It was a move that should remain permanent until Berglund's play picks up and his activity drastically improves. Berglund was an outstanding two-way player last year for the Blues. Now, he barely is a one-way player because he always seems to be going the wrong direction and does not appear to be playing with any enthusiasm or intensity.
Berglund was a minus-3 on the night against the Kings and it was yet another game by Berglund that was sub-par.
There has been a lot of talk about "buying-in" coming from the Hitchcock and the Blues' locker room and you have to wonder if one of those guys being referenced is Berglund, who has not played at a high enough level to be a second line center on a contending team.
Sure, Berglund has 14 goals on the year. That is nice. His 14 goals are second on the team, just behind Chris Stewart.
But if you dig deeper, you will see that Berglund has been more of a problem than a solution. There are two main ways to judge "activity" by a player, shots and hits, and Berglund is doing or creating either.
Berglund is 11th on the the team with just 50 shots on the season in 33 games, including zero shots on goal in Thursday's loss. If Berglund was more active, making more plays and sent more pucks to the net, imagine how many goals he would have then?
Berglund also rarely is seen throwing his weight around, which is a shame since he is one of the teams biggest players at 6'4'', 217 pounds.
Every forward, with the exception of David Backes, has played with Berglund at some point this season. While some of the shuffling has been due to injuries, it also is a signal that Hitchcock has been looking for somebody to play with Berglund and light a spark. It has not happened.
Until Berglund shows that he is willing to win battles on the boards, improve his anticipation, and sacrifice his body by skating hard at all times, he should remain on the fourth line.
There are only 15 games remaining on the season and the Blues can not afford any more lackadaisical lumbering play from Berglund. Hitchcock made the right move by moving Berglund to the fourth line on Thursday night and should continue to do so until something changes.
