The St. Louis Blues have a pretty solid grasp on what the opening night roster will look like. The first line of Jimmy Snuggerud, Dylan Holloway, and Robert Thomas is set, but the rest of the nine forwards are going to be mixed up a little bit.Â
Looking at the center spot of that second line, there is going to be a knockout, drag-out fight for it between four players. Pius Suter, Dalibor Dvorsky, Mason McTavish, and Connor McMichael are each going to put out their best effort in training camp to take the 2C.Â
The youngest of the group, Dvorsky has a chance to upstage the rest of the established NHL veterans. Here is why and how he can do so, and it will be very beneficial for head coach Jim Montgomery to do so.Â
The team is relying on the youth
The core of the Blues has now become a group of players under the age of 25. McTavish, Dvorsky, and McMichael each fit that bill, while Suter is older at 30. Dvorsky is also the only one of the three to be drafted by the Blues themselves.Â
General Manager Alexander Steen could look at the center-battle in two ways. The best available player, and then flipping the other two to be the wingers on that second line. Or, pushing one down to man the third line, with Jack Finley remaining the fourth-line center. Suter's placement on this team is a serious question mark for 2026-27.
Dvorsky showed a promising showing last season, particularly on the power play. If he can translate that to a more complete 5-on-5 game, there is a very good chance that the Blues brass will go with him over the newcomers. His performance in the Olympics was a resounding positive, but it did not really translate to the Blues' season.
With both McTavish and McMichael making a lot more money than Dvorsky does, that is another thing to look out for in this situation. The Blues are not going to sit a player that makes north of $7 million AAV on the third line, which would be McTavish. McMichael is still undergoing Arbitration, but his new deal could be over $4 million AAV.Â
At least at the start of the season, Dvrosky should get some time in that second-line center role, with McTavish and McMichael on his left and right. This would mean that Pavel Buchnevich would slide down to the third line, which might be the best choice for him considering his downward spiral in recent years.Â
Dvosrky is going to have to earn his spot in the top six, but it is doable. Watch out for No. 54 next season to make an impact.Â
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