Over the last two games, the St. Louis Blues have beaten division rival Winnipeg Jets and reigning Western Conference champion Vegas Golden Knights. While many players' contributions have helped the Blues find their game again after faltering on the road, nobody has made as big a difference as Philip Broberg.
When the Blues placed offer sheets on Dylan Holloway and Broberg from the Edmonton Oilers, many expected both players to finally find their footing in the NHL. Buried on a deep Oilers roster, neither player got consistent minutes to reach their potential as former first-round draft picks. Fast forward three seasons, and Holloway is now a top-line forward, while Broberg has become a game-breaking defenseman on the cusp of his prime, and the league is finally noticing how good he can be.
Power play machine
Throughout the first handful of games, Blues head coach Jim Montgomery kept Broberg off the power play. With the bevvy of injuries the Blues faced on the back end and a treacherous early-season road schedule, the team didn't want to burn out Broberg, given his already heavy 5-on-5 and penalty-kill responsibilities. However, the Blues made the change by adding Broberg to the power play after a slow start on the man advantage, and it has paid dividends quickly. A power play that started the season 1-for-11, has now scored power play goals in five straight games and ranks among the top ten in the league.
Broberg's addition to the power play, which was the plan all along before Logan Mailloux and Tyler Tucker got injured, is a major reason the team has found success. Because of his speed and puck control, the team no longer has to rely on Robert Thomas to gain momentum and enter the zone on the power play; Broberg can take the blue line on his own, using his powerful strides and puck skills to get the cycle going and get pucks in deep. Once set up, Broberg isn't afraid to shoot on net to generate rebounds or goals for the unit, something the Blues lacked throughout the first five games of the season. He has already totaled two power-play points since joining the unit, and the Blues have scored six power-play goals in their last five games.
Versatility and consistency
Beyond the power play, Broberg has made an impact in every facet of the game this early season for the Blues. He's been paired with several different defensemen and knows his role depending on who he's with. Early in the season, Broberg played alongside rookie Adam Jiricek, a player who wants to jump in on the rush and get involved offensively. So Broberg let the young player find his legs and attack, while he bore responsibility for the neutral and defensive zones and took on the toughest defensive assignments. Since then, Broberg has been paired with waiver-claim sensation Justin Barron, another offensive-minded defenseman who is more defensively sound than rookie Jiricek. This pairing has allowed Broberg to unlock his offensive game by ripping shots on net and attacking hard in the offensive zone. His understanding of when to make a play and when to stay back has been key for the Blues' defensive structure and integrity early this season.
Nobody is calling Broberg the next Quinn Hughes or Cale Makar, but after several seasons of the Blues lacking a true dominant number-one defenseman they can use in all three phases of the game, it looks like Broberg has taken that step from a solid and reliable top-pair defenseman to a game-breaking number-one defenseman the Blues have been waiting for, and at just 25 years old and with five more years left on his deal, the best is still to come for the Blues' next franchise defender.
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