Last week, the St. Louis Blues were forced to label left-winger Jaden Schwartz as “week-to-week” with a foot injury sustained in a game against the Los Angeles Kings.
Schwartz currently stands as the #3 points leader for the Blues with 27 points, trailing behind only Vladimir Tarasenko (37) and Kevin Shattenkirk (28), which leaves the Blues with a tough position to fill on the ice.
In order to attempt to fill the void left by Schwartz, the Blues recalled forward Dmitrij Jaskin from their AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves. Jaskin will face the tall task of filling the skates of Schwartz, who has had a noticeable and indispensable presence on the ice this season.
Thus far in the 2014-15 season, Schwartz has notched 11 goals (2nd on the team), and posted 16 assists, becoming a more-than-valuable piece of the St. Louis Blues’ offensive machine. Schwartz boasts an impressive statistical season so far, ranking in the leagues top-50 (in the National Hockey League) in 5 categories (G, A, P, +/-, and PP).
Jaskin has presented himself as a viable temporary replacement for Schwartz, but question arises about his ability to play the way he has in the AHL on an upper-level, dominating Blues squad. This season with the Chicago Wolves, Jaskin has dressed in 18 games, posting 4 goals and 11 assists.
When it comes to the type of player that the St. Louis Blues needed to fill the skates of Jaden Schwartz, Jaskin presents as an ideal candidate. Schwartz and Jaskin play with a similar on-ice personality; both standing out when it comes to getting the puck to key goal-scoring players while at the same time making themselves an offensive threat to the goaltender.
This lethal combination of skill, being able to create plays in the offensive end of the ice and score goals, allows Jaskin a perfect opportunity to establish himself as a dominant on-ice personality and step up to be the player that the St. Louis Blues need as Schwartz recovers.
The question remains: can he carry over his AHL play and remain the player he has been on a fast-paced and dominating Blues team?
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