The Blues want to see Barbashev get more ice time this season with the Chicago Wolves of the American Hockey League, Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. The Blues second-round pick in 2014 had 10 goals and 18 assists in 65 games while averaging about 10 minutes per game.

EDGE Analysis

The AHL doesn't track ice time per game, so his playing time is 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 decision. This year is a different story. In extending their contract with the Wolves for another season, the Blues leveraged the ability to help hire a new staff and we'll see the Russian getting more development time in 2016-17.