St. Louis Blues Activate Carl Gunnarsson from IR, Send John McCarthy Back to AHL
The St. Louis Blues have activated defenseman Carl Gunnarsson from injured reserve. Gunnarsson, who was acquired from the Toronto Maple Leafs this offseason, had missed the past 10 games while dealing with concussion symptoms. The inactivity from that concussion also brought back issues with his hip, which had been surgically repaired this offseason and caused him to miss the first seven games of the season.
Overall, Gunnarsson has played in only 20 of the team’s first 37 games, but he’s been an impact player during that time. Gunnarsson has been a steady presence in the defensive zone, registering a plus-minus rating of plus-6. He’s also contributed a goal and four assists.
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To make room for Gunnarsson, the Blues re-assigned forward John McCarthy to the AHL Chicago Wolves, ending a brief two-day stint for the four-season NHL veteran. McCarthy had been called up for Thursday’s practice as the Blues sought to evaluate him for a possible depth role later on in the season. With only 13 forwards on the active roster at the moment, it’s highly possible that the Blues could need McCarthy later on in the season, although with Jaden Schwartz scheduled to return from injured reserve soon, McCarthy will likely face competition from Colin Fraser, who was also called up for Thursday’s practice, and Magnus Paajarvi, who was sent down to Chicago Tuesday, if he wants to find a spot on the Blues’ roster.
Gunnarsson should get right back into the Blues’ lineup on Friday night against the Anaheim Ducks, with Ian Cole likely to go back to being a healthy scratch after dressing for the past two games.