Face of the Franchise or Flavor of the Week?

The St. Louis Blues look like the NHL's breakout team of the year, and the new face of the Blues is 22-year-old rookie T.J. Oshie.

"Oshie, keep your head up."
The warning was directed at St. Louis Blues rookie T.J. Oshie, who a night earlier leveled Blue Jackets captain Rick Nash with a check that launched 2,100 YouTube hits.
"I did (hear) it," Oshie said smiling. "Thanks for the heads up, I guess."
- Tom Reed, Columbus Dispatch

Any good hockey team needs a guy the fans can embrace. It helps if he isn't the highest draft pick or the guy with the most skill. It helps if he's loathed by opposing fans and players.

Columbus fans weren't the only ones after Oshie. Early in the second period, with the Blues on a power play, Oshie was bringing the puck out of the defensive zone when Nash attempted to lay a hit on him. Oshie turned aggressor and laid Nash on his back.
"I knew he wanted a little bit of revenge," Oshie said. "I tried to hold my ground there. There was a lot of talk out there."
- Jeremy Rutherford, StlToday.com

A young guy with a few good hits and timely goals is bound to take his turn as flavor of the week, especially if he plays for a team that looks to be on the cusp of great things.

Oshie has become an overnight sensation in St. Louis, a kid stepping up with extraordinary effort at an extraordinary time...
- Bob McKenzie, TSN.ca

But the real reason Oshie is so special - and why he has become My One Favorite Thing of the week - has nothing to do with his physical talents but is all about the way he plays the game, the size of the kid's heart... Every game, Oshie skates with intensity, aggression, and most importantly, infectious joy...
- "Deadman," dagblog.com

Sounds great. But is T.J. Oshie a defining player for the up-and-coming Blues? Or just a solid player whose contribution will be overvalued because everyone likes his feisty style?

If you want to see how the flavor of the week can turn sour, look to Calgary:

To be blunt, the 23-year-old (Dion) Phaneuf is playing so far below his pay grade it's hard to remember the dashing young D-man who captivated Calgary and the NHL with his talent...
We've said it before: Phaneuf can decide to be Denis Potvin, a great defenceman, or Ed Jovanovski, an acceptable defenceman. The choice is his. Right now, he's headed toward the Jovanovski option.
- Bruce Dowbiggen, Calgary Herald

So what will they be saying about T.J. Oshie by this time next year?

Postscript: Here's the Oshie hit that got everyone talking, and the hit that kept them talking.