Last year, the St. Louis Blues brought in two players from the Edmonton Oilers. There was Dylan Holloway, who's a surefire top-six player following a breakout 2024-25 season. The other was Philip Broberg, who played well enough to warrant strong consideration for more ice time in 2025-26.
Broberg never had a chance to shine in Edmonton, and he looked like a victim of circumstance: A young player with a deep team who couldn't warrant much ice time as a result. So, when Blues general manager Doug Armstrong pried him from Edmonton, Broberg didn't break out, but he took a massive step forward.
His points production was modest, with just 29 of them to go with eight goals, but he snagged 20:30 of average total ice time, and his 103 blocks showed us he's got a knack for skating into shooting lanes. Should he enjoy a repeat performace, hopefully staying healthy all season, look for Broberg to cut into veterans' ice time.
Philip Broberg doesn't need a breakout season to impress with the St. Louis Blues
Solid, bordering on spectacular play is all Philip Broberg needs if he's gonna cut into either Colton Parayko's, Justin Faulk's, or Cam Fowler's ice time. While all three of them are great players, it's still tough to see them factoring too much into the Blues long-term plans.
If the Blues stumble outta the gate, then Broberg may see more ice time regardless of how he performs because Armstrong may orchestrate a fire sale. So, unless the Blues look like a lethal team this season and Broberg's play doesn't improve, look for something between 21:30 and 22:30 per game this season, especially if his playmaking ability sails north.
Also, if his points production stagnates, but he's making the same impact in three zones that he made last year, he's more than stating his case for more time. His advanced stats drive this point home, when he ended the year with a 93.7 on-ice save percentage at even strength, a 10.5 on-ice shooting percentage, and, overall, a plus-21 rating.
Broberg's impact for the St. Louis Blues goes beyond the basic numbers
Those numbers impressed me more than anything else, and it shows us that Broberg can contribute in sequences even when he's not responsible for a primary or secondary helper, or finding the net himself.
Will he end up with first-pairing minutes, somethng between 23:30 and 24-plus per game? The more of an impact he makes, the more head coach Jim Montgomery should test him, especially with more youngsters like Logan Mailloux coming into the lineup.
At that point, we'll see Broberg leading a young crop of blueliners to bring in the next generation of Blues hockey. And, as you may've guessed, I'm ultra excited to see what he'll bring.