Still say team should trade for Andy McDonald

[averymustgo]

He can score despite the fact he's been brittle. He's excellent on faceoff's. He is on the last year of his deal. He's a perfect one year rental. St. Louis pretty much wants to go with Bergland, Backes and Schwartz down the middle. We have 3, second round picks. I think a 3rd round pick would do it . If that. I do not want Boyle as the third line center. I think they could also trade Bickel for him and get an extra 4th or 5th round pick with McDonald.

I would feel much, much, better if McDonald was on this team as the third line center.

[nyr1980]

Nice player for sure, and I'd love to have him. But.....

Concussion case.
Will want top-6 minutes.
Probably not available.
Will cost more than a 3rd Rounder.

[bsi]

Andy MacDonald as a third line center makes little sense. He's defensively unreliable, he's physically weak and he's only played two complete seasons, and they were back in 05-07, since then he's missed about 200 games. This makes little sense to me when we have Boyle who is a perfect 3rd line center who can take draws, is defensively reliable, can chip in with some goals, is big, is a good penalty killer and forechecks well.
What we need to do is throw an offer at Carlos Colliacovo, we need another defenseman and he's decent on the PP.

[Ranger71]

They should go after Langkow or Hecht and slide Boyle down to the 4th line where he really fits best. They need more offense on the 3rd line than Boyle provides.

[bsi]

They should go after Langkow or Hecht and slide Boyle down to the 4th line where he really fits best. They need more offense on the 3rd line than Boyle provides.

I don't mind Langkow but I don't think he's an upgrade over Boyle at this point in his career. Boyle is young and although he had a drop off year last year he was doing big things in the playoffs for us until he got the concussion. The thing with a third and 4th line is that you have to be defensively responsible since you can't overpower most teams 1st and 2nd lines. That's why I'd rather just have Boyle than McDonald. We NEED another defenseman, we have enough forwards, I really think Slats should be and probably is, focused on getting a D man. We already added Nash, Halpern, Asham, Pyatt for forwards.

[averymustgo]

I totally disagree with that assessment BSI. It's not accurate. He's not physically weak. If he was he wouldn't have had 5 G 5 A, 10 P in 9 playoff games to lead his team. Physically weak players vanish come playoff time. Also, he's killed penalties his entire career. He killed them on the Blues who were the best defensive team in hockey last year. You don't get put on the PK unit of an elite defensive team unless you are very responsible defensively. You have a Boyle love affair. That's your opinion but your comments on McDonald are completely wrong. McDonald has had some injury problems. I could care less if he plays 25 regular season games if he produces anywhere near the level in the playoffs he did for the Blues. Boyle has no ability offensively to be a third line center. Boyle had 26 points in 82 games. McDonald had 22 points in 25 games. Enough said.

[bsi]

I totally disagree with that assessment BSI. It's not accurate. He's not physically weak. If he was he wouldn't have had 5 G 5 A, 10 P in 9 playoff games to lead his team. Physically weak players vanish come playoff time. Also, he's killed penalties his entire career. He killed them on the Blues who were the best defensive team in hockey last year. You don't get put on the PK unit of an elite defensive team unless you are very responsible defensively. You have a Boyle love affair. That's your opinion but your comments on McDonald are completely wrong. McDonald has had some injury problems. I could care less if he plays 25 regular season games if he produces anywhere near the level in the playoffs he did for the Blues. Boyle has no ability offensively to be a third line center. Boyle had 26 points in 82 games. McDonald had 22 points in 25 games. Enough said.

You obviously haven't watched Andy McDonald and are relying on stats to prove your point otherwise you'd know that for a third line option he's not a good fit. Secondly McDonald played wing on both of the top two lines for St.Louis when he got those points, he'll never play with first line players here and like Boyle he'd never score that many points playing with Prust and Fedotenko, that's a fact. Rather than looking up stats I'd suggest you watch the players play and see where they fit in, who they're playing with. I don't have a Boyle love affair, I have no idea where you come up with these things, I thought we should have traded him last year when he had a career year but if someone disagrees with your random everyday thoughts they have a love affair. I know what Boyle brings, and he's going to be needed even more since we lost Prust and Dubinsky on our PK. Andy McDonald is a one dimensional player who relies on his linemates to get him the puck WHEN he's actually playing and not on the IR and while he does have skill he's not skilled enough to push Richards or Stepan out of the top 2 lines, so therefore he's useless to this team and just a waste of picks and money when we have a decent bottom pair of centers in Halpern and Boyle. We don't need to waste picks or money on a often injured, 35 year old one dimensional player. We NEED a defenseman, not another average forward making 4.7 million dollars, especially one that's missed almost as many games as he's played...it's a waste of time, cap money and picks. To think everyone complained about Dubinsky's cap value and it's somehow alright to give a guy more money to sit at home.

