Another great contract by Army. A classy move by Barrett. Let's all, as Blues fans, hope that he comes back and plays a full year like the one he had in the regular season last year.
I was never too worried about the Blues signing Jackman, I was just concerned with how much he would demand. This is definitely a home town discount. Love having him back there and getting under the skin of the opponent.
EDIT: The Blues' facebook page is blowing up with negativity lol.
Here's some food for though, Johnny Oduya is making more than Barrett Jackman. That should put things into perspective. That blows my mind. Army just keeps piling up the fantastic contracts. Although in some ways it makes me sad, because I think this is the end of Ian Cole in a Blues sweater.
I hope the Blues are able to being in a LHD that will compete for playing time. Cole will get his opportunity to win a regular spot. Arnott and Langenbrunner are so darn slow. Despite their leadership I hope Armstrong can find a better alternative. Friday-Saturday should be fun.
I was never too worried about the Blues signing Jackman, I was just concerned with how much he would demand. This is definitely a home town discount. Love having him back there and getting under the skin of the opponent.
EDIT: The Blues' facebook page is blowing up with negativity lol.
It really is. They're lucky I'm not allowed to give comments the thumbs-down.
Great job by Army, but ultimately it was Jackman's decision. With the way the market is looking this year I honestly wouldn't have been surprised to see him get something crazy like 4 yrs 18 million. Really an excellent deal for the Blues, and refreshing to see a pro athlete NOT go for the money for once. Fact is with the contracts we have coming up in the 2-3 yrs we almost certainly could not afford the kind of long-term contract that Suter would have demanded IF he even wanted to play here, and although Garrison might of been a good fit he will most likely re-sign with Florida. Jackman will continue to make a great 2nd pairing, and will give us a little flexibility while we continue to search for a partner for Pietro whether that be Cole or someone via trade.
Very happy with this deal. Cole likely dealt now, no?
I doubt it. I think Cole is our 7th defenseman to start the year. There will be injuries, and he's about ready to step up and shine, but has to earn it. It's the Detroit method.
I doubt it. I think Cole is our 7th defenseman to start the year. There will be injuries, and he's about ready to step up and shine, but has to earn it. It's the Detroit method.
Agreed. He'll still get his time. I'm honestly confused at the thought of just handing Cole a top-6 spot. What has he done to earn it yet? IMO, I'd be ok if Cole was penciled onto the 3rd pairing but Russell made an excellent partner for Polak so I don't see that happening and there's no way I'd trust him to be on the top pairing with Petro at this point.
Cole will get what he earns and IMO, will still develop into a good 2nd pairing LD in time. Now the Blues just need to go out and find a legit partner for Petro!
I doubt it. I think Cole is our 7th defenseman to start the year. There will be injuries, and he's about ready to step up and shine, but has to earn it. It's the Detroit method.
This.
Barring a trade of Russell, Cole is #7.
For those who think he can play with Pietroangelo, I don't believe you've watched him play yet. Potential and current skill level are not currently equal.
Agreed. He'll still get his time. I'm honestly confused at the thought of just handing Cole a top-6 spot. What has he done to earn it yet? IMO, I'd be ok if Cole was penciled onto the 3rd pairing but Russell made an excellent partner for Polak so I don't see that happening and there's no way I'd trust him to be on the top pairing with Petro at this point.
Cole will get what he earns and IMO, will still develop into a good 2nd pairing LD in time. Now the Blues just need to go out and find a legit partner for Petro!
The day of the Stillman announcement, Armstrong did the KMOX end-of-season interview and made a point of saying Cole was ready to be in the lineup full time. Just the way he talked about it, there was a clear signal being sent that Cole was expected to start the season with a regular shift.
In the same interview, he followed up the Cole comments by talking about Jackman. He emphasized how even if the Blues wanted Jackman back, it was Jackman's option to test the market and it was a two-way street. My between-the-lines reading was: we'll take Jax at a home town discount but if he doesn't give us the discount we'll happily plug in Cole because he's ready.
So what happened is Jackman took the home town discount and left plenty of money on the table given this particular year's UFA crop. Regardless of how anyone feels about Jackman's on-ice performance, that's a character move and it's underlines why the loyalty bond between this particular player and franchise is so strong.
Now, Armstrong's comments are still set up where Cole could still be in the lineup opening night. Personally, I think he'll make a run at Suter and Garrison. It's sometimes hard to read between the lines but my sense is ownership has told him that if they can get Suter then do it. That one quote about being active in free agency and leaving it at that hints at a different situation than last summer when Armstrong foreshadowed fans not to expect much of anything (and still did pretty well with the vet signings, as well as the contract of the year with Brian Elliott).
But if either Suter/Garrison don't come through then there's a chance Cole is penciled in as a top-six heading into the season. Under those circumstances, I think we can all agree that the Blues will still be looking for a trade to fill that top pairing need. Cole getting more playing time should increase his value as a piece going back, which he almost certainly would since Jackman's not going anywhere and Russell is so well-slotted. IMO replacing Colaiacovo with Cole is not going to hamper them in terms of steaming through the regular season; they should still be able to rack up wins. So they will have time to make that deal.
