Yeah, the alarm bells around his game go back to post WJC, last year. I think where you and I disagreed at the time is: I don't think he can learn any more playing for Motzko and I don't think the surrounding talent is very conducive to Snuggerud's game. He and Moore are/were a bad match, and Motzko constantly shifting him up and down the top 9 borders on the absurd. He should've turned pro and gone to the AHL.
The whole question about Snuggerrud, to me, has always been "can he be the 3rd best player on a top line"? The answer to that from his D+1 to last year's WJC was a loud 'yes'. Even with the putrid play to end the season, he still scored 21 goals (20 is hard in NCAA). There's no good answer as to 'why' that happened, and it's why I'm extra weary that he's just not in a good spot at this point in his development.
For the Blues, on paper, he's exactly what we need to play with Thomas, which is our 2nd biggest organizational need, IMO. I haven't watched every T-birds game, but I like where Dvorsky is at this early in the season. Plenty to work on, but there's a lot more to like in his game than not. And when he does have the puck, he's dangerous. I'm not worried about the 2C.
We need an elite dman, and an elite/near elite winger who can play with Thomas. There's options in F/A, the Blues need to decide if they have the appetite for shelling out dollars, or putting their eggs in the Snuggy basket. But we need that shot first winger.