The St. Louis Blues have been active so far this offseason. They added depth down the middle by adding Pius Suter and Nick Bjugstad. They also traded winger Zachary Bolduc to the Canadiens for prospect Logan Mailloux to strengthen their defence. These moves now beg the question: Where will top prospect Dalibor Dvorsky start next season?
The Slovakian prospect usually plays centre, but with the additions of Suter and Bjugstad, there likely will not be space for him to play down the middle next season. If Dvorsky wants to make the Blues next season, it will have to be on the wing, which would make the adjustment to the NHL a little easier, giving him less responsibility right off the bat. With Bolduc now gone, the Blues' other top prospect, Jimmy Snuggerud, is all but certain to be in the starting lineup when the season kicks off, especially considering Snuggerud stayed in the lineup for the Blues in the playoffs.
That means Dvorsky will have to earn his roster spot during training camp. Jordan Kyrou and Snuggerud will likely start the season on the top two lines, but there is an opportunity for Dvorsky to earn a roster spot in the bottom-six, specifically on the third line. Sundqvist's style of play is more suitable for the fourth line than Dvorsky, meaning if he wants to make the opening day lineup, he will have to beat out Mathieu Joseph for that position on the third line.
Joseph's play last season would not guarantee him a spot on the roster. He finished the season with four goals and 14 points in 60 games. Near the end of the season, Joseph saw his playing time decline as the Blues elected to see what their young player had to offer. In the playoffs, Joseph only appeared in three of the seven games. If the Blues are trying to get more offensive production out of their third line, Dvorsky might be the obvious choice to do so.
Dvorsky had an outstanding season with the Blues' AHL affiliate, Springfield Thunderbirds. As a rookie, he finished the year tied for third on the team in points (45) and tied for second in goals (21), playing 61 games. His performance earned him a selection to the All-Star game and a place on the AHL's 2024–25 Top Prospects Team, which earned him a late-season call-up to the Blues. He played in two games, and even though he did not record a point, he looked ready to make the jump to the NHL.
Dvorsky 👀 #STLBlues pic.twitter.com/4Nb9qF543d
— Mike Meyer (@M_Meyer3) February 14, 2025
Dvorsky's spot on next year's roster is not guaranteed, and he will likely need a strong showing in training camp if he wants to be in the lineup on the opening day of the season. I would give him the edge over Joseph right now, but he has to go and prove it. Even if we do not see him start the season with the Blues, I believe we will see Dvorsky in the NHL at some point next season. Dvorsky can be a gamebreaker with his playmaking and goal-scoring ability. Whether it is on opening night or later in the season, we will definitely see Dvorsky in a Blues sweater next season.