Philip Broberg is back, how should he be utilized?

After missing almost all of November due to a knee injury that he suffered against the Toronto Maple Leafs on November 2, Philip Broberg has returned to the Blues lineup. Now that Broberg, one of St. Louis' top performers in the first month of the season, is back, how should new head coach Jim Montgomery utilize the young defenseman? How should he be deployed in the lineup, what pair should he play on, and how should he factor into the power play?

Defensive Pair Deployment

In the early going, Broberg was off to a hot start both offensively and defensively, while playing alongside Justin Faulk on the second pair. In his first six games as a Blue, he had a six-game point streak and was not on the ice for a goal against. Not too shabby.

Now that he has returned from his knee injury, and the Blues have a new head coach in Jim Montgomery, how should Broberg be deployed in the lineup? While Faulk is out with an upper-body injury, Montgomery has answered that question by playing Broberg alongside Colton Parayko on the top pair in three games so far. Should Broberg continue to log top pair minutes, even after Faulk returns, or should Montgomery return to the formula that had some early-season success?

Virtually all signs point to the former: keep playing Broberg on the top pair. Broberg's skating ability allows him to have an impact on both sides of the puck. On defense, he closes gaps against opposing skaters, disrupting plays and winning the puck (his 7 takeaways are the 3rd most for a Blues defenseman, despite missing 12 games). On offense, his skating ability allows him to create plays where it seems impossible like he did against the Carolina Hurricanes on November 17 to set up Dylan Holloway's first goal as a Blue.

There's another consideration here too: Broberg is shaping up to be one of the Blues' most important players in the long term. If he can continue to establish himself as a legitimate top defenseman, the Blues will try to hold onto the former Oiler. Before making that decision, it's important to know if he has what it takes to be a #1 or #2 defenseman.

Furthermore, playing Broberg alongside Parayko could be lightning in a bottle for a Blues team that has playoff hopes, despite their 13-12-2 record. Both defensemen have shown solid offensive and defensive capabilities that can drive the team from the blue line, which has been missing in St. Louis for some time. Beyond the on-ice results, Broberg's development as an NHL player could also greatly benefit from playing alongside a veteran like Parayko.

Power Play

Another consideration regarding Broberg is how he factors into the power play. So far, he's had somewhat limited time at 5-on-4 (17:07 total TOI) and has only received meaningful looks on the second power-play unit. However, in those limited opportunities, he has 2 assists (2nd most PP assists for a Blues defenseman), and an individual point percentage (IPP) of 100% on the power play, meaning he has a point on every PPG that he has been on the ice for. It isn't much, and the sample size is very limited, but the early results are encouraging - Broberg might have the potential to be a solid quarterback on the first power play unit.

Additionally, Broberg wouldn't exactly be replacing an elite power play quarterback on the first unit. In 63:03 TOI at 5-on-4, Faulk only has 3 assists, while Parayko has 0 in 20:49 TOI. Broberg may not turn out to be an elite PP1 quarterback, but the Blues desperately need answers (15.9 PP%, 28th in the NHL) and Broberg is a promising young player with a high upside. Why not see if there's something there?

Broberg will look to keep his excellent season going on Saturday, December 7th, when the Blues face his former team in Edmonton.