averaged 2:28 of PK ice time last year and that's the most of any forward returning next year. Stempniak can handle the job as well as Hinote, but the Mayers and Johnson will be missed more than some people think.

Keep this in mind, too: The rules are changing with penalties this year. I haven't verified this, but a Blues player told me that when a team takes a penalty in its offensive zone, or in the neutral zone, the face-off comes back to the defensive zone. That's an automatic disadvantage for the PK unit. That should be interesting.

Blues Fan 31: JR,

How come the Blues keep signing depth players (Wozniewski, 48 games, 2 goals, 7 assists; Paddock 78 games in AHL, 12 goals, 13 assists; Regier 65 games in AHL, 19 goals, 25 assists; Winchester, 41 games, 1 goal, 2 assists) instead of adding much needed scoring? And by adding the depth players that is going to take away ice time from Perron, Oshie, Berglund, Eller, and the young scorers. Either way I am still confused about them getting Mason, a back up that is making more than our starting goalie and that made room for a division rival to re-sign their starting goalie.

Jeremy Rutherford: I explained the recent signings in an earlier answer, but I will address Mason here.

The Blues didn't have a capable backup going into free agency, so they traded for Mason. Yes, they could have spent a lot less on someone who was capable to fill the role. For whatever reason, they decided to give Mason $3 million a year to push Manny Legace and possibly play 25-30 games. I think it was a lot of money, but the Blues felt they needed a strong backup and they got one.

The move looks better today because if you take a look at the schedule that was released this afternoon, the Blues play 19 back-to-back games next season. Not that Manny can't play back-to-back games, but Mason gives the Blues somebody they can trust. If not him, who would it have been.

Schwarz? Hasn't shown the ability. Bishop? Not ready.

woodstown@excite.com: Hi JR- thanks for the great chat!

Is Ray Bennett running the power play again this year? Can you explain to me what his basic system is and why the lack of success so far?

Marty

Jeremy Rutherford: Ray Bennett is returning and from what I know, he will be running the power play. Last year, when the PP was getting criticized, Andy Murray said that he was in charge of the unit, but Bennett is the guy who conducts the meetings and works with the guys on the ice.

There's no secret to his system. It's like any other NHL system. The players are spread out around the perimeter and try to look for seams and holes before skating to the net and putting a shot on. It's my opinion that the players have been too careful and have tried to be too precise with the puck. Not enough of them are willing to get dirty or get knocked down by a defenseman. Most of the power-play goals you see now are on rebound chances. The Blues aren't getting rebounds because they're not taking enough shots.

So you can point the finger at Bennett, and perhaps he deserves some of the fault, but the Blues need to be less predictable, and a lot of that falls on the shoulders of the players.

Pagan: JR, what's up with the Blues being scheduled for back-to-back games 19 times in this upcoming schedule? Don't teams try to avoid that situation as much as possible? It usually seems that if a team has a day off and then plays a team on the second game of a back-to-back, the team with fresh legs usually wins.

Jeremy Rutherford: The Blues don't have total control over the schedule. They asked to play less Tuesday night games and it looks like the league complied. But as far as 19 back-to-back games, that's out of their control. I know the Blues had fewer back-to-backs last year (15 or 16), but if I remember correctly, they had 19 or 20 a few years ago.

The bottom line is: you can't have everything. People want less games against the division and more games against Sidney Crosby and Eastern Conference. The Blues want less Tuesday night games. Well, the result is more back-to-back games.

ibleedblue1968@yahoo.com: JR,

Pietrangelo has been cleared to resume his training regimen. Do the Blues have him here for the summer to have Nelson Ayotte work with him, or how does that work?
IF Pietrangelo makes the team, who's the logical choice for staying in Peoria?

Also, do you feel this team as it currently stands on paper will make the playoffs this year?

Thanks JR!

Jeremy Rutherford:
As far as I know, Pietrangelo is working out at home in King City, Ontario, with Nelson Ayotte's training plan. Some of the Blues fly into St. Louis and get evaluated, but I have not heard about Pietrangelo coming back to town. I will check on that.

If Pietrangelo were to make the team, I would think that Polak could be the guy who goes to Peoria. That means the Blues defense would look like this: Brewer, Jackman, McKee, Johnson, Wagner, Woywitka and Pietrangelo. But right now, I believe Pietrangelo is a long-shot to make the roster.

Regarding playoffs, it's a tough call. I would have to say "no" only because the power play hasn't proven anything and the PK lost some key personnel. Those two units have to be solid for the Blues to play in the postseason.

Fyten: What does a hockey reporter do to fill up his time in the summer?

Jeremy Rutherford: A hockey reporter used to sit at the pool and drink magaritas. But now he writes about Alex Pietrangelo, Jamal Mayers, Chris Mason, Dallas Drake, Brad Winchester, Cam Paddock . . .

I think it's great. There really is no offseason anymore and that's fine. People want to know how the team is shaping its roster and it's my job to keep you guys up to date.

BKS: JR...thanks as always for answering our questions. Has there been any confirmation about going back to the white jerseys at home this year? As a season ticket holder, i'd love to see the traditional road jerseys of some of the Eastern Conf. teams that are coming to town this season, especially the Habs and Rangers, as well as the Hawks, Wings, etc. Sorry if this has already been addressed

Jeremy Rutherford: I don't have an update. The last thing I heard was that the league (and the Blues) like the color jerseys at home.

Trevor: This question was asked in the forum earlier today, and just curious on your thoughts.

MacInnis or Pronger. If you had to choose, who do you take on your team?

Jeremy Rutherford: MacInnis

Here's my reasoning: Anytime I ask a Blues player how they handled this situation or that situation . . . how they dealt with this coach or that coach . . . they always tell me, "Easy, we had Al MacInnis to deal with it" or "that stuff doesn't happen when you have Al MacInnis in your locker room."

