Petteri Lindbohm Proves Valuable to the St. Louis Blues
The St. Louis Blues have found more value in young defenseman Petteri Lindbohm than perhaps what was first anticipated. After running into an injury with Jay Bouwmeester (groin), the Note found a need to bring up the youngster from the Chicago Wolves to give them more defensive options. With Carl Gunnarson sustaining a concussion last week, the Blues have kept Linbohm in the lineup and have him splitting time with Chris Butler and Ian Cole. One could argue the Blues need the extra skater, but in reality, they don’t. The reason Big Pete (Lindbohm) hasn’t been sent back to the Wolves is because he’s simply proving his right to be here.
The big Finn is 6-foot-3, roughly 200 lbs., is at the ripe old age of 21, and shoots lefthanded. He was drafted by the Blues in 2012 in the 6th round, 176th overall. If you look at Big Pete’s stats over his six games in the NHL, you won’t find much. There isn’t anything. What you can’t find on any stat sheet is his defensive presence, his grit, and his dedication. Lindbohm is hard-working and has great defensive awareness. He’s rapidly gained my trust in front of the netminder. He collapses in and covers the front of the net very well and is not afraid to block a shot. In other words, he does his job well.
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Not only do Lindbohm’s contributions add value to the Blues as far as defensive depth for right now, it bodes well for the organization in a business aspect too. It’s feared that the salary cap will not be going up next season, and the Blues are going to have some challenges in that regard come the offseason. Don’t crucify me for saying this, but if the Blues are looking to minimize what we lose on the offensive side of things, Big Pete gives them an option to look at on defense to cut off some fat. I don’t think Alex Pietrangelo or Kevin Shattenkirk are going anywhere, nor would I want them to. The same goes for Jay Bouwmeester and Ian Cole.
I know a lot of folks that aren’t a big fan of Cole, But he’s a young player with a lot to learn and perhaps a lot of potential. The defensemen that I believe could be replaced by Linbolhm are Barret Jackman or Carl Gunnarsson. Like I said, don’t crucify me. Hear me out. Hockey is a business first and a family second. Jackman has been good to us, but he’s an unrestricted free gent after this season. He’s getting older (33) and the team needs to find ways to pay players like Vladimir Tarasenko to ensure the future. Tarasenko will be getting a substantial pay raise next season, as he will be a restricted free agent. Carl Gunnarsson has done nothing wrong since coming to St. Louis, but for the salary he and Jackman earn, Lindbohm could replace either for a fraction of the cost.
In any scenario, we at least know that Petteri Lindbohm likely has a place in NHL at some point sooner than later. He gives us valuable options after this season to look at, or perhaps even this season. I haven’t always trusted Doug Armstrong to make decisions to get the Blues all the way to the Stanley Cup, but things have changed. I believe Armstrong will make any changes needed because of the pressure from Tom Stillman and the ownership group to go all the way in the near future. In any event, we have a lot of reasons to look forward to the future of the Blues organization, and Petteri Lindbohm adds to those reasons.