After a lackluster season, the Blues are ready to retool the roster and bring in more youth. They need to bring in more young players in hopes that they will develop into their next core and make the team competitive again. But one of the most important things a young core needs is someone to build around. The person who takes on the role as the face of the franchise and is the main piece the team builds around.
Currently, the Blues have two players who can fit this role, Jimmy Snuggerud and Dalior Dvrosky. Both of these players have shown a ton of promise and should become staples of the Blues' top six. Either one of these two can fill the role of the franchise player and lead the Blues into contention. However, of the two, Jimmy Snuggerud is the better option for this role. But what gives Snuggerud the edge over Dvrosky?
Why Jimmy Snuggerud is going to be the next face of the franchise
Snuggerud made an immediate impact in his first full season in the NHL. In 70 games with the Blues, he racked up 21 goals and 30 assists for 51 points. He also had solid metrics. According to Natural Stat Trick, he had a 47.60 CF%, a 50.38 SCF%, and a 49.14 xG%. While these are not the greatest numbers for his first full season in the NHL, they are not bad. It was enough to get him consistent playing time in the top six. A big accomplishment for a young player.
On the other hand, Dvrosky was not able to have the same level of success. In 71 games, he registered 12 goals and nine assists for 21 points. His advanced metrics were not much better. According to Natural Stat Trick, he had a 47.04 CF%, a 46.16 SCF%, and a 44.41 xG%. Now Dvorsky was on the bottom six for most of the season, which definitely hurt. But he was unable to do much with the ice time he did get.
While Dvrosky could eventually become a top-six forward, Snuggerud is already there. It makes much more sense to build around a player who has already proven himself. While Dvrosky could become a better player, it was always expected that he needed a couple of years to adjust to the NHL. Waiting for him to turn into that player is a huge gamble. It could hold the franchise back for years. There is also the possibility that Dvrosky never becomes that player, and the Blues have to start over again.
Making Snuggerud the key piece of the Blues' rebuild puts them closer to competing. They already know they can rely on him to be a top-line forward. There is also every expectation that Snuggerud will improve, becoming more of a 60-70-point player. That is the type of production that teams need from their franchise guy. If the Blues are able to add a few quality players this offseason, they should see a big improvement next season.
Both Snuggerud and Dvrosky should be important players for the Blues for years to come. However, if the Blues want to compete as soon as possible, they have to build the roster around Snuggerud.
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