The St. Louis Blues have placed Vladimir Tarasenko on long-term injured reserve, the club announced Wednesday.
The longtime Blue is recovering after having shoulder surgery in September. In late August, the Blues announced that the winger would require the operation on his left shoulder, and said Tarasenko would be re-evaluated five months after the procedure.
The operation was Tarasenko’s third shoulder surgery in as many years. The 29-year-old missed much of the 2019-20 campaign due to issues surrounding the injury.
“It’s a concern in the sense that he’s had three surgeries or is going to have three surgeries,” Armstrong said in August, prior to the latest procedure. “We’re hoping that he gets back to the level that he was at before. I’m not concerned about the work ethic and the approach he’s going to take to put himself in a great spot. But time is going to tell on how quickly and the impact he can have when he gets back.”
Tarasenko finished 2019-20 with just 10 points through 10 games. One year prior, he was instrumental in leading the Blues to their Stanley Cup title, posting his fifth-straight 30-goal season alongside 68 points through 76 games, and adding 11 goals and 17 points in the post-season.
With the veteran winger sidelined, the Blues recalled forwards Jordan Kyrou and Mackenzie MacEachern from their taxi squad.