The St. Louis Blues are coming off an impressive victory against the Vegas Golden Knights in the second game of their five-game homestand. Throughout the homestand, the Blues have made several roster adjustments in an attempt to generate more speed, improve their defensive awareness, and create havoc in the offensive zone. Two players who have caught the attention of the Blues’ coaching staff and front office are Otto Stenberg and Aleksanteri Kaskimaki.
The inevitable call-up
Both Kaskimaki and Stenberg had strong training camps, and their success wasn’t necessarily built around flashy plays, but rather their ability to play their respective games. They’ve limited turnovers, made the simple plays, remained diligent on defensive reloads, and shown the versatility to contribute on special teams when their names are called upon.
Their impact against the Winnipeg Jets was good, but not necessarily great. However, they were getting to their spots on the ice and keeping the game simple. Whether it was getting the puck in deep, displaying good puck control, or being strong and aggressive on the forecheck to create turnovers, both players were noticeable. But their performances against the Jets didn’t compare to the step forward they took together against the Golden Knights.
Against the Jets, Stenberg recorded 9:08 of ice time, registering one hit and one shot on goal while also remaining even on the plus-minus scale. As for Kaskimaki, he played 11:57 and recorded one hit. Nothing overly impressive statistically, but both players earned opportunities on the Blues’ penalty kill, demonstrating the trust that head coach Jim Montgomery has placed in the young forwards.
Following their performances against Winnipeg, both players elevated their games against the Golden Knights. Stenberg earned nearly two and a half additional minutes of ice time, finishing with 11:36 while recording an assist, one blocked shot, and a hit. As for Kaskimaki, he also made his presence felt in an elevated statistical performance with an assist, four shots on goal, a hit, while getting increased minutes on the ice.
Upon the return of fan-favorite, Alexey Toropchenko, the one thing that has become increasingly clear is that not only is separating the fourth line of Pius Suter, Kaskiamki and Stenberg a mistake, but sending them back down to the AHL affiliate would be a disservice to their development given the fact that they’ve showed that they deserve a spot with the Blues.
This fourth line has been a revolving door all season long, but it might have just stopped spinning with this combo.
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