St. Louis Blues Send Magnus Paajarvi to AHL Chicago Wolves
The St. Louis Blues demoted forward Magnus Paajarvi to the Chicago Wolves of the AHL on Tuesday afternoon after he cleared waivers. The 23-year-old had been exposed to waivers on Monday as the Blues prepared to create a roster spot for goalie Brian Elliott, who is returning from a knee injury and will start Tuesday night’s game against the Nashville Predators.
The Blues actually could have kept Paajarvi with the NHL club, because forward Chris Porter suffered a leg injury on Monday night which will sideline him for an extended period. Obviously, the organization wants to get Paajarvi some playing time. He’s played in just 10 of the team’s first 36 games, which is a lot of sitting for a player as young as he is. He only played in 55 games last year, so Paajarvi hasn’t really gotten consistent playing time since the 2012-13 season, when he played in the AHL during the lockout and came back to play in 42 of 48 NHL games for the Edmonton Oilers.
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With Porter down and the Blues unlikely to stick with three goalies for the rest of the season, it’s quite possible that Paajarvi could find himself back in the NHL this year if he gets his game straight during his minor league stint. Until then, though, the Blues likely will call up another forward to fill Porter’s spot on the roster.
Candidates for that promotion could include Colin Fraser, an NHL veteran who can provide some physicality and has seven goals and five assists in 31 AHL games this year, and Phil McRae, a longtime organizational player who has 10 goals and 10 assists in 29 games for Chicago.
Next: Blues' Chris Porter Out at Least Six Weeks with Leg Injury