There's a specific kind of "what if" that haunts St. Louis hockey fans. It’s not about a missed goal or a bad officiating call in the playoffs. It’s about a 6-foot-4 Swedish center with soft hands and a confusingly quiet exit. If you followed the team during the 2010s, you knew Patrik Berglund was a pillar of the roster, even when he wasn't the headline act. Then, almost overnight, he was gone—not just from the team, but from the league entirely.
The story of Patrik Berglund and the St. Louis Blues is more than just a footnote in a championship DVD. It is a cautionary tale about the business of hockey, the weight of mental health, and the strange butterfly effect that led to the Blues winning their first Stanley Cup in 2019. Honestly, if a few pieces of paper had been filed on time, the entire history of the franchise might look different today.
The "Kid Line" and the Rise of #21
When the Blues took Berglund 25th overall in 2006, they weren't just looking for size. They were looking for a cornerstone. By the 2008-09 season, he was part of the "Kid Line" alongside T.J. Oshie and David Perron. They were young, they were flashy, and they gave a struggling fan base something to actually care about. Berglund put up 21 goals as a rookie. He looked like the prototypical modern center—massive frame, hard to knock off the puck, and surprisingly skilled in tight spaces.
He spent ten full seasons in St. Louis. That's a lifetime in the NHL. He survived coaching changes, front-office shifts, and the transition from a "rebuilding" team to a perennial contender. Fans had a love-hate relationship with him, mostly because his consistency was... well, inconsistent. One night he'd look like a dominant force; the next, he’d seem invisible. But he loved the city. He’d made it his home.
By the time 2017 rolled around, the Blues rewarded that loyalty with a five-year, $19.25 million contract extension. It felt like "Bergie" was going to be a Blue for life. But in the NHL, "for life" usually lasts until a better trade offer comes along.
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The Trade That Changed Everything (and the Agent’s Mistake)
On July 1, 2018, the Blues pulled the trigger on a blockbuster. They traded Berglund, Vladimir Sobotka, Tage Thompson, and two draft picks to the Buffalo Sabres for Ryan O'Reilly. On paper, it was a massive haul for Buffalo. For the Blues, it was the move that finally fixed their center depth and eventually led them to a parade down Market Street.
But here is the part that still stings: Patrik Berglund never should have been in that trade.
Berglund had a partial no-trade clause in his contract. He was supposed to submit a list of 20 teams he didn't want to be traded to. Buffalo was on that list. However, his agent reportedly failed to submit the paperwork by the deadline. Because of a clerical error, a man who had spent a decade in one city was suddenly shipped off to a struggling franchise he had explicitly tried to avoid.
You can’t overstate how much that sucks. It wasn’t just a move; it felt like a betrayal by proxy.
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Walking Away From $12 Million
Things in Buffalo went south fast. Berglund wasn't playing much, his production cratered, and he looked like a shell of himself. After just 23 games, he simply stopped showing up. The Sabres suspended him, and shortly after, they terminated his contract.
Basically, Berglund walked away from roughly $12.5 million.
Think about that for a second. Most people would endure a lot of misery for twelve million dollars. Berglund chose his peace instead. He later opened up about how his mental health had deteriorated to a point where the money didn't matter. He was "living the dream" on paper, but he felt nothing inside. He was exhausted. He was done.
It’s easy for fans to call athletes "spoiled" or tell them to "tough it out," but Berglund’s exit was a rare moment of raw human honesty in a sport that usually demands stoicism. He went back to Sweden, played a bit more for Djurgårdens IF and Brynäs IF, and eventually retired.
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The Bittersweet Legacy in St. Louis
There’s a weird irony to the whole thing. If Berglund’s agent submits that list, does the Ryan O'Reilly trade even happen? If it doesn't, do the Blues win the Cup in 2019? Probably not. O'Reilly won the Conn Smythe and the Selke that year; he was the heartbeat of that championship run.
Patrik Berglund had to lose his home and his career for the Blues to find their missing piece.
Most Blues fans today look back on Berglund with a mix of appreciation and sadness. He played 717 games in the NHL, scoring 170 goals. He was a good soldier who got caught in the gears of a cold business. He didn't get to lift the Cup with his friends, but his departure was the catalyst that made it possible.
What We Can Learn From the Berglund Saga
If you’re looking for a "takeaway" from this whole story, it’s not about hockey stats. It’s about the reality of the people behind the jerseys.
- Contracts are just paper: Even a $19 million deal doesn't guarantee stability or happiness.
- Administrative errors have massive consequences: One missed deadline changed the course of two franchises and one man's life.
- Mental health > Everything: Walking away from $12 million to find yourself is perhaps the most courageous move Berglund ever made on the ice.
Today, Berglund stays mostly out of the NHL spotlight, living a quieter life back in Sweden. He’s no longer the "Big Swede" patrolling the middle of the ice at Enterprise Center, but for a certain generation of Blues fans, #21 will always be a reminder of an era that paved the way for the ultimate glory.
For those looking to keep up with former Blues or dive deeper into the 2019 championship roster, the best move is to check out local St. Louis archives or the "Long Gone Blues" retrospective series. It’s worth remembering the guys who didn’t get the ring, but did the heavy lifting to get the team to the doorstep.