Patrik Berglund is a frustrating topic with St. Louis Blues fans. To date, Berglund has been a huge disappointment in 2014-15 and hasn’t lived up to the three-year, $11.1 million contract the Blues handed him prior to the season. His lone goal on the year came while he was down on the ice and the puck glanced off of him when he wasn’t looking and his performance in the face-off circle has been a liability.
Using Blues fans on Twitter as a sample, a lot of fans are pretty fed up. Personally, I was pretty surprised when the Blues awarded him with a fairly large new contract. I thought Berglund’s days in St. Louis had come to an end, so to see the team give him $3.7 million a year was almost shocking. It’s obvious to say, but Berglund hasn’t come close to earning his paycheck.
Though Berglund has been struggling and has failed to make an impact in several areas, draws have been a particular concern. Of the 116 draw he has taken, Berglund has won just 51 or 44%. That’s a dreadful total and is the lowest percentage of any Blues skater who has taken 50+ draws. Considering how vital winning a draw can be, Berglund’s performance there is a huge liability for the Blues.
Offensively, I’ve already talked about his lone goal which was the most Berglund goal you could imagine. He has 25 shots so far this year (7th most on the team) and has yet to find the back of the net with an actual shot.
Here’s where the polarizing aspect comes in. Some fans believe Berglund can still be of use if he’s deployed on the wing. His size can be a useful asset should he actually use it to his advantage. It seems like we’ve all been preaching this for years, but it seems like Berglund’s style would work better over on the wing rather than in the middle of the ice.
So, we all have complaints about Berglund but what are the Blues supposed to do about it? In hindsight, the Blues probably should have realized they weren’t going to see that great of a return on the contract they awarded. Unfortunately, that advice won’t do anyone much good right now. Is a trade in order? Maybe, but it’s important to remember that the return is going to be extremely low. Think a draft pick or two and it wouldn’t be surprising to see the receiving team ask for the Blues to pay part of Berglund’s salary.
Another option would be to roll with some different options. Maybe a healthy scratch would get Berglund’s motivation running a bit higher? Chris Porter might be an option and he at least has one reliable asset (speed) the Blues can count on. Regardless, the Blues need a lot more from Berglund and can’t afford to keep rolling him out each night should his performance remain at this level.
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