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Jim Montgomery may need to start divying up the defensive ice-time a bit more, else a burnout could ensue

ByJustin Bonhard
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Nov 12, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Mammoth left wing Lawson Crouse (67) passes the puck against St. Louis Blues defenseman Philip Broberg (6) during the second period at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Baker-Imagn Images
Nov 12, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Mammoth left wing Lawson Crouse (67) passes the puck against St. Louis Blues defenseman Philip Broberg (6) during the second period at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Baker-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The St. Louis Blues were able to take care of Utah in a rare 1-0 shootout, going to the eighth round before Connor McMichael took it home. This was a hard-fought win against a solid Mammoth team and one of the nicer uniforms of the Hometown Remix catalog.

In this game, there was one thing that really stood out. The defensive unit was heavy-handed. Of the six players, only one achieved over 20 minutes of ice time, and that was including the extra five minutes of overtime.

That one defenseman was Philip Broberg, who was called upon for a staggering 29:48 of ice time in this game. That simply cannot be the answer that head coach Jim Montgomery has for this group.

Even if No. 6 nearly won this thing in OT.

This is a big deal for two reasons. One, Broberg is the team's top guy back there, and his burning out or injury is undeniably the worst-case scenario for this team. Second, the rest of the pack is not getting a chance to make a difference in the game, prospect, or veteran.

Broberg may soon be overworked

Now, it is important to note that all NHL teams do this. Quinn Hughes gets a ton of minutes in Minnesota, as does Evan Bouchard in Edmonton, and Matthew Schaefer out on Long Island.

The main difference in Broberg getting those minutes is that there is no backup plan. The Blues' defensive unit has done well to make it a cohesive piece of this team's game plan, but if one king is check-mated, then it is curtains for their chances at victory.

Broberg has to be an everygame player, but cannot be a player that approaches 27 minutes a night.

Staggered development

Adam Jiricek has been pushed to the sidelines since Logan Maillouc returned, as the Blues decided that Justin Barron was the better right-handed left-side defenseman. That is accurate, but what happens with Jiricek's development now? Barron has played very well, but he is also not really getting a chance to make much of an impact, either, due to Broberg eating all of it up.

Montgomery has to be more vigilant in divvying up the ice time, as this unit has to learn to grow together, not apart. Broberg has to remain the top guy, but getting him down to 23 minutes is more ideal. Else he could burn out, and there is not much of a choice for the Blues after that than to completely shift around their defensive lineup.

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