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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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Feb 6, 2016; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Blues left wing Magnus Paajarvi (56) flips the puck away from Minnesota Wild right wing Nino Niederreiter (22) during the second period at Scottrade Center. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 6, 2016; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Blues left wing Magnus Paajarvi (56) flips the puck away from Minnesota Wild right wing Nino Niederreiter (22) during the second period at Scottrade Center. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports /

Magnus Paajarvi

seven games missed from January 12-24 (upper-body)

Sure, Paajarvi hasn’t been too offensively productive this season, and it’s very possible that he’ll never be the same player for the Blues that registered 34 points as a rookie for the Edmonton Oilers and averaged nearly a point a game during a banishment to the AHL that lasted from January to November of 2015. With that said, he’s looked better than he ever has before since being brought back to the NHL in early November, and you’d think he’d have more than two goals and three assists by now with the exceptional number of offensive chances that he’s created this season.

The Blues went a solid 4-2-1 with Paajarvi out of the lineup, and it’s possible to argue that the injury he suffered on January 9 at Los Angeles actually allowed the Blues to infuse more offense into the lineup, as it spurned the promotion of Ty Rattie, who scored his first three NHL goals over six games. Now that the Blues have Jaden Schwartz back to fill a top-nine forward role for the rest of the season, though, Paajarvi should be a valuable fourth-line role player, providing speed and energy against more finesse teams like the Blackhawks and Wild.

Next: Alex Pietrangelo

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