St. Louis Blues: It's Time To Let The Young Guns Play

The St. Louis Blues are relying on some young talent to anchor down the third and fourth lines. Their time on ice has been inconsistent, but it’s time they get regular minutes.

Robert Thomas, Jordan Kyrou, and Sammy Blais all made the opening night roster for the St. Louis Blues out of training camp. Kyrou is the only player who has been playing on some of the top lines but his minutes have been limited to start the year.

The same can be said for Blais and Thomas, however, this is not surprising as they have spent the majority of the time on the fourth line for St. Louis.

It might be time for the young players to get more ice time, all three of these young players have been playing very well in limited time.

Jaden Schwartz‘ injury could pave the way for more ice time for these young players, Blais played with Brayden Schenn a lot during the preseason and could get bumped up to the second line.

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Blais got a taste of the NHL last season after having a great training camp and preseason. He only appeared in 14 games and had an injury-plagued season that inevitably kept him out of the NHL lineup.

This season, Blais impressed yet again at camp. He was one of the preseason’s leading scorers and led the Blues in points.

To start the year, Blais has average 10:21 minutes on the ice on the fourth line and has yet to register a point. His offensive production does not tell the entire story. He, alongside Thomas and Ivan Barbashev, have provided a spark to the Blues bench.

Thomas has recorded the fewest amount of time on the ice, averaging just 8:27 to start the year. He did, however, register his first career point against the Calgary Flames. Thomas’ ability to create space and opportunities for his teammates warrants an increase in ice time.

Kyrou has been awarded the most opportunities to play for the Blues. Averaging only 9:53 minutes per game, but getting the opportunity to play with Schenn and Schwartz. Kyrou was knocked down to the third line for the most recent game against the Flames.

This move seemed to work out in his favor as he was able to record an assist on an Alexander Steen goal. The move also seemed to benefit the rest of the Blues lineup. David Perron was bumped up to play alongside Schenn and Schwartz and subsequently scored three goals.

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These TOI numbers need to be taken with a grain of salt. None of the three young players are seeing time on special teams and the first three games for the Blues have featured a lot of penalties.

The Blues were also trying to come from behind during the first two games of the year and head coach Mike Yeo wisely put his veteran players on the ice to try and even the score.

All three of these players have been impressive early on, we will have to wait and see if the young guns get more playing time and as a result, contribute more on the scoresheet.

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St. Louis Blues: It’s Time To Let The Young Guns Play

By Jason Martin | Oct 12, 2018

The St. Louis Blues are relying on some young talent to anchor down the third and fourth lines. Their time on ice has been inconsistent, but it’s time they get regular minutes.