With the regular season gearing up for a return, the Blues are set to catch a flight tonight headed to their next destination, Vancouver, BC, Canada.

The Blues will open the season back up against the Canucks on Wednesday night and they will be without Vladimir Sobotka. Sobotka injured his knee just prior to the Sochi Olympic games and unfortunately had to miss the tournament for his native country, the Czech Republic. There is good news and bad news on the Sobotka injury. He is expected to begin light skating this week, which is certainly a step in the right direction. However he isn't expected to be back anytime soon. This leaves a big hole in the Blues line up.

This is why we have seen forward Dmitrij Jaskin recalled from the Chicago Wolves of the American Hockey League. Jaskin will join the team in St. Louis and will fly out with them tonight to Vancouver. Expect Jaskin to get a good chunk of playing time, with Sobotka out of the line up.

Jaskin has had a strong year in the AHL this season, posting 14 goals, 14 assists in 39 games for the Wolves. He's also played seven games with the St. Louis Blues this year, registering a goal and one assist. It's unknown if he'll play Wednesday or not, but it is possible he'll draw into the line up.


Defensemen Jordan Leopold will be out for the foreseeable future as well. He sustained an ankle injury prior to the Olympic break, when taking on the Winnipeg Jets. While at first it wasn't expected to anything long term, he'll be out for a little while longer, as the break comes to a close. The injury, which turns out to be a high ankle sprain, will keep Leopold out of the game in Vancouver. In fact, he isn't even skating yet, as he's missed practices this week with said injury. He will be on the road trip with the Blues, as will Vladmir Sobotka, but it's unknown when he'll start skating again, let alone play. With this injury, expect Ian Cole to be the guy who plays the majority of the games while Leopold is out.


Blues forward and pest, Max Lapierre has a little more reason to smile this weekend. His wife delivered a baby girl on Sunday afternoon. Little baby Amelia has joiner the family. Both mom and baby are healthy and Lapierre will travel with the team tonight.




For more Blues news, follow me on twitter @Blues_Buzz

Join the Discussion: » 22 Comments » Post New Comment

» Quick Update

» The Next Captain Of Your St. Louis Blues Is....

» Battle of the Bottom Feeders (SJS @ STL) 7pm CT

» How Crucial Is This Off-Season For St. Louis?

» Reminder, Hockey Is Just A Game