The St. Louis Blues have gotten off to a strong start to the 2024-25 regular season, and they’ve done so in no small part because of the contributions made by newcomers Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway.
In St. Louis’ 4-3 win over the Carolina Hurricanes Saturday, Broberg had an assist to keep his point streak alive in his sixth game of the season. Broberg now has five assists and six points this year, while averaging 19:42 of ice time per game – 8:05 more per game than the 11:37 he averaged for the Edmonton Oilers last season. And in the past two games, the 23-year-old Swede has played between 21:26 and 22:01 per game.
No matter the tasks he’s being given by Blues coach Drew Bannister, Broberg has thrived and proven to be a high-value acquisition for St. Louis, who offer-sheeted Broberg with a salary of $4.58 million (all financial data via Puck Pedia) this summer and poached him from the Oilers.
Meanwhile, Holloway – another offer-sheet acquisition by the Blues – scored his first goal of the season Saturday, giving him two points in his first six games with St. Louis. Holloway is carrying less of a salary cap hit than Broberg – Holloway is earning $2.29 million in the first year of a two-year contract – but as a third-liner averaging 14:10 of ice time, he’s firmed up the Blues’ bottom-six group of forwards.
Blues GM Doug Armstrong took a chance on both Broberg and Holloway when he lured them out of Edmonton, but that gamble is paying off quite nicely so far this season. St. Louis still isn’t a great team on offense (averaging 2.83 goals-for per game, good for only 21st-overall in the league) or defense (averaging 2.83 goals-against per game, good for only 13th-overall) this year.
That said, they’ve beaten playoff-competitive teams in the Seattle Kraken, New York Islanders and Carolina Hurricanes this season, and they’re going to face notable tests in the next 10 days with showdowns against the impressive Winnipeg Jets, Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators. Bannister has them playing smart, composed hockey, and Broberg and Holloway are living up to their potential as long-term fits with the Blues.
St. Louis is likely to be in a season-long battle for a playoff berth in the competitive Central Division, but they’ve come out of the gate demonstrating their intent to leave the disappointment of the 2023-24 campaign behind them.
The more they get out of Holloway and Broberg, the less the pressure will be on their teammates – and the better they’re going to finish in the standings by season’s end. Broberg and Holloway are doing their part, and the Blues are looking like they’re going to present a major problem for their opponents.
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News Summary:
- Blues Newcomers Broberg and Holloway Doing Their Part As St. Louis Surges in Central Division
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