His influence around the team is immeasurable.

Brad_Lee: With the schedule, I think it's great they don't have a really long road trip in March like last year (I'm sure you feel the same way). January is not nearly as busy as February. To me the 20 Friday and Saturday games out of 41 home games is tremendous. I think that will help with the atmosphere at games.

One question about a special night. There was talk of a MacInnis statue after he went into the HOF. Have you heard if it is done and when they might commemorate it?

Jeremy Rutherford: I don't think they have anything planned at this point, but I will check.

Matt: With Brendan Shanahan still on the market. Do you think the Blues or Shanahan have any intrest. I think he could fill the void in the locker room, when Weight was traded. He could also fill Jamers old role, but with a bit more scoring.

Jeremy Rutherford: It's a nice thought, but it will never happen. The Blues inquired about Shanahan a couple of years ago, but there wasn't a match. He wanted to play in NY or Detroit and settled in NY. You're right . . . Shanahan could fill some of the leadership responsibilities, and give the Blues some scoring help, but it's not going to happen.

Fyten: When does training camp start?

Jeremy Rutherford: It should be mid-September, probably the 15th or 16th.

Blues Fan 31: I know the Blues didn't have any options for a back up goalie. But say we didn't make the Mason trade, Nashville would not have freed up the salary to sign Ellis and the Blues could have possibly signed him instead.

I hate to be negative but are the Blues trying to win the draft lottery for next year since Tavares (The next "Next One") is available. The powerplay might be a bit better with Eric Johnson having a year of experience. The penalty kill is going to suffer with the loss of Mayers and Ryan Johnson. And the Blues still have not solved their scoring problem. I hope I am wrong though and the Blues have a great year.

Jeremy Rutherford: I know what you're saying about Mason/Ellis. I asked JD a week before free agency if they had interest in Ellis. He said, "We'll see." Evidently they liked Mason better than Ellis, or Ellis had his mind set on Nashville. There isn't a lot of difference between them . . . both had their ups and downs last year. The only difference is salary. If I'm not mistake, the Preds got Ellis for less than the Blues will pay Mason.

Travis: Hey JR. Thanks for the chat, always enjoy it. I was thinking of our two fresh-faced future forwards TJ Oshie and Patrick Berglund. Can I have a prediction on how each of the two will do this season? Could either one bring a 20 or 30 goal season? Rookie of the year maybe?

Jeremy Rutherford: I think Oshie has the better chance to score 20 goals, but I think he might get 15. I would expect Berglund (assuming he makes the roster) to get 7-10 goals, but contribute maybe 30 assists.

Both could be contenders for rookie of the year, but I would give the advantage to Oshie.

Hoff: I don't see where you are going saying Johnson is not ready for the C. It seems all the rage to give it to your franchises most valuable skater, and that for us is Erik Johnson. We did it with Pronger and there is numerous examples around the league of captains who had very little experience. Some that come to mind are Staal, Crosby, Ovechkin. It's more of a vote of confidence in a young player. To an established player, the C doesn't affect how they control the locker room and when they speak up, but I think it would highly affect Johnson in a good way.

Jeremy Rutherford: It is the trend to give the C to young players, but it doesn't mean that Johnson's ready. I try to be as honest as I can, and I think that it would be more of a burden than a bonus on Johnson at this point. He's still learning the game.

For all that Johnson will accomplish in the future, he has not had the impact or carried the responsibility that Crosby or Ovechkin have had.

It's a nice thought, but I would venture to say that MacInnis and Johnson would answer this question the same way if it were posed to them.

Fyten: Will Bishop be ready to be a backup after this year? My thinking is they brought in Mason (who has two years on his contract) to be a backup this year and replace Manny as the starting goalie next year with Bishop as the backup. A friend of mine thinks that with the uncertain development of many goalies, that is putting a lot of expectation on Bishop.

Jeremy Rutherford: That's a good question. I would say no at this point, only because he is unproven. Perhaps in January (after Bishop is say 10-2 in Peoria with a 1.92 GAA) I can tell you that he will be ready to back up next year. He has to prove it first. I agree with your buddy that it's a lot to expect of Bishop so soon.

Regarding the Blues goalie situation overall, I agree that with the money they're paying Mason (two years, $6 million), and with Bishop on the horizon, the Blues are telling Manny Legace that he needs to play the same way he did last year in order to earn an extension.

Brad_Lee: With the Blues at the bottom of the NHL food chain in recent years, it's not surprising that the team probably wasn't considered to play in the Winter Classic game at Wrigley this season. With St. Louis weather in January (unpredictable), I don't see the Blues ever hosting an outdoor game. Other than maybe a game at Fenway reliving some classic St. Louis vs. Boston sports moments, do you see the Blues (after becoming a more competitive team in the near future) having a natural rival who would host an outdoor game?

Jeremy Rutherford: The only thing I can tell you is that Dave Checketts investigated the idea of the Blues participating in an outdoor game. Where would they play in STL? I don't know. I think they were looking to play the Blackhawks in Chicago. Of course that game now involves Detroit and Chicago at Wrigley Field. I suspect that Checketts will continue to entertain the idea.

Brad_Lee: Speaking of jerseys, any word on the third jersey that JD mentioned to Bernie a few months ago?

Jeremy Rutherford: Dave Checketts said last month that the Blues' third jersey will be unveiled shortly before the start of the season. So you'll have to wait a little longer to see the design.

Jeremy Rutherford: Thanks for the questions today. I don't know if we'll chat next week (it's a fairly quiet time for hockey), but we'll do it again soon.

JR