News Article: Kyrou signs 8 year extension

[STL fan in MN]

Last time I checked, Kyrou was dead last in the NHL in +/-. Thanks to Andrew Peeke, Kyrou won’t finish last - 950th out of 951 players.*

But I’ll point out that Peeke is a defensive d-man (12 pts on the season) on a team that plays for a team that has a goal differential of -113. Kyrou is his team’s leading scorer, plays on a team that finished 1 game below .500 and still managed that bad of a +/-.

Hopefully this is the summer it clicks in Kyrou’s brain that improving his defense, puck support, etc. would actually make him a more effective offensive player and he works on that with a lot of film and sessions.

 

[BlueDream]

Last time I checked, Kyrou was dead last in the NHL in +/-. Thanks to Andrew Peeke, Kyrou won’t finish last - 950th out of 951 players.*

But I’ll point out that Peeke is a defensive d-man (12 pts on the season) on a team that plays for a team that has a goal differential of -113. Kyrou is his team’s leading scorer, plays on a team that finished 1 game below .500 and still managed that bad of a +/-.

Hopefully this is the summer it clicks in Kyrou’s brain that improving his defense, puck support, etc. would actually make him a more effective offensive player and he works on that with a lot of film and sessions.

But yet there’s posters on this board who will jokingly post about how everything is Kyrou’s fault because they don’t like the real criticism Kyrou receives.

Well they better hope Kyrou improves when he starts making over 8 million dollars for the next 8 f***in years or else that criticism is gonna start getting heavier and heavier.

 

[Celtic Note]

But yet there’s posters on this board who will jokingly post about how everything is Kyrou’s fault because they don’t like the real criticism Kyrou receives.

Well they better hope Kyrou improves when he starts making over 8 million dollars for the next 8 f***in years or else that criticism is gonna start getting heavier and heavier.

I think pretty much everyone knows that Kyrou needs to significantly improve defensively and be harder on pucks. But the rampant and non-stop criticism gets old, especially when there were other players who were playing bad defensively and getting a relative pass.

What I don’t get is Tarasenko was horrific defensively for a long time and I don’t recall the same outrage. Was it because his character was preferable to Kyrou’s? Is it because he tried less than Kyrou, so people had no hope he would improve? Or was it because he was on better teams that played well defensively, so Tarasenko’s plus/minus looked good?

I get why a certain poster would make flippant jokes about Kyrou. The guy rarely gets praise for his work offensively in comparison to the raised pitchforks that come out with his defensive play. I am not saying his defensive play doesn’t warrant criticism. It absolutely does. But his offensive contributions are probably the best on the team, yet you wouldn’t think that reading our collective comments.

He is certainly a polarizing player. I think his offensive game is pretty amazing, especially given his draft location. I do not like his defensive game, much like I didn’t like Tarasenko’s. I am not sure how different he is from a young Tarasenko. Yet they seemed to be viewed quite differently.

Personally I used to rag on Tarasenko’s defensive play because too few others were. He was generally lauded here. I feel no reason to rag on Kyrou’s because so many others seem to have that covered. He seems just shy of hated here. But looking at the two players the views are/were so very different.

 

[Xerloris]

But yet there’s posters on this board who will jokingly post about how everything is Kyrou’s fault because they don’t like the real criticism Kyrou receives.

Well they better hope Kyrou improves when he starts making over 8 million dollars for the next 8 f***in years or else that criticism is gonna start getting heavier and heavier.

people don't make jokes about Kyrou because they don't like him being criticized, they do it to mock a certain someone that does nothing but harp on the same shit over and over again.

 

[Linkens Mastery]

Yall can tag me idc. I make jokes about Kyrou not because of the criticism, but because when other players do the same f***ing thing or worse it's barely mentioned.

Kyrou deserves criticism, especially with his defensive play. But so do over 1/2 of the players on the team.

I make jokes about Kyrou because we are wanting to blame one player instead of the full roster. Or because we are blaming Kyrou on a goal while he's covering his man at the point while the goal is getting scored in front of the net when the puck never goes to Kyrou's assignment.

 

[Davimir Tarablad]

What I don’t get is Tarasenko was horrific defensively for a long time and I don’t recall the same outrage. Was it because his character was preferable to Kyrou’s? Is it because he tried less than Kyrou, so people had no hope he would improve? Or was it because he was on better teams that played well defensively, so Tarasenko’s plus/minus looked good?