Before Jackman signed I thought it was ~10% that the Blues went with Cole-Jackman-Russell as the trio on the left side. I know Hooligan and I disagreed on this. As of today there's a better chance he's right. Still think it's under 50%, but the chance of it happening that way have gone up.
I'd be surprised if they signed someone like Bryan Allen and put Cole as the 7th. It could happen that way but if they do it, they're not leaving themselves flexibility. They'd have 3-4 year contracts for both Allen and Jackman, and they still haven't got any true #2 d-man. At least if they start the year with Cole as the top pairing with Petro, it won't hurt their playoff chances and they can still tread water until they can truly acquire the right #2. It also gives Cole a chance to overachieve.
All in all it just seems obvious Armstrong sees the glaring need for a true top-pair guy and I'm confident he'll get that player whether it's in two weeks via UFA or over the next 12 months.
The day of the Stillman announcement, Armstrong did the KMOX end-of-season interview and made a point of saying Cole was ready to be in the lineup full time. Just the way he talked about it, there was a clear signal being sent that Cole was expected to start the season with a regular shift.
In the same interview, he followed up the Cole comments by talking about Jackman. He emphasized how even if the Blues wanted Jackman back, it was Jackman's option to test the market and it was a two-way street. My between-the-lines reading was: we'll take Jax at a home town discount but if he doesn't give us the discount we'll happily plug in Cole because he's ready.
So what happened is Jackman took the home town discount and left plenty of money on the table given this particular year's UFA crop. Regardless of how anyone feels about Jackman's on-ice performance, that's a character move and it's underlines why the loyalty bond between this particular player and franchise is so strong.
Now, Armstrong's comments are still set up where Cole could still be in the lineup opening night. Personally, I think he'll make a run at Suter and Garrison. It's sometimes hard to read between the lines but my sense is ownership has told him that if they can get Suter then do it. That one quote about being active in free agency and leaving it at that hints at a different situation than last summer when Armstrong foreshadowed fans not to expect much of anything (and still did pretty well with the vet signings, as well as the contract of the year with Brian Elliott).
But if either Suter/Garrison don't come through then there's a chance Cole is penciled in as a top-six heading into the season. Under those circumstances, I think we can all agree that the Blues will still be looking for a trade to fill that top pairing need. Cole getting more playing time should increase his value as a piece going back, which he almost certainly would since Jackman's not going anywhere and Russell is so well-slotted. IMO replacing Colaiacovo with Cole is not going to hamper them in terms of steaming through the regular season; they should still be able to rack up wins. So they will have time to make that deal.
Before Jackman signed I thought it was ~10% that the Blues went with Cole-Jackman-Russell as the trio on the left side. I know Hooligan and I disagreed on this. As of today there's a better chance he's right. Still think it's under 50%, but the chance of it happening that way have gone up.
I'd be surprised if they signed someone like Bryan Allen and put Cole as the 7th. It could happen that way but if they do it, they're not leaving themselves flexibility. They'd have 3-4 year contracts for both Allen and Jackman, and they still haven't got any true #2 d-man. At least if they start the year with Cole as the top pairing with Petro, it won't hurt their playoff chances and they can still tread water until they can truly acquire the right #2. It also gives Cole a chance to overachieve.
All in all it just seems obvious Armstrong sees the glaring need for a true top-pair guy and I'm confident he'll get that player whether it's in two weeks via UFA or over the next 12 months.
Very happy with this deal. Cole likely dealt now, no?
I'm happy with that deal from both sides, I hope he retires with the Blues. Jackman has put in a lot of hard time with the Blues in their not so good years so it would be bad to see him go when they are starting to develop into a contender again. I don't know if the Blues are ready to let Cole go with him improving and in the event of another year with injuries at LD. He definitely is developing the skills, I just think his mistakes with the puck look like they are made from being nervous.
For those wondering about Cole, Armstrong was on 101 ESPN today talking about the Jackman signing. He said that they wanted to get 6 defensemen signed before the draft, so they could work on getting a 7th defenseman by trade or free agency. Right now it sounds like Cole is in the plans, whether he's starting or the 7th defenseman, and wouldn't be part of a deal to acquire another one.
Armstrong also said that he'd be happy with the current forward corps if they can acquire the kind of defenseman they want to, which made it sound like they are targetting a pretty significant acquisition. He did say they'll be looking at a center for the 3rd line, but that Steen, Oshie, or Sobotka could fill that position, too.
Either way, great deal locking Jackman up.
Also - I agree with PocketNines above. It sounds like the plan is to go after Suter, and if they don't get him, probably just get a depth guy and put Cole int he lineup. That's the way I'm reading things, at least.
I found this quote by Armstrong interesting as well
Quote:
• Armstrong indicated that if the Blues find a righthanded defenseman, then Pietrangelo, a righthander, could play on the left side. "I think Petro could move to the left and play with Shatty," Armstrong said. "I think he could move to the left and play with Roman if he had to. He's the guy that's going to make whoever he plays with better. It's more of a compliment to Petro, but given an injury, I believe he can play, with his hockey sense, he could play wing if he wants. I hope I'm not putting too much pressure on him, but I think he's an elite and special player. We're lucky to have him."
