The St. Louis Blues have not exactly lit the lamp on the power play to open the 2026-27 season. With just one power play goal in the early going, Jim Montgomery has already gone searching for a fix, and the most eye-catching change is the one that puts Adam Jiricek in a prime spot.
Jiricek, a rookie who was not supposed to begin the year with the Blues, is suddenly on the top unit. Injuries pushed him into the lineup with the big club, and now the 20-year-old defenseman is getting a look on the first power play group alongside the usual names: Robert Thomas, Dylan Holloway, and Jimmy Snuggerud.
It is a significant jump for a young blue-liner, and it comes with real upside. The biggest benefit is simple: the more NHL responsibility a young player gets, the more he learns.
Jiricek also has help around him. He is not being asked to carry the whole thing by himself with veterans like Colton Parayko and Brandon Carlo nearby, while 25-year-old Philip Broberg is entering his sixth season.
That kind of support matters. It lets Jiricek find out whether he can handle power-play duty now, and if the Blues get healthier later, he can take that experience back with him when he returns to the Springfield Thunderbirds in the AHL.
There is a confidence angle here, too. Power-play time can be a useful place for a young player to pile up points, and a few assists can go a long way. That kind of production tends to feed into everything else.
But the risk is obvious. The Blues are trying to stay in the playoff hunt and be viewed as legitimate Stanley Cup contenders, and they have handed their top power-play job to a 20-year-old rookie who does not have a reputation as a strong quarterback on the man advantage. It is also not a great sign for the defense group that neither Broberg nor Cam Fowler could secure the role, with Logan Mailloux not looking like the ideal answer either.
And while power-play duty can lift a player, it can also pile on the pressure. St.
Louis has already struggled badly on the man advantage, and a rookie could wind up absorbing a lot of the blame if the problems continue. One bad game or one bad play could even knock him off the unit, and that kind of jolt can spill into the rest of his game.
Still, the benefits seem to outweigh the drawbacks. Jiricek is getting a chance he might not have had otherwise, and if he handles it well, the Blues may have found a defenseman they can build around for years.
In Other News...
Blues Already Have Two Offensive Problems Fans Can't Ignore
The Blues have barely had time to settle into the season, but the early offensive picture is already hard to miss. Their top line of Dylan Holloway, Jimmy Snuggerud and Robert Thomas has been asked to drive play and set the tone, yet the group has not given the club much on the scoreboard through four games. St. Louis is still trying to find rhythm at even strength, and the lack of finishing touch has fed into a broader problem that has carried over to the power play.
There is at least some reason for patience beneath the rough start. The numbers at five-on-five have been more encouraging than the goals column, suggesting the chances are there even if the results have not shown up yet. Joel Hofer has given the Blues a steady presence in net, which buys a little time for the offense to sort itself out, but until the top line starts converting and the man-advantage looks sharper, this will remain one of the first places fans look for answers. [Read more 🡒]
Blues Enter Stretch That Will Show What This Team Really Is
The early part of the season has already told the Blues a little bit about themselves. They opened with a 4-0 win, then settled into the kind of mixed results that tend to follow a fast start, with losses to Colorado, Chicago and San Jose leaving more questions than answers about how steady this group really is. For a team trying to sort out its identity, the margin for error is getting thinner by the night.
Columbus is the first test in a stretch that feels like a separator, the kind of run that can turn an encouraging start into something more meaningful if St. Louis handles it well. The Blues also have to keep navigating a growing injury situation, with several regulars unavailable, and that only adds to the challenge of a schedule that is about to get much less forgiving. If this team is going to look like a playoff contender, it will have to start showing it right here. [Read more 🡒]
Blues Hit With Another Injury Setback As Depth Gets Tested
The Blues are dealing with another hit to their depth after forward Dillon Dube was sidelined with a neck injury, leaving the club to shuffle its lineup again as it tries to navigate a stretch already shaped by multiple absences. St. Louis has been leaning on its lower end of the roster more heavily, and the next wave of adjustments now includes giving Zach Dean a look on the fourth line while Justin Barron remains in the mix on defense for a second straight game.
It comes as the Blues are also working through a new defensive zone coverage system under assistant coach Greg Cronin, which makes the timing of the injuries even more demanding. With the lineup in flux and responsibilities spreading to younger or less established players, the next few weeks will give St. Louis a clearer read on who can absorb tougher minutes while the staff keeps sorting out the back end. [Read more 🡒]