3 Players in the Minors Who Could Help St. Louis Blues This Season
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.
1. Calle Rosen
Rosen was one of the few bright spots on the Blues defensive group last season. When Rosen was sent down, he had to pass through waivers before joining his team in Springfield.
After netting 18 points in 49 games last season in the NHL for St. Louis, there was a real chance that a team would have claimed the 29-year-old defenseman, and the Blues would have lost a key depth piece.
The contract situation of Scott Perunovich and the rising play from Tyler Tucker made it difficult for Rosen to crack the opening night roster. While he didn’t blow anyone away with his play in the preseason, he will still remain on the Blues’ radar this year.
Rosen is in the second year of a two-year $1.25 million contract he signed last June to remain with the team and will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2023-24 season. He will join Marco Scandella and Robert Bortuzzo as the only defensemen on expiring deals.
If the Blues resign Rosen at the end of the season or at some point during the year, it is likely because Rosen has turned an unexpected corner in his career and is now a reliable defender with some offensive upside.
While we saw glimpses of this last season, it’s difficult to see Rosen on the Blues roster after this year. He will play a key part in St. Louis’ plans this season but don’t expect him to see regular time in the Blues’ top pairings.
2. Malcolm Subban
Subban was one of many minor-league caliber signings, joining MacEachern, Adam Gaudette, and others who are destined to play the majority of the season in the minor leagues.
Subban’s role on the Blues’ roster is set in stone. He had a great preseason for St. Louis, but Hofer has earned the right to be the backup goalie after excelling in every area of his young professional career.
The only way we see Subban this season is if either Binnington or Hofer go down with an injury. If St. Louis is in a playoff position late in the year and Hofer is struggling in net, then there would be a case to be made to see Subban up in the NHL.
However, the Blues would likely ride the wave of Binnington during any poor stretches from Hofer this season, leaving Subban on the outside looking in.
Subban’s great preseason will give him the opportunity to step in when needed. He has 86 career NHL games under his belt and has recorded a 36-33-9 record with a .898 save percentage while allowing 3.10 goals per game.
3. Mackenzie MacEachern
MacEachern saw a good amount of playing time during the preseason for the Blues this year. St. Louis brought him back on a two-year contract this offseason which turned out to be the longest deal that the Blues handed out this summer.
The additions of Oskar Sundqvist and Kevin Hayes complicate MacEachern’s involvement on the Blues’ opening-night roster, which led to his placement on waivers and his inevitable arrival in the American Hockey League.
Not only did the offseason additions not help MacEachern’s role on the opening roster for St. Louis, but he got outplayed in training camp by Nikita Alexandrov. Alexandrov had a much more productive season for St. Louis last year than MacEachern did for the Carolina Hurricanes, and he has been given the depth forward role at the NHL level.
Next. Checking In on St. Louis Blues First Round Pick Dalibor Dvorsky. dark
Zachary Bolduc could have also factored into the equation here. However, the Blues would rather give him some consistent playing time in one of the Blues top forward groups. Unlike Jake Neighbours, who has a great physical element to his game, Bolduc is one of the most skilled forwards in the system.
St. Louis is prepared for whatever injuries or poor performances may happen this season. The front office deserves credit for creating some insurance policies for different areas on the ice.