Blues' Ivan Barbashev: Needs more ice time in AHL

The Blues want to see Barbashev get more ice time this season with AHL Chicago, Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Analysis:

Last year, the Blues' 2014 second-round pick had 10 goals and 18 assists in 65 games while averaging about 10 minutes per game. The AHL doesn't track ice time officially, so that's only an estimate, but Barbasev started the season on the second line and soon was moved to the fourth line. Because the Blues don't have an ownership stake in the Wolves -- Chicago is an independently owned franchise -- they had little control over the coaching staff and its decisions. This year is a different story. In extending their contract with the Wolves for another season, the Blues helped hiring a new staff, so we'll see the Russian getting more development time in 2016-17.