The St. Louis Blues announced today that forward Jori Lehtera has been placed on injured reserve. Lehtera did not make the trip up to Western Canada with his teammates after suffering an upper-body injury on October 15th against the New York Rangers.
The Finnish center has not skated after his injury and is expected to be sidelined for some time. By placing him on the injured-reserve, Lehtera must sit out for at least seven days before returning to action. Lehtera was ailing from concussion-like symptoms in February of 2015, but it’s unsure if his current injury is concussion-related.
Jori Lehtera Placed on Injured Reserve
Lehtera was one of three Blues players (along with Kyle Brodziak and Carl Gunnarsson) that were injured in the game against the Rangers. Brodziak and Gunnarsson did fly on the trip, although their status moving forward is uncertain. Forward Jaden Schwartz (elbow) could return from injury on Thursday against the Edmonton Oilers after missing the first four games of the season.
The 28-year-old Helsinki native was slotted down the middle with Vladimir Tarasenko and David Perron. Lehtera has failed to register a point in three games that he’s appeared in this year (five shots). He has amassed 78 points (23G, 55A) in 157 NHL games played. Lehtera was drafted by the Blues with the 65th overall pick in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.
Main Photo:
ST. LOUIS, MO – October 13: Jori Lehtera #12 of the St. Louis Blues controls the puck against Mikko Koivu #9 of the Minnesota Wild in the first period at the Scottrade Center on October 13, 2016 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)
