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Hobbling to a Finish: Breaking Down All the Injuries that the St. Louis Blues Have Suffered in 2015-16

By Patrick Karraker

January 8, 2016; Anaheim, CA, USA; Anaheim Ducks Corey Perry (10) reacts after colliding with St. Louis Blues goalie Jake Allen (34) during the second period at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
January 8, 2016; Anaheim, CA, USA; Anaheim Ducks Corey Perry (10) reacts after colliding with St. Louis Blues goalie Jake Allen (34) during the second period at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /
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January 8, 2016; Anaheim, CA, USA; Anaheim Ducks Corey Perry (10) reacts after colliding with St. Louis Blues goalie Jake Allen (34) during the second period at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
January 8, 2016; Anaheim, CA, USA; Anaheim Ducks Corey Perry (10) reacts after colliding with St. Louis Blues goalie Jake Allen (34) during the second period at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /

The St. Louis Blues have managed to stay firmly in playoff position during the 2015-16 season despite suffering repeated impact injuries. Does the “next man up” strategy have a tipping point?

It’s safe to say that the 2015-16 season has been one of the more controversial campaigns in recent memory for members of Blues nation. With the lack of consistent offense or prolonged winning streaks since the first month of the season, there’s been repeated talk about blowing up the team with a blockbuster trade or firing head coach Ken Hitchcock. While either of those choices would be an ultra-aggressive move by GM Doug Armstrong, which might be appropriate considering the organization’s 50-year-long quest to win a Stanley Cup, the circumstances haven’t really aligned for either of those decisions to be rational in any way this season.

That’s because the Blues have dealt with a ridiculous outbreak of injuries, one that could easily be underestimated by anyone that isn’t a night-in, night-out follower of the team. 15 different Blues skaters, plus one goalie, have missed games due to injury this season; just to illustrate how catastrophic that is, an NHL team needs 18 skaters and a goalie to play a game. As a result, the team has used 30 different skaters and three different goalies through 56 of 82 games this season. If newly-recalled defensemen Peter Harrold and current backup goalie Pheonix Copley see action in a game during their time with the Blues, those numbers will jump to 29 and four, respectively.

With this in mind, we thought it’d be appropriate to point out just how much injuries have forced the Blues to adjust their lineup this season. On the following slides, we’ll highlight every Blues player that has missed at least five games due to injury this season, and how that injury has affected the club. First up is a major impact player who’s missed a large chunk of time, but hasn’t exactly been missed due to the spectacular play of his backup:

Next: Jake Allen

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