St. Louis Blues: Three Toronto Maple Leafs Free Agents To Consider
By Todd Panula
Zach Bogosian
The inclusion of Zach Bogosian might also seem a bit strange. The defender is not a youngster, checking in at 30.
This one boils down to price and style. Basically, he’s not going to cost a lot and fills a role the Blues might need and a hole they might have.
St. Louis has plenty of talented defenders on the roster and in the pipeline. The problem is many are undersized and offensive minded.
Nikko Mikkola has some size and a little grit, but he’s still an unknown quantity. You don’t want to thwart his growth, but 2021 proved you need depth and you need guys you know you can count on.
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Bogosian could be just that. He’s defensive minded and has won before.
Nobody is going to say that Bogosian was a key component of the Tampa Bay Lightning winning the 2020 Stanley Cup, but he was on the team and contributed. He averaged just under 18 minutes in 20 games played for the Bolts.
Bogosian also fits Berube’s style a little better. He’s a big body, checking in at 6’3 and 221 lbs.
The 2021 Blues lacked someone that would clear out the front of the net and make players pay for trying to screen their goaltender. That could be his role with this team.
Bogosian isn’t a fantastic puck mover, but the Blues have plenty of those to make up for it. He will turn the puck over on occasion, but he’s also good for close to 100 blocks and hits when healthy.