Ryan O’Reilly and Vladimir Tarasenko were placed on injured reserve by the St. Louis Blues on Monday.
O’Reilly, a forward, has a broken foot and will be reevaluated in six weeks. The Blues captain played through the injury sustained after blocking a shot by Calen Addison during a 5-2 loss to the Minnesota Wild on Dec. 31. He was minus-2 in 19:20 of ice time, and has 16 points (10 goals, six assists) in 37 games this season.
Tarasenko, also a forward, will be reevaluated in four weeks for a hand injury sustained during the first period against the Wild after blocking a shot by Minnesota defenseman Matt Dumba. He had returned after missing one game with an illness, and has 29 points (10 goals, 19 assists) in 34 games.
Blues general manager Doug Armstrong said he knew right away that Tarasenko was injured. He found out about O’Reilly on Sunday.
“I got the information that he came into the rink yesterday and wasn’t feeling great,” Armstrong said. “We sent him down to get some pictures taken and it came back a little bit more serious than we were hoping it was going to be.”
The Blues (17-17-3) begin a four-game road trip at the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET; SNO, BSMW, ESPN+, SN NOW).
“I think it’s a great opportunity for a lot of different players,” Armstrong said. “I’ve been able to touch base with some of our veteran guys via text that the reality is that some of the players aren’t playing to the standards that they set for themselves the first 30-plus games. The challenge for them is to get their game back on par and lead us and then we have opportunity for younger players. I think in pro sports, injuries are part of our profession, part of the game. Winning organizations don’t dwell on what they don’t have. They look forward to working with the things they do have.”
Forward Jake Neighbours was recalled from Springfield of the American Hockey League.
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