The bolded is the main reason in my opinion. It's easy to overlook one player's defensive deficiencies when the team finishes top 6 in GA in 6/7 seasons to start his career. It was also easier to give Tarasenko a pass because he carried the team offensively in '15-'16(lead by 22pts and 19g) and '16-'17(lead by 20pts and 16g).

 

[TheDizee]

Tarasenko was never this bad defensively. If he was, Hitch would have never played him. Stop the lies folks.

Kyrou is a wreck defensively.

 

[RR10]

Kyrou has been bad defensively and need to improve, but the numbers this year are off. Freaking ROR who was considered to be one of the best defensive centers had -24 in 40 games after having + every season in our uniform. Hard working Schenn was -27. Doubt Kyrou will ever be close to -40 again.

Still not a fan of signing Kyrou too early for big bucks.

 

[Ted Hoffman]

I don't recall Tarasenko being so responsible for so many turnovers that went the other way in breakaways and odd-man rushes and constantly dogging it back. Was he lacking on the backcheck? Sure, but you'd see him battle for the puck in the offensive end and fight to retain the puck. Kyrou was generally weak with the puck and you rarely saw him battle along the boards for the puck; you frequently saw him shy away and cede possession, then float around hoping someone else would get the puck back and get it to him and otherwise look down in or around the defensive zone like you all take care of that, that's not my job.

[There's another player on this team, frequently hyped as having lots of potential, who does much of the same things defensively, except he's not putting up 37-36-73 to "offset" it and not coming into an 8-year, $65 million contract - and I'm willing to bet he gets a largely free pass next season too.]

 

[BlueDream]

I think pretty much everyone knows that Kyrou needs to significantly improve defensively and be harder on pucks. But the rampant and non-stop criticism gets old, especially when there were other players who were playing bad defensively and getting a relative pass.

What I don’t get is Tarasenko was horrific defensively for a long time and I don’t recall the same outrage. Was it because his character was preferable to Kyrou’s? Is it because he tried less than Kyrou, so people had no hope he would improve? Or was it because he was on better teams that played well defensively, so Tarasenko’s plus/minus looked good?

I get why a certain poster would make flippant jokes about Kyrou. The guy rarely gets praise for his work offensively in comparison to the raised pitchforks that come out with his defensive play. I am not saying his defensive play doesn’t warrant criticism. It absolutely does. But his offensive contributions are probably the best on the team, yet you wouldn’t think that reading our collective comments.

He is certainly a polarizing player. I think his offensive game is pretty amazing, especially given his draft location. I do not like his defensive game, much like I didn’t like Tarasenko’s. I am not sure how different he is from a young Tarasenko. Yet they seemed to be viewed quite differently.

Personally I used to rag on Tarasenko’s defensive play because too few others were. He was generally lauded here. I feel no reason to rag on Kyrou’s because so many others seem to have that covered. He seems just shy of hated here. But looking at the two players the views are/were so very different.

I personally treat both the same. I was never a big Tarasenko fan and criticized him frequently. I was very happy when he was finally traded and won’t miss him at all. I do think that he got overrated by STL fans.

 

[Reality Czech]

I personally treat both the same. I was never a big Tarasenko fan and criticized him frequently. I was very happy when he was finally traded and won’t miss him at all. I do think that he got overrated by STL fans.

To me, while Tarasenko had to work to become a better all around player, his effort was never questioned. I always considered him a hard-working, determined player but I'm not sure I can say the same of Kyrou. Kyrou just seems to check out at times and doesn't seem to have the hockey sense or intensity that Tarasenko has. But maybe that shouldn't be surprising since Tarasenko's dad was a coach and he had that influence on him his whole life, not to mention the fact that he played in a pro league for several years before coming to the NHL.

If the team had struggled more when Tarasenko was breaking in then he probably would have got more criticism, but the Blues only missed the playoffs once during Vladi's entire time here. When the team underachieves then it's natural to point the finger at the guys getting the most ice time, so Kyrou is gonna take more heat. But I do feel fans let Thomas off the hook more than Kyrou even though he also needs to be better.

 

[Celtic Note]

To me, while Tarasenko had to work to become a better all around player, his effort was never questioned. I always considered him a hard-working, determined player but I'm not sure I can say the same of Kyrou. Kyrou just seems to check out at times and doesn't seem to have the hockey sense or intensity that Tarasenko has. But maybe that shouldn't be surprising since Tarasenko's dad was a coach and he had that influence on him his whole life, not to mention the fact that he played in a pro league for several years before coming to the NHL.

