St. Louis Blues Should Keep Mackenzie MacEachern When Time Comes

The St. Louis Blues have important decisions to make about their roster once all players are healthy. An unexpected name should keep his spot when that time comes.

The St. Louis Blues have slotted plenty of players into their roster due to necessity in 2018-19. Guys like Chris Butler, Jordan Nolan, Jakub Jerabek and Jordan Schmaltz have all gotten playing time mostly due to injuries. They were all sent back to San Antonio when players got healthy.

One player has managed to defy the odds and stick around no matter who went down or who got healthy. Makenzie MacEachern has managed to stay with the Blues for 29 games and 26 straight.

Nobody really expected him to play at all, much less that many games. MacEachern was someone I thought looked very good at rookie camp a couple summers ago, but it never quite materialized with the Blues and he spent all his time in Chicago last season and started in San Antonio this year.

As you want from young players who are given an opportunity, MacEachern has grabbed the proverbial brass ring and not let go. Unfortunately for him, there is still one hurdle to get over.

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When Vladimir Tarasenko returns to the lineup, which could be against Edmonton or might not be until after that, someone will have to come out. As pointed out in the Post-Dispatch, MacEachern and Zach Sanford would seem the most likely candidates.

I would argue that MacEachern deserves to stay. Sanford does have more overall points and more games played, but he has not done anything of note lately.

Sanford has one assist in his last five games. His last goal came February 16. That is a month between points.

Not only has the production dropped off, but his overall play has too. He routinely shoots wide of the net and he is not playing as solid of a defensive game either.

MacEachern is not someone you expect to score at this level. He has three goals and five points in 29 games. He plays a solid fourth line role though.

MacEachern fits very well with his linemates and knows what he is capable of. He does not try to overextend himself, but plays within his role without shrinking away from the NHL game like some rookies can.

MacEachern has been a good physical force too. He has 49 hits through his 29 games, compared to only 41 for Sanford through 51 games. MacEachern has done that in almost four full minutes less playing time too.

He knows he has to keep up that style too.

“You have to dial in and make the most of the opportunity when you can when you’re out there,” MacEachern told Tom Timmermann. “Just kind of approach it differently. You have to be dialed in because every game, every second matters. You can’t give up points right now. Just dial in.”

It is hard to completely compare these two. They play different roles. Sanford has typically been a third line player, sprinkled onto the fourth line on occasion.

MacEachern has been a fourth line guy the entire way and sees almost no special teams ice. So, deciding who stays might boil down to who takes what slot on other lines and the dominoes fall from there.

On pure effort, the Blues can use a guy like MacEachern though. He might not get you a big goal in crunch time, but I think you could use a guy with his determination. Sanford might have more upside, but MacEachern has been steady and a good energy player.