One of the few positives for the Blues this season has been the play of Phillip Broberg. His first season in St. Louis has proven that the Blues were right to extend an offer sheet to him this past offseason. In 46 games this season, he has tallied two goals and 13 assists for 15 points and has played great shutdown defense. He's also proven he's more than capable of being one of the defensemen in the top pairing. This strong play is what earned him a six-year extension.
However, it looks like the Blues will be without their star young defenseman, who left Saturday's game against the Golden Knights with a concussion. Broberg is expected to miss Tuesday's game against the Hurricanes, and it's unknown when he will return. While it's unfortunate Broberg will miss time, it gives an opportunity for Logan Mallioux to prove he has a place on the Blues long term.
It's time for Logan Mailloux to show he can be a part of the Blues future
Similar to Broberg, Mailloux was a player the Blues took a risk on acquiring during the offseason. They traded Zac Bolduc to the Canadiens in exchange for Mailloux. This move was seen as a bit risky at the time. While the Blues had many young forwards, Bolduc was a proven NHL player. He had spent two seasons in the NHL and put up decent numbers. Mailloux had played only eight NHL games, and many were unsure whether he was ready to make an impact at the NHL level.
So far this season, Mailloux has left a lot to be desired. In 31 games, he has recorded a goal and an assist. With Mailloux praised for his offensive ability, the fact that he has only two points raises some red flags. To make matters worse, his advanced metrics do not look much better. According to Natural Stat Trick, he has a 48.53 CF%, 49.86 SCF%, and a 44.76 xG%. These numbers indicate that Mailloux is struggling to generate offense and allows more chances than he creates.
Part of the reason people point to for Mailloux's underperformance is his lack of ice time. He has been on the bottom pairing for most of the season and has averaged 13:37 of ice time a night. That's not enough time for a player to adjust to the speed of the NHL. But with Broberg out of the lineup, this is a chance to move him up in the lineup. Giving him more ice time and the chance to play with a more established NHL defenseman will be great for his development.
If Mailloux is able to make the most out of this opportunity, it could make the Blues more willing to move some of their veteran defenseman. There are already calls for the Blues to be sellers at the deadline, but it's unknown if they will be willing to pull the trigger. Having Mailloux play up to potential and prove he can be a contributor at the NHL level will help lessen the blow of trading one of their established veterans.
This upcoming stretch will not make or break Mailloux's career, as he's still only 22. However, if he can impress over the next few games, it will do a lot to shape how the team uses him for the rest of the season.