Philip Broberg has started to look like the kind of defenseman St. Louis has been waiting for.
The Blues have rattled off back-to-back wins over the Winnipeg Jets and the Vegas Golden Knights, and while plenty of pieces have helped them steady themselves after a rough road stretch, Broberg has been the player changing the feel of the team most.
That was part of the hope when St. Louis put offer sheets on Broberg and Dylan Holloway from the Edmonton Oilers.
Both had been stuck behind a crowded Oilers roster, unable to get the kind of consistent work that might let their games take off. Three seasons later, Holloway has grown into a top-line forward, and Broberg is now tracking like a game-breaking defenseman entering his prime.
St. Louis eased him in early, keeping him off the power play while Jim Montgomery managed a back end dealing with injuries and a demanding early road slate.
The idea was to protect Broberg from getting overloaded with his five-on-five and penalty-kill work. But once the Blues shifted him onto the man advantage, the payoff came fast.
The power play opened the season 1-for-11, then scored in five straight games and climbed into the top ten in the league.
Broberg’s arrival on that unit, which was the plan from the start before Logan Mailloux and Tyler Tucker got hurt, has been a big reason for the turnaround. His speed and puck control give the Blues a cleaner way to attack.
Instead of leaning on Robert Thomas to carry the puck in, Broberg can take the blue line himself, drive the zone entry with his stride and skill, and get the cycle moving. Once the setup is there, he’ll shoot without hesitation, looking for rebounds or a clean finish - something St.
Louis had been missing in the first five games. He already has two power-play points since joining the group, and the Blues have scored six power-play goals in their last five games.
What makes Broberg so valuable is that the offense hasn’t come at the expense of everything else. He has already worked with multiple defense partners and adjusted his game to fit whoever is next to him.
Early on, he was paired with rookie Adam Jiricek, who likes to jump into the rush and get involved offensively. Broberg handled more of the neutral-zone and defensive-zone burden there, taking on the tougher defensive tasks while letting Jiricek grow into his game.
More recently, he has skated with waiver-claim sensation Justin Barron, another offense-friendly defenseman who is steadier defensively than Jiricek. That pairing has let Broberg push harder in the offensive zone and fire more pucks on net.
That ability to know when to press and when to stay home has made him a stabilizing force for St. Louis.
Nobody is saying he’s the next Quinn Hughes or Cale Makar, but after years without a true number-one defenseman who could impact all three phases, Broberg is starting to look like the answer. At 25 years old, the best may still be ahead for the Blues’ next franchise defender.
In Other News...
Blues Are Already Getting Early Answers On A Tough Roster Debate
Ten games into the season, the Blues are already getting a clearer read on a roster question that was going to hang over them early. At 5-4-1, they have seen enough to start separating the players who are driving the team forward from the ones still fighting to hold their spots, and the performance gap has become hard to ignore. Dylan Holloway, Mason McTavish and Philip Broberg have given the club the kind of steady, energetic minutes that make lineup decisions easier, while the group around them continues to settle into the system.
The other side of that evaluation is just as important, because not everyone has kept pace as the roster has taken shape. Theo Lindstein and Dalibor Dvorsky have seen their roles shrink as the Blues look for more reliable answers, and the goaltending picture has added another layer to the debate. St. Louis is still early in the process of sorting out its best mix, but the first stretch of the season has already pushed some decisions closer to the surface. [Read more 🡒]
Blues Catch A Break With Vegas Missing A Star Tonight
Vegas will be without Mitch Marner for its game against the Blues tonight, a development that changes the look of a matchup St. Louis already knew would be a tough one. Marner is away as he and his partner await the birth of their second child, leaving the Pacific Division leaders to adjust on the fly against a Blues team looking for every small edge it can find.
Alexander Holtz is expected to step into Marners spot and make his NHL season debut, giving Vegas a different kind of look in a spot usually occupied by one of its most dynamic forwards. The Golden Knights still have a busy stretch ahead with games against Columbus, Ottawa and New Jersey on the calendar, so this is a temporary wrinkle more than a long-term concern, but it gives St. Louis a clearer path than it might have had against a full-strength lineup. [Read more 🡒]
Blues Just Caught A Break In The Central Race
The Central Division picture may have gotten a little clearer for St. Louis after a major domino fell elsewhere, with Winnipeg moving Connor Hellebuyck to New Jersey as the Devils continue reshaping their roster under new general manager Sunny Mehta. Any time a division rival loses a goaltender of that caliber, the ripple effects are worth watching, especially for a Blues club that is trying to keep pace in a crowded race.
Beyond the immediate impact on the Jets, the move also changes the wider market in ways St. Louis will notice. New Jerseys search for help in net had been one of the more closely watched storylines, and with that avenue shifting, the Blues may see fewer outside forces chasing the kind of goaltending upgrade that can alter the trade landscape in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]