“Older guys take pleasure in”

The St. Louis Blues could have headed home after a match in Chicago a week ago, as the next match on the calendar was only scheduled for Thursday in New York.

However, the team headed straight for the big apple, where the players traded for free for one night in the spirit of a traditional newcomer bridge. The newcomer dinner is an NHL tradition where the team’s newcomers usually offer a long and wet evening out to the other players on the team.

There are six newcomers to the Blues this season, two of whom are Finns: Ville Husso and Niko Mikkola. Husso and Mikkola represented St. Louis last season, but at that time Rookie dinner was missed due to a corona pandemic.

At times, older players might be excited to pile up bigger bills, but today at the rookie party, the go is perhaps a little more moderate.

– Yes, it was still a nice evening, even though there were six of us. I’ve never paid much for a restaurant before. Yes, those older guys take pleasure in such things, Husso laughs at Sport.

There is often some kind of task involved with the newcomer bridge, and so it is now.

– During the day we had to go to buy shoes for the homeless and at dinner each newcomer had to roam some player in turn. I came David Perron and Justin FaulkHusso grins.

Which of the Finns ate better?

– I think they both had pretty good stuff. It must also be said that there is such a good Coloring in Mikkola, even though he is so stiff and hard on the ground.

Husso and St. Louis stumbled in a match following the newcomer bridge against Rangers. For Husso, the loss (3–5) in the actual playing time was only the second in the calendar year 2022.

This says a lot about the condition of the Helsinki guard. The HIFK breeder, who started the season as a clear second guard, has played himself as the team’s number one guard since the beginning of the year.

Stanley Cup winner two years ago Jordan Binnington has clearly been overshadowed by Husson, who rushed to the top of the viscer statistics.

The revolution driven by Husson is not very common in the NHL, where big contracts and status always have their own meaning when it comes to gaming times.

Binnington is the goalkeeper who sensationally led the Blues to a Stanley Cup victory in the summer of 2019, followed by a contract worth $ 36 million a year ago. However, the first guard is Husso, which operates under a contract of 750,000 bucks.

– I’ve got to play a lot and it’s always nice. I have been able to play at a good level once I have been able to continue from one game to another. The struggle for playing time is still fierce and both are known to have a lot of games and enough of them for both. However, there is no hatred for the other, we push each other forward, Husso says.

On the other hand, if the clocks are turned back a little, Husson’s rise to the front row may not be considered a particularly big bang anyway. When Binnington was called in as a goalkeeper for a team that sank to the bottom of the farm in January 2019, Husso was ahead of the Canadian in pecking order at the AHL.

If Husso hadn’t been injured at Christmas 2018, he would probably have received an invitation up, not Binnington.

So at the start of the season, Husso knew he could challenge his fellow officers.

– I had less than a good summer and I knew I was ready when the season started. Yes, I knew I could play here. Now it’s just been about putting more trees in the oven. The intention is to develop more every day. The job is to keep picking up small things. And when the head is okay and straight, it will then show up on the ground as well.

On the ground, determined action and ever-increasing self-confidence have indeed been evident. In 2022, Husson’s position in the entire league is sixth in the GSAA statistics, which measures the number of saved goals in relation to the league average.

Although one of the toughest Finnish surprises of the NHL season is at hand, Husso will not start banging.

– Of course, when you win a lot, your self-confidence grows, but you shouldn’t feel too good now. You need to find the right balance with self-confidence and hunger. Here we are constantly being told not to get too high or sink too low, and I strive for that myself, Husso says.

– And yes, expectations are growing all the time. If I look at my last five games, then I need to be able to improve. There are individual paints left behind. I want to move forward all the time.

The contract, which expires this summer, adds its own spice to Husso’s situation. For the first time, a Finn will become an unrestricted free agent, which means he will be free to choose his employer in the summer – and since St. Louis has committed $ 36 million to Binnington, Husson’s employer for next season is unlikely to be the St. Louis Blues.

Husso, who plays with the minimum wage, is playing a huge pay rise for himself.

From the club’s point of view, the most interesting question is whether it wants to receive some compensation from Huss before the transfer deadline expires on March 21, or whether the Finn will play through the season and let this go free in the summer.

What is certain is that Husson’s resale value has never been so high before. Edmonton, especially tormented by its goalkeepers, has been linked to Husson’s name on several occasions in recent weeks.

– I’ve noticed my name there, but I don’t think about it that way myself. Yes, I know how things work in this league, but I just want to focus on playing one day at a time. This is a business where we players are checkers. There are things I have nothing to say. That’s why I don’t take stress, Husso assures.

– Whatever happens, it doesn’t take me a moment.

On the other hand, it is easier for Husson to approach the transfer trajectory with peace of mind after a great start to the year. Great extracts have been noticed all over the league and there is certainly enough interest. Moving elsewhere could, at best, also mean the opportunity to play more clearly in the role of number one guard.

In St. Louis, Husso is the number one acting through the Binnington contract.

– Surely it seems to relax when you know you played well. It could be a different situation if the games had gone badly. And it has also occurred to me that trading could mean playing first, but it always strives for it and everyone wants to play every game. Let’s see now what happens, no stress is taken, Husso laughs at last.