If the team had struggled more when Tarasenko was breaking in then he probably would have got more criticism, but the Blues only missed the playoffs once during Vladi's entire time here. When the team underachieves then it's natural to point the finger at the guys getting the most ice time, so Kyrou is gonna take more heat. But I do feel fans let Thomas off the hook more than Kyrou even though he also needs to be better.

Tarasenko worked hard in some areas, but the defensive zone really wasn’t one of them. He floated a ton, particularly early on. Hitch heavily reduced his time in playoff games at times because of this issue. Tarasenko would frequently not cover his point man or drop-down to cover a loose puck on the boards because he was more concerned about fielding a breakout pass before we even had the puck.

 

[Xerloris]

To me, while Tarasenko had to work to become a better all around player, his effort was never questioned. I always considered him a hard-working, determined player but I'm not sure I can say the same of Kyrou. Kyrou just seems to check out at times and doesn't seem to have the hockey sense or intensity that Tarasenko has. But maybe that shouldn't be surprising since Tarasenko's dad was a coach and he had that influence on him his whole life, not to mention the fact that he played in a pro league for several years before coming to the NHL.

If the team had struggled more when Tarasenko was breaking in then he probably would have got more criticism, but the Blues only missed the playoffs once during Vladi's entire time here. When the team underachieves then it's natural to point the finger at the guys getting the most ice time, so Kyrou is gonna take more heat. But I do feel fans let Thomas off the hook more than Kyrou even though he also needs to be better.

Kyrou's lack of defense isn't skill, it's laziness. He better develop the desire to be a f***ing winner or else he's going to be wildly hated here really soon.

 

[Reality Czech]

Tarasenko worked hard in some areas, but the defensive zone really wasn’t one of them. He floated a ton, particularly early on. Hitch heavily reduced his time in playoff games at times because of this issue. Tarasenko would frequently not cover his point man or drop-down to cover a loose puck on the boards because he was more concerned about fielding a breakout pass before we even had the puck.

That's fair. To be honest, I bet that most young, skilled players go through this phase. There aren't many rookies who come in with above average defensive awareness, so the real question is how hard do they work to improve. Berube spoke about it a lot in his press conference, basically saying that some guys might need to sacrifice point totals to become better all-around players.

But people are being harder on Kyrou than Tarasenko because when Vladi broke in there were plenty of veterans to pick up the slack for the youngsters, much like Kyrou had last year. Now that he's being counted on to be THE guy, then fans will have higher expectations of him.

 

[Celtic Note]

That's fair. To be honest, I bet that most young, skilled players go through this phase. There aren't many rookies who come in with above average defensive awareness, so the real question is how hard do they work to improve. Berube spoke about it a lot in his press conference, basically saying that some guys might need to sacrifice point totals to become better all-around players.

But people are being harder on Kyrou than Tarasenko because when Vladi broke in there were plenty of veterans to pick up the slack for the youngsters, much like Kyrou had last year. Now that he's being counted on to be THE guy, then fans will have higher expectations of him.

I don’t think Kyrou really needs to necessarily sacrifice his point totals. I think he just needs to sacrifice the easy points (cherry picking).

Berube alluded to this in his interview, but if you play better defensively (all players, but I if I am remembering correctly this comment was related to Buch), then you will get the puck back and have a better chance at scoring.

I think Kyrou, if he learns to backcheck hard after turnovers, could be similar to Datsyuk in those plays where Pavel would backcheck and strip unsuspecting player of the puck for a quick transition. (I am not saying he could be as good as Datsyuk defensively, just that he could accomplish that backcheck play with his speed). Aside from using his speed, he will have to learn how to strip picks. So, it’s not quite as simple as just trying, but I think he is capable of it. We just need to see the effort and commitment now.

 

[TheDizee]

Lack of professionalism, 'guys worrying about themselves' contribute to loss of Blues culture

From the eight-game losing streak in October and November, to the post Ryan O’Reilly trade malaise, the Blues have had a long time to diagnose exactly where things went wrong.

www.stltoday.com

“I think our group let some stuff slip, let our habits slip, how we carry ourselves day-to-day,” Faulk said. “We need to be grown men in here, be mature, show up, do your work. That’s in practice, that’s in the gym, that’s off the ice. It’s just working hard and knowing what you’re asked to do and what it is. Then, the on-ice performance comes.”

