St. Louis Blues Lose Jaden Schwartz for 12 Weeks to Fractured Ankle

The St. Louis Blues immediately began fearing the worst yesterday morning when forward Jaden Schwartz suffered a freak leg injury in practice and was immediately transported to the hospital. Their worst fears were quickly confirmed, as the team announced this morning that Schwartz will miss at least 12 weeks after having surgery to repair the injury, which has been revealed to be a fractured ankle. Even if that 12-week timetable is followed exactly to plan, Schwartz would be in position to miss 41 games, or half of the season.
Though Schwartz was having a quiet season so far, with no goals and four assists through the Blues’ first seven games, his loss is still devastating to the team. He’s up there with Vladimir Tarasenko and Alexander Steen as the most skilled forwards on the team, and he has a clear effect on the team’s ability to win: the Blues went 1-6 while Schwartz was down with a broken foot last year, as opposed to the 50-18-7 record they had with him in the lineup.

With Schwartz down, the Blues will have to rely on two rather untested forwards–22-year-old Ty Rattie, who has played 13 NHL games, and 19-year-old Robby Fabbri, who has played two–to help make up for Schwartz’s lost production. It will also be an opportunity for 22-year-old Dmitrij Jaskin to really settle himself in as a top-six forward after being stuck on the third line for much of the past year.

Once the dust settles and the team gets Fabbri back in the lineup on Tuesday, they’ll likely also evaluate the possibility of calling up another forward. Players at the Blues’ AHL Chicago affiliate like Magnus Paajarvi, Jordan Caron, and Pat Cannone would seem to be candidates. It’s also possible, however, that the team will keep Chris Butler in the NHL long-term and just roll with eight defensemen and 13 forwards unless there’s another injury that forces them to make alterations to the roster.

Next: Blues Open Five-Game Homestand Against Islanders

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