Only one player can be the St. Louis Blues MVP through Month 1 of the season

In the 2024 offseason, the St. Louis Blues needed someone to have star player potential at the blue line. While they accomplished that feat in the 2024 NHL Draft, it would be a while before any newly-acquired defenseman would be ready for the rigors of the NHL. 

So, general manager Doug Armstrong took one from the Edmonton Oilers, and since then, Philip Broberg has been arguably the Blues best player through Month 1 of the 2024-25 season. Unfortunately, Broberg is currently on injured reserve and won’t be back until the first of December at the earliest, but that doesn’t mean we should disqualify him from any MVP award, especially following what was a remarkable October. 

Just how good was Broberg this past month? Two goals and nine points in 12 games tells us that he can score and provide assists like a forward, but he’s stealing pucks at least half the time, blocking shots, and even landing body checks. So far, he’s been not just the Blues best, but also their most complete defenseman, so let’s hope Broberg continues that trend once he eventually makes his way back onto the ice.

Philip Broberg has been the St. Louis Blues MVP through Month 1

You may think basic stats were Philip Broberg’s strong suit, but you’d be mistaken. While he could use a bump in the Corsi For, which sat at just 47.1 before his injury, Broberg’s on-ice shooting percentage at even strength stood at a solid 10.2 percent, and his on-ice save percentage was a ridiculous 97.2 percent. 

When he went down with an injury, Broberg’s overall plus-minus sat at plus-6, which is remarkable, considering his expected plus-minus was a mere minus-0.2. So, while his advanced numbers mainly looked good, even those that didn’t, like the expected plus-minus, also gave us a little fools gold. 

It was hard not to be impressed with Broberg, even if the burning question is currently how long will it take for him to get back up to speed after he returns. But before the season began, or the preseason, to be frank, I asked myself how long it would take him to get up to speed with the Blues, and it seemingly took no time. 

Therefore, if you want my prediction, Philip Broberg will be just fine once he’s cleared to return. And he’ll keep giving Blues fans hope that, with the younger wave of players coming in, better days are ahead.