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Chris Porter

Snapshots: Masks, Campbell, Desjardins, Porter

November 1, 2016 at 4:55 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 1 Comment

While there are many days remembered over the years for major trades or signings, today represents a landmark day in the NHL for an entirely different reason.  As John Kreiser of NHL.com recalls, November 1st, 1959 was the first time that a goaltender wore a mask as Montreal’s Jacques Plante put one on following getting hit in the face after a hard shot from Andy Bathgate of the New York Rangers.

At the time, Plante was highly criticized and ridiculed but held firm in using one, telling coach Toe Blake that he would no longer play without one.  It took 15 years (until 1973-74) before all goaltenders were wearing them.  Today, the thought of a goalie not wearing a mask is largely incomprehensible with play being whistled down practically immediately if a netminder’s mask comes off during the course of the action.

Elsewhere around the league:

  • Brian Campbell’s next game (which, barring any last second surprises, will be tonight against Calgary, will be a very profitable one for him. Chris Hine of the Chicago Tribune notes (Twitter link) that Campbell’s contract calls for a $750K bonus to be paid out after Campbell plays in his 10th game of the season.  The 37 year old is off to a nice start this season with a goal and five assists through his first nine games.  The Blackhawks can use the bonus cushion to help defer the cap charge for that amount until next season which is likely their intention given how easy it was made for Campbell to hit that particular incentive.
  • Still with Chicago, they are hoping to get center Andrew Desjardins back in the lineup on Sunday, writes Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times. The 30 year old has not yet played this season after suffering a foot injury at the end of the preseason.  Last year, he had just 13 points in 77 games but logged the most shorthanded ice time of any Chicago forward.  Given that their penalty kill ranks dead last at just 53.1%, Desjardins’ return would be a significant boost for the team in that particular area.
  • Unrestricted free agent center Chris Porter has signed a tryout deal with the Providence Bruins, affiliate of Boston, reports Mark Divver of the Providence Journal (Twitter link). Porter spent last season with Minnesota, playing in a career high 61 games, collecting four goals and three assists in a fourth line role while averaging 9:38 of ice time per night.  He attended training camp St. Louis, where he spent parts of six seasons, but was unable to secure a contract.  PTO contracts in the AHL can last up to 25 games and can be extended for an additional 25 contests.

Chicago Blackhawks Andrew Desjardins| Brian Campbell| Chris Porter| Salary Cap

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Analyzing Chances Of Blues Tryouts To Make Team

September 14, 2016 at 10:45 am CDT | by Glen Miller 1 Comment

Last year, both Scottie Upshall and Scott Gomez earned jobs with St. Louis after coming to camp on a tryout basis. While Gomez didn’t make it through the year with the club, Upshall performed well enough to earn a second one-year deal with the Blues. St. Louis appears to be going back to that well again by inviting six players to camp on PTO agreements. Those in search of a job with the Blues are Yan Stastny, Chris Porter, T.J Galiardi, Eric Nystrom, Scooter Vaughan and Mike Weber.

Writing for the St. Louis Post Dispatch, Jeremy Rutherford provides a closer look at each of the six players invited to camp. Included in the post are comments from Blues head coach Ken Hitchcock. Those comments provide unique insight into the odds faced by each of the players attempting to make the 2016-17 Blues.

The Blues lost team captain David Backes and veteran power forward Troy Brouwer as free agents this summer. But the team acted quickly by signing David Perron to fill a hole on the wing. St. Louis also expects Vladimir Sobotka to return this season from the KHL and play a regular role with the Blues. That would seem to limit the opportunities for a forward to earn a job.

The team’s blue line is also stocked with enough quality players to fill all six regular slots, as the team’s depth chart on Roster Resource shows. Robert Bortuzzo is listed currently as the team’s seventh option on defense and he’s a decent fit for that role. Additionally, the team has their 2012 first-round pick, Jordan Schmaltz, waiting in the wings. The North Dakota product made his pro debut in 2015-16 with Chicago of the AHL and tallied 36 points in 71 games for the Wolves.

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Stastny, the older brother of St. Louis center Paul Stastny, last appeared in the NHL way back in 2009-10, seeing action in four games with the Blues. For his career Stastny has scored just 16 points in 91 games. His presence is likely more about giving Paul a chance, albeit a brief one, to suit up on the same squad as his brother than it is about trying to find a diamond in the rough.

Hitchcock appreciates Yan’s intelligence but admits it’s going to be an uphill battle for the elder Stastny brother to make the team given how long he has been out of the league.

“With the way our team is built, the thing that impresses you about him is his smarts. To me there is always room for intelligence, and he’s a very, very intelligent player. The challenge for Yan is having not played in the league for a little while, how is he going to feel about the pace of practices and games.”

Porter appeared in parts of six seasons with the Blues but participated in no more than 47 games or scored more than eight points in any single campaign. He spent this past season with Minnesota, who claimed the forward off of waivers from Philadelphia. The Flyers had inked Porter to a one-year deal last summer.

One advantage Porter has is his familiarity with Hitchcock and new assistant head coach Mike Yeo, having played under both coaches with the Blues and Wild respectively.

