Blues Lose Tarasenko for At Least Five Months

Overtime Heroics Editorial

2139 days ago

The St. Louis Blues announced that star forward Vladimir Tarasenko would miss at least five months after a shoulder injury required surgery. He will be re-evaluated at the time. The Blue’s forward has had a litany of shoulder issues over the last few years. This just adds to it. He will undergo surgery on Tuesday and hope to return before the playoffs. Tarasenko left early in Thursday’s game after a collision with Los Angeles’ Sean Walker and did not return. Tarasenko had surgery on the same shoulder after the 2017-18 season.

The “Tarasenkshow” has three goals and seven assists in 10 games so far this season. At the time of the injury, he had seven points in his last five games and was dominant in the Blues win over the Colorado Avalanche.

The Russian native was a first round draft pick of the Blues back in 2010 and has been a major part of the organization since then. He had a breakout 43 points performance in the 2013-14 season. Since then, Tarasenko has had a handful of 30 goal seasons along with a 40 goal season in 2015-16. Over his career, he has 428 points in 507 games with 214 goals and 214 assists.

Moving Forward For St. Louis

For the St. Louis Blues, this is a major hit. The central appears to be a down a bit, as the Wild, Blackhawks, and Stars have really struggled to start the season. So if the Blues can maintain a decent pace, they should be alright and make the playoffs. The team has scoring depth as three Blues players are on a point a game pace. Ryan O’Reilly, David Perron and Brayden Schenn are all contributing, and they will need to continue to.

As far as what the Blues may do, expect the younger players to get the first shot. Robert Thomas will probably move up the lineup and play with Schenn and Jaden Schwartz. What made the Blues a Stanley Cup Champion was their depth. Tyler Bozak is off to a slow start and will need to elevate his play with new wingers: Jordan Kyrou, Klim Kostin, and Nathan Walker. Kostin had his moments in the preseason while Walker has 12 points in eight games for the San Antonio Rampage in the AHL. If that doesn’t work, Doug Armstrong isn’t afraid to make a move and add a top six winger on an expiring contract.