I went rather scoring-heavy with high-scoring potential players on the first two lines when I started these projections a few days back. On Thursday, I had some fun and went bold with who could primarily make up the third line, and that led to some interesting selections for the fourth line.
Also, if you’re wondering where Oskar Sundqvist is, you will find him in this piece as more of a wild card than anything else. Since we know little about his condition at this point and when he’ll be cleared to play, you can consider an ‘NP’ or ‘No Projection’ for him at the moment.
Alexey Toropchenko
Already a decent depth scorer with 14 goals last season, Alexey Toropchenko also gave the Blues 165 body checks the previous year, good for nearly two per game. A durable player, he also appeared in all 82 contests, and Toropchenko’s on-ice save percentage at even strength was a ridiculous 94.2 percent.
I describe him as “a bruiser who can score and catch opponents off-guard.” So, overall, Toropchenko makes for a physical, deceptive player on the fourth line.
Radek Faksa
Radek Faksa makes for the perfect fourth-line asset and was one of the better acquisitions this offseason. Or at least until Doug Armstrong managed to bring Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway into the system.
Anyway, Faksa will win a lot of faceoffs in the defensive zone, and that’s a plus for a center who should find himself on the fourth line. He can also be a bruiser, and the Blues need a few of them, so let’s hope he averages close to two body checks per game like he did during the 2020-21 season.
Mathieu Joseph
A physical player who also knows how to put up some points - 35 in 72 games and 11 goals to show for it isn’t bad. Joseph also recorded 16:28 of average total ice time last season, adding some insurance in case injuries hit the Blues, and he needed to step up and provide it.
Joseph is someone who struggled to find consistency when trying for goals over the last two seasons, recording single-digit shooting percentages in 2022-23 and 2023-24. But if he changes that and finds some consistency there, he will add some depth scoring.
Alexandre Texier
There’s a chance Alexandre Texier fits the Blues third line, but after going bold with my projections there, he dropped to the fourth line/extra role. That said, he’s another one I wouldn’t be surprised to see snag some third-line minutes should Dalibor Dvorsky and Zack Bolduc, two players I projected onto the third, start the season in the lower leagues.
Oskar Sundqvist
Until we know exactly what’s going on with Oskar Sundqvist, he’ll be our wild card, but if I were building a lineup with him cleared to play, he’d probably be the third-line center. Sundqvist, although not much of a scorer, nonetheless brings value as one of those glue players and he’s a seasoned veteran on a team getting younger, so we’ll be glad to have him back.