St. Louis Blues injury update: Vladimir Tarasenko out for 5 months
The St. Louis Blues chances of repeating as Stanley Cup champions just got a bit more difficult, as star forward Vladimir Tarasenko will miss about five months with a shoulder injury.
Going into this season, the reigning Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues had a good shot at defending their title. Armed with a strong core and a solid supporting cast, the Blues appeared to be the favorites to emerge from the Western Conference. However, their road to the postseason just got a lot more difficult, as the team announced Vladimir Tarasenko will miss the next five months.
Tarasenko will be out due to a shoulder injury and will require surgery. It’s the same shoulder he required surgery on after the 2017-18 NHL season and the same one he dislocated in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final, according to Tom Gulitti of NHL.com.
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The Blues will have a hard time replacing Tarasenko, as he’s arguably their most dynamic player. Last season, he led the team with 33 goals and finished second to Ryan O’Reilly in points with 68. During the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Tarasenko scored 11 goals, the second-most on the team, and had 17 points, the fourth-highest total on the team.
Tarasenko has scored at least 30 goals in each of the past five seasons. His career-high in goals is 40, which came during the 2015-16 season. Obviously, this impressive streak is in jeopardy. In 10 games so far this season, Tarasenko has 10 points, including three goals.
He will be re-evaluated after five months, which means he should return sometime in March. It likely won’t be until at least mid-March. But if the Blues can manage to tread water in the postseason hunt without Tarsenko in the lineup, he could give them a much-needed boost during their stretch run.
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Blues general manager Doug Armstrong is expected to address the injury on Tuesday, Oct. 29. Until then, they must try to find a way to replace somebody who might be irreplaceable.