In their St. Louis Blues debut, newly acquired players Justin Holl and Jonathan Drouin fit in perfectly with their new squad. In a 4-0 rout against the top team in the Pacific Division, the Anaheim Ducks, each contributed a point and were x-factors on the ice.
Dare I say, they might be worth the investment as this franchise goes through a retooling phase. Both Holl and Drouin pitched in on power-play minutes, and for Holl, some penalty kill minutes.
Let's break down their debut, and what they mean to this organization going forward.
Holl and Drouin fit right in
Similar to when Cam Fowler jumped right in after being traded from Anaheim, funny enough, last season, the two new Blues were very successful. They adjusted to their teammates well after only one practice. I guess you can thank head coach Jim Montgomery for that one, because seemingly, the Blues system is adaptable and fluid enough that two players from different organizations can look like they had been a Blue all season long in their debut.
Drouin potted his first goal, on the power-play, as a Blue to make the game 2-0 in the second period. Holl added his first assist on Pius Suter's empty-netter to seal the game at 4-0.
For the short-term, both are going to get some serious minutes for the rest of the season. Holl, especially, as his contract will be expiring at the end of the season, and the 34-year-old's place in the Blues' future is unknown. I doubt the new General Manager-to-be, Alexander Steen, is going to want to pay an aging defenseman a surplus of salary cap space just to fill a spot, when there are so many prospects coming up the pipeline.
For Drouin, his place in the future is a lot more concrete. He will be signed on with the Blues until the end of next season, at $4 Million AAV. Steep price to take on right away, especially if he doesn't play top-six minutes, but he is still only 30-years-old and has a ton of time ahead of him. No. 92 could play a key part in getting this franchise out of the rebuild in 2027-28, should he stay on for a cheaper, short-term deal. But that is still a way away.
Right now, the Blues are playing great hockey, and have wrapped up a solid four-game roadtrip. The next game at the Enterprise Center on Tuesday is going to be an emotional one, as ex-captain Brayden Schenn will be returning with the New York Islanders. But, it will also be the home-crowd debut of both Holl and Drouin. This shall be a very interesting night.