After going 0-1-3 over the past four games, the St. Louis Blues finally got back into the win column on Saturday night with a 2-1 win over the New York Islanders. There is no question that it has been a tough start to the season, and the Blues are trying to figure things out on the fly.
One of the adjustments they have made has been to shorten their bench for their blue line and really rely only on their Top 4. So far this season, the Blues have Justin Faulk, Cam Fowler, Philip Broberg, and Colton Parayko all averaging close to 23 minutes per game, while the other defensemen who have played this season are under 13 minutes.
While that has worked fine for the time being, the Blues are running the risk of overworking this group and could become an issue at the end of the season.
For Faulk, Fowler, and Parayko, they are right at their career average for time on ice, so on the surface, it shouldn't be that much of a concern. However, all three of these players are 32 years or older and might not be able to handle that type of workload at this point in their careers.
On top of that, each player has missed significant time over the prior two seasons, with Faulk missing 22 in the 2023-24 season, and the other two missing at least 14 games last season.
Philip Broberg has been a bright spot and is the youngest of the group, so he should be able to handle the increased workload. However, there is a chance he gets worn down by the end of the season, as he has never played more than 68 games in a season, which was last season, and averaged 20:30 of ice time per game.
If he can play a full 82-game season along with about a 15% increase in ice time per game, it is a significant jump in work this season.
Logan Mailloux can be the solution for the St. Louis Blues blue line they desperately need
One of the reasons the Blues have leaned on these Top 4 defensemen is probably that Jim Montgomery doesn't trust the other options he has for a third pair. However, that could all change if Logan Mailloux can bounce back in his second run with the Blues.
They traded with the Montreal Canadiens for the young player in the summer with the hope that he could be a key part of this defense. It certainly was a risk as he hadn't played much at the NHL level to this point, with only eight games total over two seasons.
Mailloux began the season with the Blues and played in nine games, but really struggled with a +/- of -12. The team decided to send him down to the AHL for a sort of reset, which worked very well, as he had two goals in five games, and they recalled him on Saturday.
If Mailloux can bounce back and carve out a role that consists of even 15-16 minutes per game, it will take the pressure off the Top 4 to be playing close to 24 minutes per game.
However, if he can't and the Blues continue at this pace they are going to run the risk of burning out their defensemen by the end of the season when they hopefully are competing for a playoff spot.