The St. Louis Blues have had to make some difficult decisions to reach a Stanley Cup Championship, and one of those was letting Troy Brouwer walk after the 2016 season.
If it wasn’t for Troy Brouwer’s game seven heroics in 2016 against the Chicago Blackhawks in the first round, then the St. Louis Blues may be still trying to overcome their elusive title.
Now, Brouwer is back in the news, signing a player try out with the Florida Panthers in hopes of playing in the NHL for at least one more season. Brouwer had a great stint with the Blues, but unfortunately for him, he hasn’t been the same since he left.
Brouwer was brought in as a 30-year-old veteran with intentions that he would help the St. Louis Blues overcome their deficiencies in the first two rounds of the playoffs. We need to give credit to Doug Armstrong (again) because that’s exactly what he did.
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It often goes understated how big an impact a veteran player makes on a winning team. Brouwer had already won a Stanley Cup with the Blackhawks in 2010, but even a veteran who hasn’t won a Cup can make a difference.
Jay Bouwmeester and his 1100 games played had a significant impact on the Blues roster during the postseason run of 2019, and even though he had never won a Cup prior to this season, his presence was felt.
Before Brouwer signed with the Blues in the summer of 2015, he had spent the previous for seasons with the Washington Capitals. The forward was coming off of back-to-back 20-goal seasons, but the Blues knew they weren’t getting major offensive contributions.
St. Louis got an incredibly consistent player in Brouwer. He played in all 82 games during the 2015-16 season and registered 18 goals and 21 assists.
Despite the otherwise middling offensive stats, Brouwer’s impact was made in his leadership. The former seventh-round pick contributed to the Blues Western Conference Final run of 2016 before the San Jose Sharks eliminated the Blues.
After his brief stint with the St. Louis Blues, Brouwer signed a two-year deal with the Calgary Flames, marking the fourth different franchise he had played for.
His play in Calgary was typical for a declining player in his early 30s. He appeared in 150 games over two years with the Flames, but his offensive numbers took a big hit.
Brouwer tallied only 19 goals and 28 assists during his tenure in Calgary, which was the beginning of the end for the Vancouver native.
Last season was a disappointing year for him. He had signed a one-year deal with Florida in hopes of reigniting his career. Brouwer was still able to find his way into the lineup consistently, playing in 75 games for the Panthers, but netted just 12 goals.
Florida is entering a quick retooling phase, they signed Sergei Bobrovsky in the offseason, and have one of the best players in the league in Aleksander Barkov. The Panthers could be competitive, but they would likely give opportunities to younger players over a 34-year-old.
The Blues have kept a similar roster since Brouwer left in 2016, with the notable exceptions being David Backes, Brouwer, and Paul Stastny. Stastny has gone on to have a good career after leaving St. Louis, but Backes and Brouwer have struggled mightily since their departure.