Perhaps the biggest move of the summer for Doug Armstrong and co. was giving up rookie forward Zach Bolduc for RHD Logan Mailloux. The trade excited some fans and upset others, as Bolduc looked to be a key young piece to build around for the future when Armstrong decided to pull the plug and give up talent to get it.
The loss of Bolduc does leave a decent-sized hole to fill on the third line, so who could step up and fill in his skates? Signs are pointing towards another promising young rookie.
Playing time for Dalibor Dvorsky
The Bolduc move makes more sense when you put it in the context of the rest of the team. The Blues currently have 9 players to fill out the bottom-6 of the roster, and with Bolduc, that number would only be more limiting.
Bolduc was an impressive rookie talent but probably not a future superstar, and the Blues have other young pieces they are looking to give some playing time, namely Dalibor Dvorsky.
Unlike Bolduc, Dvorsky has the prospect pedigree that could lead to him becoming a star or superstar level player. We are a long ways off from that, but Dvorsky brings a lot more to the table.
Dvorsky's strengths are vast and varied. He has an excellent finishing ability and a terrific shot, and one of the best hockey IQs of any young player the Blues have had in a long time. His passing ability and intelligence look to rival that of Robert Thomas, as shown by his impressive display in his two NHL games.
Dvorsky fits in with the young timeline of this team very well and should be shooting up through the rankings and playing at the NHL level this season. However, were Bolduc still in the picture, that playing time was not guaranteed.
Dvorsky's spot is now open with Bolduc gone, meaning the young skater has earned the runway to take off for the Blues this season. This context makes the Mailloux trade easier to stomach, as Dvorsky is such a young and exciting prospect.
What does Dalibor Dvorsky bring to the table?
Dvorsky's single best tool is probably his IQ. As mentioned before, his hockey sense and vision for playmaking looked eerily reminiscent of a young Robert Thomas, the current superstar of the St. Louis Blues. Dvorsky should be an impact passer on day one of his NHL callup, and watch for those assist numbers to skyrocket.
Dalibor also has a terrific shot. His quick release on his wrister is lethal in medium-danger areas, meaning he can score in more than one way. He should have enough physicality to score in tight in some high-danger spots, but that medium-danger ice is going to be his bread and butter.
Dvorsky can pass and can shoot like any of them, so what's the downside? The only negative drawback of Dvorsky is that his skating ability has a ways to go. He isn't the most fluid skater, and his top speed is quite poor, so the floor for Dvorsky's potential isn't terrifically high. However, I am confident based on what he already showed at the NHL level that they are not bad enough to hold him back, as we saw him make a positive impact in even his first-ever NHL game.
Furthermore, these strengths and weaknesses are comparable to Zach Bolduc's own. Bolduc was not a very good skater (and still turned out to be a fine player), and had a wicked shot and some playmaking sense. I think Dvorsky has him beat in the latter category, and it's more of a push in the former, meaning Dvorsky should fit into the skates left by Bolduc quite nicely and fill the void with equal talent yet more upside.