With one more game to go in the month, let’s check out which players were the St. Louis Blues biggest surprises heading into the Halloween Showdown vs. the Philadelphia Flyers. Overall, the Blues play on the ice may have surprised some of us early, but at 5-5-0, they look as though they’re crash-landing back to reality.
But that doesn’t mean a few of the more pleasant surprises haven’t, starting with Philip Broberg. A couple of weeks back, I wrote up my thoughts about Broberg and how well he’d been playing until then. Often when I write such articles, I anticipate a meltdown (or if I’m critical of someone’s play, they go on a tear), but Broberg has continued to be one of the Blues best players.
He’s brought a bit of a physical edge with 10 hits, and he contributed to 10 blocked shots, both of which are hallmarks for blueliners. But with eight points and two goals in 10 games to go with a plus-5, Broberg has proven to be a two-way player in the early going.
I also can’t say enough about the ‘other’ acquisition from the Edmonton Oilers, Dylan Holloway. Both his and Broberg’s successes could have long-term ramifications for the league. Holloway, who has four goals and five points in those first 10 games plus 25 hits, could just be getting started.
St. Louis Blues have had a pair of excellent surprises, plus…
What about Ryan Suter showing he still has what it takes to be a high-quality player in this league in what is his age-40 season? Suter has just two points, but 16 blocks, a plus-4 rating, and 20:35 of average total ice time are all major pluses for the longtime blueliner, who seems to remain a relevant player.
Now, onto the bad news, and let’s start with none other than Jordan Kyrou, who showed us he’s inconsistent once more. This one’s a surprise, given the hot start he had, only to see it go off the rails rather early. Hey, at least he’s putting shots on goal, right, with 17 in his last five games.
But the most disappointing surprise has to be Brayden Schenn, who has just a 3.7 shooting percentage, four points, one goal, and a minus-5 rating through the Blues first 10 games. Schenn is an older player, but you’d like to see more from who some still consider to be the face of the Blues franchise.
Overall, we’ve seen some good things from the newcomers, even if one of them won’t spend much time in Gateway City. As for the more unpleasant surprises, let’s hope they gain some consistency for the second month of the season, or better yet, tomorrow’s matchup.