The St. Louis Blues have had a big trade rumor circling around this week. With Detroit Red Wings assistant General Manager and Scout Chris Draper in the building for two of the four games on this five-game homestand, the Simon Edvinsson hype is buzzing.
That leads many to believe that the return for the talents of Edvinsson is headlined by a current Blue that is still finding his footing. Dalibor Dvorsky is one of, if not the main component, in this rumored deal, and it should serve as a reality check for the young forward.
The Blues may need help on the defensive side, with Cam Fowler starting to regress back to his old ways and Adam Jiricek needing to eventually pivot back to his usual position on the right side. But, they also shouldn't give up on No. 15.
Not yet.
Dvorsky has a place here, somewhere
Looking down the middle of the ice, Dvorsky has a spot on that third-line center spot. But, with how well Suter has been playing, and No. 15's struggles at the faceoff dot at 46% this season, a change to wing may be needed.
Going down to the fourth line might be a bit too drastic for him, but for right now, there has to be some sort of motivator for him. With two goals and an assist in 12 games this season, he is on a five-game point-less streak.
In the grand scheme of things, Dvorsky has a spot here, but he has to earn it. Having him sit in the fourth line center spot might motivate him to try to get back up to the third line and beyond. But, with Tynan Lawrence, Maddox Deganais, and Milton Gastrin awaiting their turn, Steen could be very tempted to move on Edvinsson for Dvorsky and whatever else the return is.
He will be one that got away
There is a very good chance that Dvorsky could flourish somewhere else. This past offseason was a center overhaul, with Mason McTavish and Connor McMichael creating more of a logjam in the top-six. Without those moves, Dvorsky is easily the 2C at the moment, and who knows, he might have been a little more productive with the talent around him.
Another organization, like Detroit's looming trade of Dylan Larkin, that needs a center could benefit from No. 15. If he were to be moved, the difference would be night and day compared to now.
The Blues cannot give up on the 21-year-old yet, as he has not had enough time to really throw out that word, "bust", yet.
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