St. Louis Blues Zach Sanford Must Step Up To Be More Than Role Guy

The St. Louis Blues are starting to pick up a few injuries here and there and that will likely remain to be the case in 2019-20. With that in mind, they need guys like Zach Sanford to step up like they have before.

When the St. Louis Blues decided to return Zach Sanford to the lineup in Game 3 of the 2019 Stanley Cup Final, there were plenty of puzzled reactions. Sanford had not played in almost two months after being benched following Game 3 against Winnipeg in the opening round.

Nevertheless, he repaid the coaching staff with quality play. Sanford had four points in five pressure packed games, including a goal in the clinching Game 7 in front of friends and family from the Boston area.

He was also a hitting machine. After only three hits in three games against Winnipeg – all three came in one game – Sanford had 15 hits in five games against Boston.

The bottom line was he was a valuable member of the team. He was using his size to his advantage and showcasing the offensive ability that enticed the Blues back when he was included in the Kevin Shattenkirk trade.

For whatever reason, we have not seen that same player to start 2019-20. Sanford was given a longer opportunity than many fans would have afforded him, given his lackluster play.

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As of writing this piece, Sanford had played in only four of the team’s nine games. In that time, he registered no points, was a minus-2, had only seven hits and only three shots attempted. Only one of those three shots hit the target. Needless to say, he was just a body on the ice.

This is not one fan’s opinion either. Despite playing most of his time with the second or third line, Sanford was averaging barely over eight minutes on the ice. That is a drop of more than two minutes from his previous career low.

It might be from only four games, but it shows that the coaching staff was not seeing what they needed from him. He can be better and he must be better.

Whether it is just the game of hockey itself or the style the Blues play or a long playoff run catching up, the Blues are picking up injuries. Going into the team’s tenth game of the season, against the Los Angeles Kings, the Blues learned they will be without the services of Sammy Blais.

With that in mind, they need guys like Sanford to step up their game. Mackenzie MacEachern has done it, albeit in a fourth line role. He has gone out there and done the job asked of him, i.e. a physical game and keeping control of the puck. If that is all Sanford does, that would already be an upgrade on what he showed to start the 2019-20 season.

It might be only for a game or two as Blais is listed as day-to-day, but injuries happen throughout the season. Sanford needs to return to that style he showed during the Boston series to prove he can be more than just a fill-in guy.

The Blues clearly have faith in his talents. If not, they were given a lot of reason to give younger guys a look in the NHL instead of Sanford. However, they were going off what they saw against the Bruins and figured that guy could be a big part of their championship defense.

Unfortunately, that is not the Sanford we got at the start. That is not to say he cannot return to that style, but he looked like a body without a soul on the ice in those first four games. The player was out there but the heart did not seem to be in it.

Hopefully he has or will find that soul in his game. The Blues need him.

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St. Louis functions best when all four lines are doing their role. The Blues are the physical embodiment of the old saying you are only as strong as your weakest link.

They need Sanford to be better. The Blues do not win on talent alone, so they rely on their depth more than most teams. If St. Louis is getting banged and bruised this early, Sanford returning to form is more necessary than ever.

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