ST. LOUIS -- The Jimmy Snuggerud watch, or when he will turn pro, is officially on for the St. Louis Blues.
The end result for the No. 23 pick in the 2022 NHL Draft wasn't what the forward envisioned when he returned to the University of Minnesota for his junior season, but Thursday's surprising 5-4 overtime loss to Massachusetts in the first round of the Fargo (N.D.) Regional ended the Gophers' -- and Snuggerud's -- season sooner than many, including themselves, had expected.
Now becomes the question of when -- not if -- will he sign his first pro contract and how quickly will he join the Blues?
Could it be as early as today? And will he be in Denver for Saturday's 3:30 p.m. game against the Colorado Avalanche and be in uniform?
That's a lot to ask at this point, but it's not totally out of the realm of possibility since both general manager Doug Armstrong and GM-to-be Alexander Steen were in attendance to see the Blues' latest in high-end prospects.
Snuggerud scored twice, once to put the Golden Gophers ahead 1-0 in the first period, then again late in regulation to tie the game 4-4; he finished the season with 51 points (24 goals, 27 assists) in 40 games and 135 points (66 goals, 69 assists) in 119 games spanning three seasons.
Here's the point the Blues (39-28-7), who have won eight straight and are 15-2-2 the past 19 games, have to address: how do they handle the utilization of Snuggerud if/when he joins?
Do they insert him into the lineup immediately, or do they take how they're going with the Dalibor Dvorsky (No. 10 pick, 2023) route?
You see what the Blues are doing with Dvorsky, who did make his NHL debut last Sunday in a 4-1 win against the Nashville Predators. They played him, then have kept him on the sidelines the past two games to watch, grow and learn what being an NHL pro is all about.
Here's what Blues coach Jim Montgomery said on that on Thursday:
"Every day he can grow, he’s so young and learning just how to travel on the road, what this building looks like, how do you get here,” Montgomery said. “All those little things and then the extra work he gets to do and the pace of our practices is really going to benefit him.
“(He's) very inquisitive. He has a thirst for knowledge. It’s awesome.”
It would be very tempting to take Snuggerud and insert him and his dangerous offensive prowess, and his most dangerous attribute being his shot, into the lineup if the Blues were just plodding along. But they're not plodding along. They're roaring like a freight train, and will that mess with the chemistry in the room with the guys that have gotten them to this point if someone comes out and Snuggerud goes in? And how will the on-ice chemistry make an immediate impact without the 20-year-old (who will turn 21 on June 1) having any ice time with the current players?
These are all tough decisions that need to be made, and even though the Blues would be burning the first year of Snuggerud's entry-level deal when he signs once he plays, that will not influence whether/when he plays or not this season.
