St. Louis Blues Prepare for Return of Chris Porter
Though the St. Louis Blues have been working shorthanded over the past couple weeks, having just one, or for a brief period, no healthy scratches on game nights, they will get some extra forward depth within the coming weeks. Forward Chris Porter has begun skating with the team again as he completes his recovery from an ankle injury that’s kept him sidelined since December 29.
Frankly, Porter is probably going to struggle to get back on the ice for a game until an injury occurs. In his absence, 21-year-old Dmitrij Jaskin has truly emerged as an every-night, top-nine forward. Fourth-line center Maxim Lapierre appeared to have fallen out of favor a bit with coach Ken Hitchcock, but he’s since been traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins for Marcel Goc, who has played well and is not going to be removed from the lineup.
That’s unfortunate for Porter, who was playing very well before his injury and was beginning to establish himself as a regular. He hasn’t produced much offense during his playing time this year (one goal and one assist over 14 games), but he plays with an intensity that cannot be matched by very many others, and he’s about as close to being an effective “energy guy” as a player can be.
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Though it’s undoubtedly tough for the 30-year-0ld Porter, a veteran of six NHL seasons, to have to head back to the press box again after a solid run in his last opportunity, he can take comfort in the knowledge that he’s likely going to get another opportunity at some point down the stretch. And if Porter has shown that he does one thing well over his time in the NHL, it’s playing effectively under pressure in the postseason.
Despite having played in a total of only 51 of the Blues’ 130 regular season games over the 2012-13 and 2013-14 seasons, Porter has managed to play in all 12 of the team’s playoff games during that span. He’s contributed two goals and two assists–pretty good for a player down in the lineup like he’s been–while also making positive contributions on the boards.
With as efficiently as the Blues’ current group of forwards has been playing, it wouldn’t be ideal for the team to have to call on Porter in the playoffs. If they end up needing him, however, they know that he can hold his own and make positive contributions, so it’s good to have him back in the fold as a depth player.