3 players who may find full-time roles with the St. Louis Blues next season

Zach Dean will get his trial with the Blues

Zach Dean should excite a fan base looking for its next playmaker, and the former first-round pick in 2021 has the potential. To say he crushed it during his final season in the QMJHL is an understatement, as Dean was one of the best players on the ice for the Gatineau Olympiques with 70 points in 50 games. 

His playoff performance saw an additional 26 points in 13 contests, and the Blues didn’t need to wait long before he made his mark with the Springfield Thunderbirds. Dean’s numbers, 13 points in 47 contests, aren’t what you would call remarkable, but his recent surge is what put him on the map. 

Nine of those points came in his previous 13 games with Springfield, a monumental improvement from the four he logged in his first 34. However, injuries could have been responsible for his lack of production early, showing that a healthy version of Dean can be arguably the best player on the ice at the AHL level. 

If he parlays his recent production to even something remotely close with the big club, Dean will set the stage to get an extended look in camp next season. In the event he’s reassigned to Springfield, it won’t be long until we see him back with the Blues.