If we cannot manage to sign Suter or Garrison then we have some flexibility with Pietrangelo possibly playing the left and Cole's ability to the play the right. If you don't want Cole on top pairing duty right away you can bump Pie over and move Shatty and Polak up and put Cole in Polak's spot. If Cole impresses there then you can swap things back and put him next to Pie.
I like it. I think opposing fans' reactions are pretty telling. It wouldn't be fun to play against Jackman if he was on the 'Hawks or something. He's a tough, physical player that will stand up for his teammates and irritate the other team. He'll play through injuries and is a warrior. He's a leader in the lockerroom and is pretty good defensively and kills penalties. He offers some good qualities and if he wants to stay in St. Louis we might as well bring him back because there aren't many guys available that could replace him.
Now we just need to focus our attention on getting another top-4 defenseman.
Sounds like the Blues will try to add another defensemen in trade, and barring that will go the FA route. No mention of Carlo, so he is likely gone.
Also mentions up front they are trying to fill the third line center position, but that Steen, Oshie, or Sobotka could all fill that role.
I'm surprised that the deal isn't front loaded. I would have tried to cram as much of the salary into next season as possible before Pietrangelo gets his raise.
Last edited by bluemandan: 06-18-2012 at 05:55 PM.
The day of the Stillman announcement, Armstrong did the KMOX end-of-season interview and made a point of saying Cole was ready to be in the lineup full time. Just the way he talked about it, there was a clear signal being sent that Cole was expected to start the season with a regular shift.
In the same interview, he followed up the Cole comments by talking about Jackman. He emphasized how even if the Blues wanted Jackman back, it was Jackman's option to test the market and it was a two-way street. My between-the-lines reading was: we'll take Jax at a home town discount but if he doesn't give us the discount we'll happily plug in Cole because he's ready.
So what happened is Jackman took the home town discount and left plenty of money on the table given this particular year's UFA crop. Regardless of how anyone feels about Jackman's on-ice performance, that's a character move and it's underlines why the loyalty bond between this particular player and franchise is so strong.
Now, Armstrong's comments are still set up where Cole could still be in the lineup opening night. Personally, I think he'll make a run at Suter and Garrison. It's sometimes hard to read between the lines but my sense is ownership has told him that if they can get Suter then do it. That one quote about being active in free agency and leaving it at that hints at a different situation than last summer when Armstrong foreshadowed fans not to expect much of anything (and still did pretty well with the vet signings, as well as the contract of the year with Brian Elliott).
But if either Suter/Garrison don't come through then there's a chance Cole is penciled in as a top-six heading into the season. Under those circumstances, I think we can all agree that the Blues will still be looking for a trade to fill that top pairing need. Cole getting more playing time should increase his value as a piece going back, which he almost certainly would since Jackman's not going anywhere and Russell is so well-slotted. IMO replacing Colaiacovo with Cole is not going to hamper them in terms of steaming through the regular season; they should still be able to rack up wins. So they will have time to make that deal.
Before Jackman signed I thought it was ~10% that the Blues went with Cole-Jackman-Russell as the trio on the left side. I know Hooligan and I disagreed on this. As of today there's a better chance he's right. Still think it's under 50%, but the chance of it happening that way have gone up.
I'd be surprised if they signed someone like Bryan Allen and put Cole as the 7th. It could happen that way but if they do it, they're not leaving themselves flexibility. They'd have 3-4 year contracts for both Allen and Jackman, and they still haven't got any true #2 d-man. At least if they start the year with Cole as the top pairing with Petro, it won't hurt their playoff chances and they can still tread water until they can truly acquire the right #2. It also gives Cole a chance to overachieve.
All in all it just seems obvious Armstrong sees the glaring need for a true top-pair guy and I'm confident he'll get that player whether it's in two weeks via UFA or over the next 12 months.
I love the way Armstrong works. The Blues have literally no bad contracts. To the contrary, every time he signs a player he manages to get the on the low end of what I thought it would take. (I think this also points to the players knowing that the Blues are on the cusp of something great.)
Another point in Armstrong's favor. He's made it clear the team wants a top pairing LHD. But he hasn't panicked an pulled the trigger on a lesser player. I think he knows exactly who/what he wants there, and he was patient for an entire season last year. This year, if he can't get someone as an UFA, I suspect he's got a trade or two brewing. But you can bet he won't make a bad deal to fill the spot with a suboptimal choice.
For those looking down the road, I think Andy McDonald may be on the way out in a couple years, freeing up some salary for raises for some of the RFA-level guys. But post-season success should equate with money for their raises, too.
I'm pleased at the Jackman re-signing. I had thought there wasn't room for him AND a top LHD, but it sounds like (reading between the lines) Armstrong is executing his plan. I have a feeling he did something like say, "Barrett, we'd love to have you back but we can't spend more than XYZ at that position. We want to win a Cup and here's my plan:".
