Patrik Berglund is a polarizing player among Blues fans. That may be one of the most obvious statements you’ll ever read here at Frozen Notes because it’s a title Berglund has earned after several disappointing seasons. With so many frustrating moments and seasons in mind, it’s difficult to award praise – even if it’s deserved.
Berglund hit the 20-goal mark on the season with a timely goal against the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday night. He has now reached that plateau three times in his career, though it’s been a while since he has strung together a strong scoring season.
That was No. 20 for Berglund, his third 20-goal season in the NHL, first since 2010-11. #stlblues
— Jeremy Rutherford (@jprutherford) March 22, 2017
Say what you will about Berglund, but that’s pretty impressive. Some of Berglund’s goals might fall in the “right place, right time” category, but considering just how rare Blues goals can be to come by, who cares how Berglund lit the lamp.
Of course, it’s rather appropriate Berglund’s success in 2016-17 came in a contract year. The Blues awarded Berglund a new five-year extension back in February and most fans approved of his new contract. Five years might be a bit too long, but the cap hit (an average of $3.85 million per year) is fairly reasonable. Goals can be tough to find in the NHL and Berglund has a knack of picking up a decent amount here and there throughout his career. It’s doubtful the Blues would be able to find a similar player with 20+ goal potential for the same price.
How will Berglund follow up on his improved year? With his contract situation settled, will the Blues receive 2016-17 Berglund in 2017-18 or will he regress back to the form which fans have mocked on a daily basis? Time will tell, but for now fans should applaud Berglund for putting together a pretty damn good season.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
