During the offseason, St. Louis Blues forward Patrik Berglund dislocated his left shoulder. This injury sidelined him until late November of this season. Since his return, he has played in 17 games, has seven points and is a minus one.
Patrik Berglund has spent most of his season on the third line. The Blues need more production from him. If you are disappointed with his production this season or in previous seasons, do not get used to it. Patrik Berglund can produce more. In fact, he has proven that he can produce more in previous seasons with the Blues.
Berglund’s Career
Berglund was drafted as the 25th overall pick by the Blues in the first round of the 2006 NHL Draft. In 10 seasons in the NHL, he has played in 654 career games, has amassed 303 points and is a plus 14. He averages 15:50 of ice time per game, playing on either the second or third line. His career high in points is 52, which he got in 2010-11. His career high in assists is 30, which he also recorded in 2010-11. His career high in goals is 23, which he achieved last season.
Berglund also has a history of being clutch in the playoffs. In Berglund’s nine full seasons with St. Louis, the Blues gone went to the playoffs seven times. Berglund has played in 60 career NHL playoff games, has amassed 26 points and is a minus one. He averages 15:53 of ice time per playoff game, usually playing on the second or third line. His best postseason was 2011-12 when he had seven points in nine playoff games. His career high in points in the playoffs was in 2015-16 when he had 9 points in 20 playoff games.
The Blues Need More Production from Patrik Berglund
Berglund has proven in the past that he has what it takes to be a 20+ goal scorer and that he can get more than 50 points a season. There is no reason why he cannot do it again. The Blues need him to produce more this season.
St. Louis has been struggling offensively since the foot injury to first-line forward Jaden Schwartz on December 9th. The Blues have played 11 games without Schwartz. In those 11 games, the Blues have not scored more than three goals in a game. They have only scored three goals in three of those 11 games. The Blues have been shutout in two of the 11 games since Schwartz’s injury.
The loss of Jaden Schwartz has caused the Blues to have many lineup changes. Berglund’s linemates continuously change per game, which makes it hard for him to have consistent chemistry with anyone. He also seems to still be recovering from his shoulder injury. However, Berglund has shown in the past that he can step up when the Blues need it the most and produce more consistently. St. Louis is counting on him and other players to start contributing.
If the second and third lines cannot contribute more, the Blues will continue to struggle offensively until Jaden Schwartz returns. In the long run, this current lack of production could cost the Blues a playoff spot.
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