“There’s a real trust with Chris’ game and now he’s got familiarity with both coaching staffs, ourselves and also the guys coming in from Minny. So there’s a real comfort level with him.”

Galiardi burst onto the NHL scene as a 21-year-old with Colorado during the 2009-10 campaign. Skating in 70 games with the Avalanche, Galiardi tallied 15 goals and 39 points in his first full season in the league. Since that impressive rookie year, Galiardi has failed to record either double-figures in goals or exceed 17 points in any single campaign.

Of course Galiardi was a teammate and sometimes a linemate of Paul Stastny when both were members of the Avalanche organization. That experience combined with Galiardi’s speed and skill could increase his chances of making the team in a depth role.

“We know his chemistry, playing with Paul (Stastny) in Colorado. He was a really good third-line player in the National Hockey League, and if he comes to camp and plays with an edge, based on his skating ability and his skill, he has a chance to make an impression.”

Nystrom, chosen 10th overall in the 2002 draft by Calgary, never developed much of an offensive game but adds plenty of grit and toughness to the lineup. Hitchcock knows Nystrom well as each has spent the last six seasons toiling in the Central Division, albeit for different clubs.

“Knowing him and having coached against him, every game is going to feel like his first and last, and our feeling is he’s going to want to make a real impression.”

You can never have too much blue line depth and that mantra gives Weber a realistic shot of making the Blues despite the appearance their defense corps has plenty of quality players. Weber, a veteran of 351 NHL games – all but 10 as a member of the Buffalo Sabres – plays a simple game and competes with a bit of an edge. Considering the praise Hitchcock bestowed upon Weber, it would seem as if he has an excellent chance to make the Blues, assuming he turns in a solid performance in camp.

“We really like ’Webs.’ We know him from coaching against him last year. He’s a guy that is really good at killing penalties, he’s really strong in his coverage responsibilities and he’s really dependable from a competitor standpoint. Another honest guy that you want to give a shot too.”

Finally, Vaughan would seem to be a real long shot to make the team and appears to be an organizational depth guy. After finishing up his senor season at the University of Michigan, Vaughan began his pro career with the Wheeling Nailers of the ECHL in 2011-2012. Since his pro debut, Vaughan has gone on to suit up in 70 more ECHL games and 190 in the AHL for the Islanders and Blues organizations.

Vaughan is listed as both a defenseman and a right-wing, suggesting his versatility might be a strong selling point. He’s never been much of an offensive producer in the minor leagues, notching a career-best 20 points in 50 games for South Carolina in the ECHL during the 2012-13 season. Hitchcock seemed to confirm the odds are likely stacked against Vaughan in his quest to make the NHL this year with the Blues.

“Multi-dimensional, competitive as heck, a hockey player that really helped (with the Chicago Wolves) a lot and that didn’t go unnoticed by the team here.”

“It’s up to them,” he said. “This is 100 percent up to each guy individually, it’s not up to the coaches. Guys that have come in have earned jobs. This is all about winning, and if any of these guys look like they can help us win hockey games, then it’s up to us to make space for them.”

It’s difficult to envision there being a regular role available for any of these players to earn even with an outstanding training camp. But every team needs quality depth and St. Louis is well aware that you can find solid contributors via the PTO. The guess here is Weber and Nystrom have the best chances to make the team out of camp. Hitchcock is an old-school coach and values grit and toughness, qualities both players bring to the table.

AHL| Buffalo Sabres| CHL| Coaches| Colorado Avalanche| ECHL| KHL| Minnesota Wild| NHL| New York Islanders| Philadelphia Flyers| Players| St. Louis Blues| Uncategorized| Waivers Chris Porter| David Backes| David Perron| Eric Nystrom| Mike Weber| Paul Stastny

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Blues Invite Chris Porter To Training Camp

September 12, 2016 at 12:20 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

The St. Louis Blues are set to bring in center Chris Porter on a professional tryout deal, reports Michael Russo of the Star Tribune.  Porter spent last season with the Minnesota Wild, playing in a career high 61 games, collecting four goals and three assists in a fourth line role while averaging 9:38 of ice time per game.

Porter is no stranger to St. Louis having spent the majority of his career in their organization.  He has suited up for the Blues in parts of six seasons, picking up 27 points in 173 games.

St. Louis has five forwards participating at the World Cup of Hockey in Vladimir Tarasenko, Dmitrij Jaskin, Jori Lehtera, Patrik Berglund (who was just added today), and Vladimir Sobotka (who is expected to play with the Blues after spending time in the KHL), the latter three being centers.  On the surface, it appears that Porter could just be in camp to fill in for one of those players in the exhibition season.  However, a strong camp could give him a shot at a depth spot on the roster or potentially a two-way contract but he may have to beat out several other forwards attending on invites, including T.J. Galiardi, Eric Nystrom, and Yan Stastny.

[Related: Blues Depth Chart]

With training camps fast approaching, it’s likely going to be a busy week in terms of players getting tryout contracts.  Keep tabs on who goes where with our Invite Tracker.

Newsstand| St. Louis Blues Chris Porter

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