Vladimir Sobotka Defects To The KHL

COMMENTARY July 11, 2014 | The St. Louis Blues have had numerous changes this off-season. One of the biggest surprises for fans was the re-signing of Steve Ott and the “elephant in the room”, Vladimir Sobotka opting to sign with a team in the KHL. While this is still not actually confirmed at this time by either the Blues, Sobotka or his agent, it is alleged that he will be making a name for himself in Omsk for the next three seasons (and probably beyond).

Many are reporting that the Blues were simply outbid by Omsk and lost out because they could not afford to meet the 4 million a year deal that Sobotka inked in the KHL. This was not the only reason that Sobotka has chosen to defect to Russia and the KHL. There were internal issues at play and Sobotka was in talks with the Blues since at least February of this year for a contract extension.

Sobotka was feeling out of sorts when injuries kept him out of the Winter Olympics. He was able to use the Winter Olympics as a time of recuperation in the Caribbean with Roman Polak and his family. When he came back after the break, he fit back into the line-up and made things happen on the ice.

Then the Miller/Ott – Halak/Stewart trade occurred and the Blues locker room was thrown into turmoil. Changes happened quickly and the team had to adjust to losing two important members of the team, they had to welcome into their close-knit family two new members. There was much hype surrounding the trade and expectations ran high.

Fast-forward to the Blues play-off flop and the major disappointment that the Blues organization had to face. They lost two keystone players who were rocks in the locker room and gained a sub-par forward in Ott and a narcissistic goaltender in Miller.

Throughout all of this the Blues and Sobotka’s agent have been volleying offers and demands back and forth with no satisfactory agreement in sight. The Blues thought, according to general manager, Doug Armstrong, that they were close to a deal with Sobotka. But they failed to understand that while Sobotka liked playing in St. Louis, he is an emotional person. He may seem calm, cool and quiet when you meet him in person, but he has let his emotions rule his mind in the past.

Sobotka wth Roman Polak (courtesy of Instagram)

Sobotka was angered and devastated when he was traded to St. Louis in 2010 and wanted desperately to go back to Boston, as he stated over social media many times the first few months he was in St. Louis. He lost a good friend and fellow European player when Jaroslav Halak was traded. But the final nail in the contract coffin was when his great friend, Roman Polak, was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

While the Blues made a qualifying offer for Sobotka and are now headed to arbitration, Sobotka chose to go outside the NHL and give the proverbial finger to the Blues organization and its fans. The Blues will retain rights to Sobotka and if he decides to come back to the NHL, the Blues will hold his contract. The big question going through my mind is this: if Sobotka returns to the NHL after his contract is up in the KHL, will St. Louis fans forgive him and accept him back into their hearts as a treasured player?

Vladimir Sobotka is an amazing player; I have even in the past called him an elite player. He will flourish in the KHL and while we will miss him here in the NHL, especially the St. Louis Blues fans. I truly believe that his decision to leave the NHL for the KHL was a combination of being overly emotional and an inflated sense of self-worth. The Blues made a solid offer to Sobotka, several offers in reality. Sobotka seems to think that he is worth more than the $3 million per year top offer given by the Blues and it seems that the KHL also thought so, giving him $4 million per year.

Best of luck to you, Vladimir, it has been great watching you grow as a player these past years while in St. Louis. I hope that you do decide to return to the NHL as you are a fun player to watch and analyze.

Halak’s Trade Journey: St. Louis to Buffalo to Washington

I have made it no secret that I am a champion of Jaroslav Halak. When he joined the St. Louis Blues I was excited to see what he could do. Since then he has grown as a goaltender and gave so much of himself to St. Louis and her fans. He began Halak’s Heroes which invited children who are battling cancer and other diseases that are life-threatening to attend a Blues game with their families in a penthouse suite. The suite was donated by Camp Rainbow, Friends of Kids with Cancer, H.I.S. K.I.D.S., Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Make-A-Wish Foundation and The National Children’s Cancer Society.  Halak’s tenure in a St. Louis Blue’s sweater ended abruptly when he was traded in a blockbuster deal to the Buffalo Sabres with teammate Chris Stewart for Ryan Miller and Steve Ott. 

