The St. Louis Blues' defense of their Stanley Cup Championship hit a bit of a bump over the weekend, as they will have to return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs without one of their key stars. Forward Vladimir Tarasenko underwent surgery on his shoulder and will be re-evaluated in five months. That will keep him out until at least the end of March, meaning most of the 2019-2020 regular season. Tarasenko suffered the injury in a game against the Los Angeles Kings this past Thursday, as he went down in the first period and did not return.
The 27-year-old was on fire at the time of his injury, getting at least one point in five straight games. Over 10 games on the year he has three goals and seven assists. He did not travel with the team for their two games this past weekend, as he was getting tests that revealed the severity of the injury. He has dealt with shoulder problems in the past, undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his left shoulder in April of 2018. He has also dealt with a knee injury in the past, which he underwent surgery for after the Stanley Cup Final in June.
Tarasenko was a major part of the Blues' comeback season last year, which led to their first Stanley Cup in franchise history, recording 33 goals and 35 assists over 76 regular season games. He did not slow down come the postseason, putting up 11 goals with six assists in 26 contests. The Blues are off to a better start than last year, sitting at 6-3-3, which is good for third place in the Central Division.
The 27-year-old was on fire at the time of his injury, getting at least one point in five straight games. Over 10 games on the year he has three goals and seven assists. He did not travel with the team for their two games this past weekend, as he was getting tests that revealed the severity of the injury. He has dealt with shoulder problems in the past, undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his left shoulder in April of 2018. He has also dealt with a knee injury in the past, which he underwent surgery for after the Stanley Cup Final in June.
Tarasenko was a major part of the Blues' comeback season last year, which led to their first Stanley Cup in franchise history, recording 33 goals and 35 assists over 76 regular season games. He did not slow down come the postseason, putting up 11 goals with six assists in 26 contests. The Blues are off to a better start than last year, sitting at 6-3-3, which is good for third place in the Central Division.
