After an impressive debut against the Vancouver Canucks, recent call-up Dalibor Dvorsky has gotten better than last season with the St. Louis Blues. With the preseason and training camp, as well as the short stint in Springfield this season, he looks much more NHL-ready.
In the losing effort against Vancouver, Dvorsky saw 16:36 of ice time, registered two shots on goal, and was an exquisite 69.2% from the face-off dot. In a time when the Blues needed some help in the center of the ice, Dvorsky delivered.
Even when Robert Thomas returns from his injury, it is imperative that Dvorsky remain on the Blues roster. Let's talk about it.
Tightening up the center
Prior to this season, the center position seemed like it was locked down with four solid players. Thomas on the first line, Pius Suter on the second line, Brayden Schenn on the third line, and Nick Bjugstad. Now, it seems like there is a surplus of players who can just interchange between the wing and center.
Adding Dvorsky into the mix can ease up one of the above players to play the wing. If he can continue to put up near 70% victories from the face-off dot, you have to keep him there and move Bjugstad onto his wing.
There is room for him, as long as he continues to perform
As of now, with Thomas out for an uncertain amount of time, the Blues have room for Dvrosky. If he can continue to perform like he did against Vancouver, there is a solid chance of head coach Jim Montgomery making a spot for him somewhere in this lineup.
The former first-round draft pick in 2023 has finally shown shades of solid hockey. Plus, with how dismal things have been around here, a fresh face could do this team some good. Might even put some pressure on some forwards that are underperforming at this point in the season.
Dvorsky is a young, unproven talent. This is probably the biggest opportunity of his career thus far, and he cannot waste it. It is evident that the Blues have high hopes for him, as well as the rest of the blossoming talent in the AHL and Junior Hockey level.
Can Dvorsky take another step forward?