St. Louis Blues forward Sammy Blais has become one of the all-time great preseason players in franchise history, and he is playing himself into a new role.
With the regular season just nine days away, the importance of training camp becomes even more critical for Sammy Blais and the rest of the St. Louis Blues roster. Players have been sent down, and the remaining players are battling for a spot on the team.
Blais once again impressed the St. Louis Blues after his performance in the team’s fourth preseason game against the Columbus Blue Jackets when he netted a slick goal to put the team up 5-3.
His offensive abilities are not the only thing that has impressed St. Louis since camp opened up. Blais has yet again shown that he has no problem throwing his body around and establishing a physical presence on the ice.
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Blais showing in the preseason is not a new phenomenon. In the past two offseasons, Blais has been on the outside looking in for a spot on the roster. Each time, he has found a way to play well enough to garner a spot on the Blues’ team.
This preseason is a little different, but he has entered camp with the same mentality, and it has shown. Blais will make the team, it’s just a matter of where he fits into the Blues’ opening-night lineup.
Entering the offseason, I had Blais pegged to play on the third line playing with Tyler Bozak and possibly Jordan Kyrou or even Klim Kostin. However, the way he has played in the preseason so far, he might earn a spot on the second line.
At the end of the season, Blais was on the third line with Bozak and Pat Maroon, leaving the Blues with a second line of David Perron, Ryan O’Reilly, and Zach Sanford.
Sanford has had a lackluster camp by some reports close to the Blues, and the result of this play, there is a nice juicy spot open in the Blues top-6, and Blais has smelled the opportunity and is taking full advantage.
If Blais ends up on the second line, I won’t fight it, though I will have some hesitations. Whether it is Sanford or Blais, the player who ends up on the second line will not have an incredibly offensive element to his game.
If I had my pick of the crop, I would want Thomas to handle the second line with O’Reilly and Perron, but seeing as though this isn’t an option, the combination of strength and occasional skill makes Blais a promising candidate.
Blais had two regular-season goals and one postseason goal last year for St. Louis, and his upside may only be a 10-goal season, so I’ll temper my expectations for the season, but he is off to a very good start.