The St. Louis Blues forward group sure is taking a beating. Jordan Kyrou, Jimmy Snuggerud, and Nathan Walker are all on injured reserve, and now Dylan Holloway has joined them and will be out for at least six weeks. That's four forwards, all of them wingers, that the Blues are missing from the lineup. At this point, they just need warm bodies to put on the ice.
Well, they picked someone up off waivers: Jonatan Berggren, who was waived by the Detroit Red Wings, is now a St. Louis Blue.
The Blues have claimed Jonatan Berggren off waivers from Detroit. #stlblues
— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) December 16, 2025
Berggren isn't the most exciting player, but he has had some success at the NHL level. In his rookie campaign in 2022-23, Berggren put up 15 goals, 13 assists, and 28 points in 67 games, but hasn't matched any of those totals since. He played 15 games with the Red Wings this season, registering two goals, four assists, and six points, before being waived.
Drafted in the second round in 2018, Berggren is a smallish winger who stands at 5-foot-11 and 195 pounds. Given the position the Blues are in, they just need capable NHL players, and Berggren can be a passable third-line winger while the rest of the team recovers from their injuries. At 25 years old, however, he doesn't have much developmental runway left, and hasn't driven play like a top-nine forward should: in his career at 5-on-5, per Natural Stat Trick, Berggren has a 43.77 expected-Goals For percentage and a 49.52 Corsi-For percentage. He's not physical enough for a fourth-line role, either, so he'll have to produce to stick in the lineup.
With an expiring contract worth $1.825 million against the cap, this is a fine reclamation project for the Blues to take on. Considering how many players are injured, Berggren should get ample opportunity to prove he has untapped scoring potential and upside, and a change of scenery could motivate him to reach his potential.