Four days later, after reporting to Buffalo, he is on the move again to the Washington Capitals. I was disappointed when Halak left St. Louis. But I was heartbroken that he would not be making a play-off run to prove himself to his new team and fans. Now, if the Capitals can pull it together and gain momentum coming into the home stretch, Halak just might have a chance to play in the play-offs. I wondered why the Capitals were in the market for a goaltender when they desperately needed defense. Halak is a goaltender who relies heavily on his defense for the first period until his nerves settle down and he gets into a groove. Hopefully, head coach Adam Oates and his coaching staff can shape a productive offense and a well-disciplined defense to help Halak in his quest for a Stanley Cup.

Has Halak found a new city to call home? For the remainder of the 2013-2014 season it would seem so. I will remain a fan and a supporter of Jaroslav Halak and wish him much success with his new team. St. Louis has lost an amazing asset and Buffalo never gave him a chance. It will be wonderful to see him settle in and shine while with the Capitals.

St. Louis Blues Trade Their Soul for Ryan Miller and Steve Ott

It came as no real surprise that the Blues dealt for Ryan Miller. It has been rumored for months now that they were flirting with him and hoped to bring him to St. Louis. In my previous article published on Yahoo Sports, Jaroslav Halak for Ryan Miller: Are the St. Louis Blues Trying to Deal? I laid out the problems with such a trade. It is true that Halak had a lackluster performance during the Olympics for his home country of Slovokia. However, Halak has a rapport with the team and the fans; he has been a shining star in the past and has the potential. Miller is getting older, has a diva personality and has had an attitude with his failing team.

The entire details of the trade have not been released by the Blues but we know who is being kicked to the curb by the Blues. Halak along with Chris Stewart, William Carrier, a first round pick and a third round pick were all dealt to the Buffalo Sabres for a prima donna goalie and a mediocre forward. The Blues are not looking long-term here. They have thrown away a great prospect in Carrier and two fan favorites who could pull a rabbit out of their hats when push came to shove. Essentially, the soul of the team has taken a beating here and it is going to take a little bit of work for them to rebound and become a cohesive unit again.

Stewart has not been shining lately, that much I will give them. But take a long hard look at the rest of the team as well. No one has been giving stellar performances as of late. Maybe it is the hope of management to upset the team and its fans enough to light a fire under them and strive towards becoming the team they were before the Olympics interjected.

I fully understand that it is a business, but I cannot help wondering what exactly they are hoping to achieve with this trade. Will it do more harm than good? The Blues have spent an entire season working and bonding together. Stewart pushed forth and became the big brother to the younger players as well the support of his line. Halak had earned the respect of his teammates through the years that he has played here in St. Louis.

Miller and Ott will join the Blues in Phoenix this Sunday, March 2^nd. It begins a new chapter for the Blues. One that will be interesting to watch play out. How many tantrums will Miller have before the end of the season? Will Ott step up his game and become an asset, not a hindrance.  Will Ken Hitchcock be able to pull the closeness of the team back together and give the players the sense of security they need to play hard for their organization and their city? All of these questions will eventually be answered and I for one will be watching closely to see what disruptions this causes and how they are addressed. It has been a long time since St. Louis has had to deal with a diva goaltender. Are the fans up to the task of worshipping at Miller’s feet? I am admittedly not a fan of Miller or Ott, but I will learn to accept them among the team and will not be overly prejudice against them. I will be waiting with bated breath as the answers to my questions unfold within the next several weeks.

As for Halak and Stewart, it has been a pleasure to watch them grow as players and ambassadors of the sport that they love. We have shared in their triumphs and heartbreaks. As they exit from the Blues, they take with them a piece of St. Louis. I, for one, wish them both nothing but the best and know that with their skills both on and off the ice, they will flourish. They are also embarking on a new chapter in their careers and I cannot wait to watch them in action against the teams in the East.