We now have an idea when the St. Louis Blues will call up top prospect Jimmy Snuggerud. According to Matthew DeFranks of the Post Dispatch, "I (Armstrong) told him the ultimate end of the season would be to pack a big suitcase when he comes to St. Louis for the Final Four, win that, and then come to us."
Doug Armstrong said he, Jim Montgomery and Alexander Steen had dinner with Jimmy Snuggerud last night.
— Matthew DeFranks (@MDeFranks) January 7, 2025
"I told him the ultimate end of the season would be to pack a big suitcase when he comes to St. Louis for the Final Four, win that, and then come to us."
What this means for the Blues
The NCAA Men's Final Four tournament is set to take place in St. Louis on April 10th and 12th. At that point, the Blues will have two games remaining on their schedule. In Seattle against the Kraken on the 12th, and at home against Utah on the 15th.
This plan makes a lot of sense. If the Blues are in a playoff spot, why not call up the young gun and see what he's got? If they aren't in a playoff spot, then it's a perfect time to get him a game or two in the league before the season is over. It really is a win-win scenario for both sides.
Teams calling up top prospects for a playoff push is not unheard of
You might think this proposed plan by the Blues might be putting too much pressure on Snuggerud if they are indeed in a playoff spot. But I disagree. Teams have done this before, and it's led to some success for the teams that did it.
The best example is Cale Makar back in 2019. He made his NHL debut in Game Three of the first round. He scored a goal in that game and became the first defenseman in NHL history to score a playoff goal before a regular season game.
Now it's hard to think that Snuggerud will be as good as Makar, but teams don't do something like this if they don't think the player will be great. It speaks volumes to the amount of confidence St. Louis has in this guy.