2022 Player Ratings: Grading the spot-duty players

While I had hoped to give each player a full ratings post for himself, I started writing a Jesper Froden post and realized it probably wasn’t the best use of anyone’s time.

Froden, among others, was one of those guys who made a cameo, kind of made an impact, and then faded into the background — we’ll discuss him and two others in this post.

Jesper Froden in 2022

Key stats: 7 GP, 1G, 0A, 1PTS

Reader rating: 4.2

Writer rating: 6

Injuries and a decent season in Providence led to Froden getting his first taste of NHL action last season, with the Swede getting his best run of game action in during late February and early March (including a stint on the second line).

He managed to score his first NHL goal in an April game against Ottawa, but ultimately didn’t make much of an impact anywhere else.

Froden put up 16G-18A-34PTS totals in 49 games for Providence, which certainly bolstered the AHL roster.

However, he didn’t do much during his NHL appearances to force his way into the lineup, and was always going to be a bubble guy for the B’s.

Froden signed a one-year deal with Seattle back in July.

Anton Blidh in 2022

Key stats: 32 GP, 2G, 7A, 9PTS

Reader rating: 4.9

Writer rating: 5.3

Blidh had the best run of NHL action of his career, skating in 32 games for the B’s.

After the season, he wasn’t shy about expressing his dissatisfaction wth spending the majority of the time out of the lineup, and ultimately left for Colorado this offseason.

There were many people around these parts who would have liked to have seen Blidh get a little more game time, particularly over some of the more-used bottom-six forwards.

Nine points in 32 games really isn’t bad for a fourth-line grinder, particularly one who started two-thirds of his 5v5 shifts in his own end.

Blidh earned many admirers with his penchant for throwing his body around, registering an impressive 82 hits in those 32 games.

Oskar Steen in 2022

Key stats: 20 GP, 2G, 4A, 6PTS

Reader rating: 5.2

Writer rating: 6.3

Steen did fine in limited spot duty, getting time on both the third and fourth lines, depending on the call-up.

He took another step forward in his development, anchored by a 15G-20A-35PTS season as Providence’s third-leading scorer.

While he didn’t look terribly out of place during his NHL time, he also didn’t really make it hard to swap him out when the team got healthier.

Steen is under contract for two more years, and given some of the other organizational departures, he may have a chance to throw his name into Jim Montgomery’s hat with a strong training camp.