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St. Louis Blues: Jaden Schwartz to Miss a Month with Elbow Injury

By Patrick Karraker

May 1, 2016; Dallas, TX, USA; St. Louis Blues left wing Jaden Schwartz (17) and Dallas Stars center Cody Eakin (20) in action during game two of the first round of the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs at the American Airlines Center. The Blues win 4-3 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
May 1, 2016; Dallas, TX, USA; St. Louis Blues left wing Jaden Schwartz (17) and Dallas Stars center Cody Eakin (20) in action during game two of the first round of the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs at the American Airlines Center. The Blues win 4-3 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /
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The St. Louis Blues will be without one of their most impactful forwards to start the 2016-17 season.

The St. Louis Blues announced on Friday morning that forward Jaden Schwartz will miss at least four weeks with an elbow injury that was sustained in practice Thursday. The team initially seemed optimistic about the diagnosis–coach Ken Hitchcock told media members that Schwartz would miss just a few days–but obviously the injury was more significant.

This is another frustrating development for Schwartz, who will be set back by a significant injury for the third straight season. Schwartz missed seven games (and likely would have missed more if not for a rapid recovery) with a foot fracture in 2014-15, then missed 49 games with a broken ankle last season. The Blues signed Schwartz to a five-year extension with an average annual value of $5.35 million, but he likely would have had a higher market value if not for the injury concerns that now continue to follow him.

Unless he was already making a conscious effort to do so, this doesn’t seem like an injury that would cause GM Doug Armstrong to go out and trade for a forward. The Blues’ release did say that he would miss “at least four weeks”, keeping the door open for a slow recovery, but if he follows the timeline, Schwartz should be back for the Blues’ November 1 matchup with the Rangers, the Blues’ 10th game of the season.

After Schwartz’s injury, it would be a real shock if both Ty Rattie and Magnus Paajarvi did not make the opening night roster.

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Both players have made contributions to the club at varying levels for the past three seasons, and they both received one-way contracts this offseason. If Rattie continues to succeed during camp, he could be a logical replacement for Schwartz among the top nine forwards.

Assuming that Alexander Steen is ready to go on opening night–if his shoulder injury lingers, it could open up a spot for yet another player–that would then seemingly create a competition among Kenny Agostino, Landon Ferraro, and professional tryout players T.J. Galiardi, Eric Nystrom, and Chris Porter for the final roster spot.

Though he was an afterthought for fans coming into camp, Agostino has been the most productive among the bunch thus far, collecting six points in his first two preseason games.

Next: Could Samuel Blais Contribute to the Blues This Season?

Agostino and Galiardi are expected to suit up for Friday’s preseason game against the Dallas Stars.

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