Can The 4th Line For The Blues Surprise Again?

[TBone]

Can the fourth line for the St. Louis Blues surprise again?

By Alec Gau
July 31, 2025

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When comparing Faksa to Bjugstad, the main comparison between the two skaters boils down to offense vs. defense. Bjugstad is the better offensive threat whereas Faksa was an excellent defensive skater who controlled the pace of play much better. Faksa's role on the team was to slow down the pace of play and control the puck, letting his wingers thrive in the offensive and neutral zones.

Bjugstad, on the other hand, will embolden and galvanize his wingers much more than Faksa did. Bjugstad will be much more active in the offensive and neutral zones serving as a puck carrier, and with his 6'6" frame he should be able to box out opposing skaters and draw more defenders to him, tipping the numbers advantage in favor of his wingers.

Furthermore, Bjugstad is a decent scorer in his own right. Last season, Bjugstad put up nine goals and 16 points in 66 games played, a much higher total of scoring than Faksa's five goals and 15 points in 70 games played. This means the offensive potential for the fourth line is much higher, and we could see one or even two of the three skaters putting up double digit goal totals.

Faksa's greatest strength with his defense was his ability in the faceoff dot. While Bjugstad is a step down from Faksa, he is only a slight step back as Faksa was one of the best faceoff winners in the league.

https://bleedinblue.com/can-the-fourth- ... rise-again

[zamadoo]

Neighbours-Suter-Bjugstad
Toro-Sunny-Walker

Wouldn't be surprised to see this bottom-6, with maybe Schenn at 3C.

Bjugstad will also need to increase his physicality to stick at 4C.

[moose-and-squirrel]

16 pts is much higher than 15??

gonna be a long summer

[Red7]

I do not believe it can. I’m not saying it won’t be good, I’m saying it won’t be a surprise. I also wouldn’t be surprised if the 4C isn’t currently on the roster. The Blues always bring in a few guys on PTO’s. I know everyone loves Sunny, but age and injuries have slowed him considerably.

[kimzey59]

16 pts is much higher than 15??

gonna be a long summer

Faksa had .21 points per game.
Bjugstad was .24 points per game.

3 point difference over a full season.
Not a big difference.

Having said that, Bjugstad has a history of production to fall back on(5 seasons over 30 points, 3 seasons over 40). I don't think it's a stretch to say Bjugstad is better offensively. What that amounts to on the stat sheet is TBD.

[BluesDom]

Faksa was a brick wall. His hitting was a game changer. I hope we dont miss his physicality. Hes a large man. Bigger than the skinnier Bjug.

[Harry S Deals]

Faksa was a brick wall. His hitting was a game changer. I hope we dont miss his physicality. Hes a large man. Bigger than the skinnier Bjug.


Faksa was credited with 115 hits last year for the Blues granted the hits stat is only a good indicator but I dont think there will be a big dropoff in physicality from Faksa to Bjustadt. I never considered Faksa to be overly physical aside from the Jets series where virtually every Blue hit everything sight. Faksa is certainly bigger though thats true

[BluesDom]

I liked this one...
https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/video/blue ... n-ice-hit/