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Blues Bannister believes Perunovich has another level to his game

Originally posted on FanNation Inside The Blues
By Mike Meyer | Last updated 3/16/24

As the St. Louis Blues gear up for their divisional match against the Minnesota Wild, head coach Drew Bannister was asked his thoughts on defenseman Scott Perunovich's recent play and future potential.

Bannister (49) will coach in his 39th game in the NHL and spoke highly of Perunovich, firmly believing there is yet another level to his game.

“I think so, yeah. I think there's, you know, opportunities on the powerplay where we'd like to see him shoot a little bit more." Bannister said. "Right now that's not in his DNA but we got to pound that into him more like if he wants to be an effective power play guy.

"He can't be a pass first all the time, so he has to look to shoot pucks more so I think that there's still room to grow in Scotty’s game, you know, defensively and even when he has the puck on the stick, but he does a lot of good things.”

Perunovich has done well in his limited number of NHL games to show that he is more than a one-dimensional offensive defenseman. He has continued to commit to improving his play and defensive abilities in his own zone.

B. Saad (G. Post, S. Perunovich) 9:03 pic.twitter.com/rAwKePUTOa
— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) March 8, 2024

“I think the will to go on and get pucks, that's one thing that we've talked about with Scotty. Having to go in and get pucks and try and break up plays whether it's with this stick and being able to defend with his feet and his body and we're starting to see that more consistently in his game.”

The 25-year-old has experienced multiple injuries over his career, including a broken left clavicle and a torn labrum, and undergoing wrist surgery has limited his time in the NHL.

With 20 career points in the NHL and still searching for his first goal in the league, Perunovich should continue to get opportunities to grow and develop in all aspects of his game.