The St. Louis Blues have an interesting question to ponder this season: What can the organization expect from Jimmy Snuggerud?
The wishful answer to that question is that Snuggerud can top his rookie totals of 20 goals and 50 points. Doing so would give the Blues a true top-six forward they can count on moving forward.
The not-so-wishful answer would be that Snuggerud fails to live up to this past season’s numbers. If that’s the case, there will be massive questions surrounding what the Blues actually have in Snuggerud.
So, what’s it going to be?
Well, it has to be the former, especially if the Blues want to be a playoff team. The organization was confident in trading Jordan Kyrou because of Snuggerud’s promise. If Snuggerud fails to live up to the hype, it might just be that the Kyrou trade will look awful.
But there’s one other major issue to consider: Snuggerud is entering the final year of his entry-level contract.
Therein lies the dilemma.
Blues need to be sure about Snuggerud’s value
Let’s assume that Snuggerud has a banger year. He scores 20+ goals and tops 50 points again. At that point, determining his next contract wouldn’t be so difficult. The organization could figure on paying him in the $6 million AAV range on a short-term deal and wait for the cap to keep rising.
But if Snuggerud fails to top his rookie totals, deciding his next contract could be quite complex. At that juncture, would Snuggerud be worth $5 million or $6 million AAV? Or would he be closer to a $2 million bridge deal?
The easiest path would be for Snuggerud to make fans forget about Kyrou and take over the top-line right wing slot. Sure, such a situation would force the Blues to pay him, but it wouldn’t matter.
The organization and fans can be sure that Snuggerud is the real deal.
If he can’t follow up his rookie season, there will be more questions than answers about Snuggerud.
The bottom line is that, contracts aside, the Blues need Snuggerud to prove he’s the real deal. If he does, it would greatly boost the team’s chance of making it to the postseason.
Once there, Snuggerud can take the next step and prove he’s a playoff performer. That’s a bridge everyone will cross when they get to it. In the meantime, the pressure will be on Snuggerud and the Blues to prove they’re for real in 2026-27.
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