[NYY09]

He can score despite the fact he's been brittle. He's excellent on faceoff's. He is on the last year of his deal. He's a perfect one year rental. St. Louis pretty much wants to go with Bergland, Backes and Schwartz down the middle. We have 3, second round picks. I think a 3rd round pick would do it . If that. I do not want Boyle as the third line center. I think they could also trade Bickel for him and get an extra 4th or 5th round pick with McDonald.

I would feel much, much, better if McDonald was on this team as the third line center.

Just curious, do you actually put anything close to a real thought in before you make these threads? or could it be that you really dont understand sports that well? Maybe you're bored? Anyway, keep up the good work.

[averymustgo]

What's more amazing as I'm suuuuuure, hockey guru NYY09 could point out is how the most demanding defensive coach in hockey in Hitchcock played McDonald over 20 minutes a game in the playoffs. Yeah, because Hitchcock always plays physically soft, bad defensive players over 20 minutes in the playoffs. That's what his reputation says he does.

[Isca92]

In a perfect world Boyle should be a fourth line center, but its not and he will be the third line center. If one is added before the season starts it will be a bottom pair defenseman. I dont see money being tied up before the season starts.

Averymustgo, first Ive seen some of Mcdonald not a ton so Im not going to argue his value and what he brings to the table. My question is if he did put up those numbers in the playoffs why would the Blues get rid of him, especially for a third round pick. I know you list 3 other centers but they can shift one to the wing and keep him. Why would they weaken their roster after the run they went on last season once they got Hitch behind the bench?

The reason they are not going to add someone now is they leave an opening for someone to make the roster out of camp. Adding someone now will put them in the position to say this is our team going for the year. Waiting until the deadline allows for true rental players to pop up and see exactly what the team needs. Boyle can be the third line center if he has help on the wings. As it stands once Gabs return, Hags will be shifted down there. Hags Boyle and Pyatt is a decent third line but if Pyatt can be upgraded its a better third line.

Top goaltending, one of the top defensive groups in the league(esp if the six spot is upgraded) 2 scoring lines, a line that can keep the puck out of the net and chip in, and a few minute loggers for the bottom line is the structure to win.

[bsi]

In a perfect world Boyle should be a fourth line center, but its not and he will be the third line center. If one is added before the season starts it will be a bottom pair defenseman. I dont see money being tied up before the season starts.

Averymustgo, first Ive seen some of Mcdonald not a ton so Im not going to argue his value and what he brings to the table. My question is if he did put up those numbers in the playoffs why would the Blues get rid of him, especially for a third round pick. I know you list 3 other centers but they can shift one to the wing and keep him. Why would they weaken their roster after the run they went on last season once they got Hitch behind the bench?

The reason they are not going to add someone now is they leave an opening for someone to make the roster out of camp. Adding someone now will put them in the position to say this is our team going for the year. Waiting until the deadline allows for true rental players to pop up and see exactly what the team needs. Boyle can be the third line center if he has help on the wings. As it stands once Gabs return, Hags will be shifted down there. Hags Boyle and Pyatt is a decent third line but if Pyatt can be upgraded its a better third line.

Top goaltending, one of the top defensive groups in the league(esp if the six spot is upgraded) 2 scoring lines, a line that can keep the puck out of the net and chip in, and a few minute loggers for the bottom line is the structure to win.

Halpern could end up in the #3 spot as well, or maybe Miller impresses at camp, there's no need to throw away 4.7 mill to a player who is off the ice as much as on when we already have players that can fill that role. As I've said before we NEED a defenseman so any player we sign now should be on the back end.

[Dernelle]

Leave space on the roster for some young guys...would be nice to see if Miller or Yogan can compete for a spot