At the end of training camp, the St. Louis Blues took a risk by sending down some key depth players to AHL Springfield. Thankfully, they dodged a huge bullet, and all of the players cleared.
St. Louis will enter the season with a great amount of forward depth and capable NHL defensemen in the minor leagues. The Blues will also have a goalie with NHL experience in Malcolm Subban, to backup Joel Hofer and Jordan Binnington this season.
Though the logjam at the NHL level appears challenging to break into if you are an AHL forward like Nathan Walker or Mackenzie MacEachern, there are injury-susceptible forwards in the NHL, and we will likely see a variety of different players who are in Springfield eventually contribute to the St. Louis Blues.
If, defensively, the Blues struggle like they did last season, then we are going to get a revolving door of AHL talent like Calle Rosen coming in and out of the Blues’ roster in 2023-24.
While not every player who was sent down late in the preseason will make consistent contributions to the team in 2023-24, three individuals in particular will be helping the Blues in a significant way this season.