“Probably boils down a little to guys worrying about themselves,” Schenn said. “Realistically, that’s what happened. When you do that, and you worry about yourself and your individual play, you’re not as worried about the team as much. It’s tough to win in this league. That’s a culture you don’t want to have is guys worrying about themselves.”

 

[Blueston]

Lack of professionalism, 'guys worrying about themselves' contribute to loss of Blues culture

From the eight-game losing streak in October and November, to the post Ryan O’Reilly trade malaise, the Blues have had a long time to diagnose exactly where things went wrong.

www.stltoday.com

“I think our group let some stuff slip, let our habits slip, how we carry ourselves day-to-day,” Faulk said. “We need to be grown men in here, be mature, show up, do your work. That’s in practice, that’s in the gym, that’s off the ice. It’s just working hard and knowing what you’re asked to do and what it is. Then, the on-ice performance comes.”

“Probably boils down a little to guys worrying about themselves,” Schenn said. “Realistically, that’s what happened. When you do that, and you worry about yourself and your individual play, you’re not as worried about the team as much. It’s tough to win in this league. That’s a culture you don’t want to have is guys worrying about themselves.”

I don’t think Kyrou is main target here. I read that as guys like Barbie and tank worrying about contract/role/feelings, guys like brown and leivo lacking attention to detail, guys like Saad and Leddy maybe not pushing as hard…

 

[Linkens Mastery]

The fact this news thread is in a Kyrou thread proves my point. Blame a team wide issue on one single player.

 

[Celtic Note]

Lack of professionalism, 'guys worrying about themselves' contribute to loss of Blues culture

From the eight-game losing streak in October and November, to the post Ryan O’Reilly trade malaise, the Blues have had a long time to diagnose exactly where things went wrong.

www.stltoday.com

“I think our group let some stuff slip, let our habits slip, how we carry ourselves day-to-day,” Faulk said. “We need to be grown men in here, be mature, show up, do your work. That’s in practice, that’s in the gym, that’s off the ice. It’s just working hard and knowing what you’re asked to do and what it is. Then, the on-ice performance comes.”

“Probably boils down a little to guys worrying about themselves,” Schenn said. “Realistically, that’s what happened. When you do that, and you worry about yourself and your individual play, you’re not as worried about the team as much. It’s tough to win in this league. That’s a culture you don’t want to have is guys worrying about themselves.”

They must be including themselves, because Faulk and Schenn had some pretty bad stretches of play this year.

 

[SneakerPimp82]

[There's another player on this team, frequently hyped as having lots of potential, who does much of the same things defensively, except he's not putting up 37-36-73 to "offset" it and not coming into an 8-year, $65 million contract - and I'm willing to bet he gets a largely free pass next season too.]

Neighbours or Buch?

 

[Ted Hoffman]

Neighbours or Buch?

It's absolutely MV63.

 

[bleedblue1223]

It's absolutely MV63.

Neighbours really wasn't that hyped, we always viewed him as a middle 6 guy. For the beginning part of the season, this board spoke about how he wasn't ready and should be in the minors. After his call up, his play definitely improved for stretches, but what did you genuinely expect out of his this year? Of course he didn't get as much criticism, the expectations for him and the standard for him was always a hell of a lot lower than any of our top 6 forwards or top 4 defensemen.

If there's one player that probably gets an undeserved pass at time, it's Schenn. I'm a big fan of his, but he's inconsistent, part of that might be because he plays through so many injuries due to his style, but it's still inconsistencies.

 

[TheDizee]

Neighbours really wasn't that hyped, we always viewed him as a middle 6 guy. For the beginning part of the season, this board spoke about how he wasn't ready and should be in the minors. After his call up, his play definitely improved for stretches, but what did you genuinely expect out of his this year? Of course he didn't get as much criticism, the expectations for him and the standard for him was always a hell of a lot lower than any of our top 6 forwards or top 4 defensemen.

If there's one player that probably gets an undeserved pass at time, it's Schenn. I'm a big fan of his, but he's inconsistent, part of that might be because he plays through so many injuries due to his style, but it's still inconsistencies.

agree 1000x with schenn statement which is why I don't want him as captain.

Buch for captain.

 

[SneakerPimp82]

agree 1000x with schenn statement which is why I don't want him as captain.

Buch for captain.

Buch for captain certainly would be interesting, though I'm not sure he has the temperament for it. I think an A fits him best since he's part of the leadership group, or at least should be.

 

[Blueston]

agree 1000x with schenn statement which is why I don't want him as captain.

Buch for captain.

I’m starting to think Faulk might be best choice.