The Blues are at a point where the Dalibor Dvorsky conversation is getting louder, but this is not the time to cash out on him.
A trade rumor has been hanging over St. Louis this week, fueled in part by Detroit Red Wings assistant general manager and scout Chris Draper being in the building for two of the four games on this five-game homestand. That has sparked plenty of Simon Edvinsson speculation, and it has also pushed Dvorsky into the center of the discussion as a possible major piece going back the other way.
That’s the reality check. Dvorsky is still trying to establish himself, and he is being mentioned as the headliner in a rumored deal for a player who could help St.
Louis on the blue line. The Blues do need help defensively, especially with Cam Fowler starting to regress back to his old ways and Adam Jiricek eventually needing to move back to his normal spot on the right side.
Even so, moving on from Dvorsky this soon would be a mistake.
He’s still a player with a place on this roster, even if that role is still being sorted out.
Right now, the third-line center spot feels like the clearest lane for him. But Suter has been playing well, and Dvorsky’s work at the faceoff dot has been a problem this season, sitting at 46%. A shift to wing may be the more realistic answer for the time being.
Dropping him all the way to the fourth line would be a pretty strong message, but that may be exactly the kind of push he needs. He has two goals and one assist in 12 games this season, and he’s riding a five-game point-less streak.
The Blues have to make him earn his way back up.
That’s the bigger point here. Dvorsky has a spot somewhere in the lineup, but it isn’t being handed to him.
If he ends up in the fourth-line center role for a stretch, it could be the kind of pressure that forces him to push harder for a bigger opportunity. At the same time, St.
Louis has other young centers waiting in the wings, with Tynan Lawrence, Maddox Deganais, and Milton Gastrin all looming. That kind of depth can create temptation, especially if Steen decides to move on Edvinsson for Dvorsky and the rest of the return.
And there is always the chance that Dvorsky turns into a different player somewhere else. The offseason already brought a center shake-up, with Mason McTavish and Connor McMichael creating a logjam in the top six. Without those additions, Dvorsky would be sitting in a much different spot and might have put up better numbers with more talent around him.
If a team in need of center help comes calling - and Detroit, with its looming trade of Dylan Larkin, fits that kind of profile - Dvorsky could thrive in a new situation. The gap between what he looks like now and what he could become elsewhere would be hard to miss.
Still, the Blues cannot give up on the 21-year-old yet. He hasn’t had enough time for anyone to seriously throw around the word “bust.”
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Blues Fans Will Have Strong Opinions On Montgomerys Latest Gamble
Jim Montgomery has reached the point every coach eventually does when the goals stop coming and the same looks keep getting generated without much to show for it. After a recent scoring drought, the Blues bench boss decided it was time to shake up the forward group, moving pieces through the top three lines in an effort to jolt a team that has been searching for a cleaner finish and a little more momentum.
The change is the kind that will get an immediate reaction from Blues fans, because it signals both patience and impatience at once. Montgomery had been willing to let things breathe, but with the offense stalled and an upcoming opponent waiting, he chose to test a different mix and see whether a new alignment can finally unlock something more consistent. [Read more 🡒]
Blues Scoring Woes Are Putting 3 Key Names Under Pressure
Back-to-back shutout losses have done more than sting the standings for the Blues. They have also sharpened the focus on three names who were supposed to help carry the offense: Robert Thomas, Cam Fowler and Dalibor Dvorsky. Thomas has had a sluggish start, with his shot and assist numbers lagging well behind where St. Louis needs them. Fowler, meanwhile, looked like he was settling in early before his play leveled off in a way that has only added to the uncertainty around his role.
Dvorsky has become part of that same uneasy picture after opening the season strongly, then fading as the goals dried up. For a Blues team already searching for answers in the scoring column, the pressure on that trio is starting to feel bigger with every scoreless night. And in the background, the questions around Fowler and Dvorsky are not just about production anymore, but about what their recent downturns might mean for how St. Louis views both players moving forward. [Read more 🡒]