The St. Louis Blues got hammered in last night’s loss vs. the Minnesota Wild, and you can blame several reasons why they looked so bad in what was their home opener. But the Blues also had some bright spots through four games, and while there will be some lean affairs, look for those players to keep going at a high level.
We already covered a couple of them, but one player I still held out for was Philip Broberg, who came to the Lou from Edmonton. While the Oilers struggled in their first three games before finally securing a win, and the Blues were unable to figure out the Wild, Broberg finished the game with his fourth point in as many contests.
Since last season, I theorized there just wasn’t enough room in Edmonton for Broberg to showcase his skills, especially with the team in dire need of veterans to make those runs. But for the Blues, they were in dire need (excuse the echo) of younger talent defensively, and they got away with what could be the steal of the 2024 offseason in Broberg.
To date, Philip Broberg’s best season came in 2022-23, when he finished the year with eight points and a goal in 46 contests. But with four points and a goal in four games, a plus-3 rating, four hits, and three takeaways, we may be witnessing the start of yet another Doug Armstrong success story.
Philip Broberg has been playing at an ultra-high level for the St. Louis Blues
His even-strength numbers are encouraging, and some may get even better as the season progresses. One that won’t his on-ice save percentage, which sits at a perfect 100 percent. This means opponents haven’t scored while Broberg’s been on the ice in even-strength situations. While you can’t get any better than 100 percent, it indicates Broberg’s oiSV% could sit in the mid-90s.
It’s also worth pointing out that his on-ice shooting percentage sits at 9.7 percent, meaning he’s on the ice 9.7 percent of the time that the Blues are scoring. And this is all coming with a Corsi For Percentage of just 47.5 percent, so there’s room to grow if Broberg keeps playing well and continues to mesh with his new team.
Overall, fans in Gateway City shouldn’t be happier about what they have seen so far from Broberg, and they should know that it’s only the beginning of what should be a long, successful tenure. The Blues have found youth at forward, and that youth has been there for a while, but defense was the issue.
While that’s still the case, rest assured that with Broberg playing so well, it means there’s one less player in the rotation for Armstrong to worry about filling up.