It seems as if St. Louis Blues forward Vladimir Tarasenko will return to the Blues lineup Saturday against the Los Angeles Kings.
I’m hearing Vladimir Tarasenko will play tonight in LA.
Give him a lot of credit battling back from his third shoulder surgery in 28 months.
Here’s our story on what doctors say regarding his return. #stlblues https://t.co/9jGmj4e3mI
— Jeremy Rutherford (@jprutherford) March 6, 2021
Tarasenko has been skating both on his own and with the team and head coach Craig Berube said that there was a good chance he gets back into the lineup on this six-game road trip so this is not a total surprise.
He was practicing on a line with David Perron and Brayden Schenn.
Vladimir Tarasenko’s Career
Tarasenko hasn’t played since the bubble, where he was only able to play in two games before he reaggravated his shoulder. He had his third shoulder surgery in three years in September.
Because of his previous shoulder injury, he missed the majority of the 2019-20 season. In 10 games, he had three goals and seven assists for 10 points. He averaged 16:11 of ice time.
The Blues drafted Tarasenko 16th overall in the 2010 NHL Draft. This is the beginning of Tarasenko’s ninth season in the NHL. In 507 games as a Blue, he has 214 goals and 214 assists for 428 points. He has averaged 17:37 of ice time over the course of his career.
In 74 playoff games, he’s added 33 goals and 16 assists for 49 points. He has averaged 18:23 of ice time in the playoffs. Tarasenko played a huge part in the Blues winning the Stanley Cup in 2019. In 26 games, Tarasenko had 11 goals and six assists for 17 points. Two of those 11 goals were game-winning goals.
Where Vladimir Tarasenko Fits
Even wwith injuries to other top forwards Ivan Barbashev, Jaden Schwartz, Robert Thomas and Tyler Bozak, the Blues have won their last four games. But adding Vladimir Tarasenko to the mix could help the Blues as they try to maintain their spot in the standings. If the Blues decide to stick with keeping Tarasenko with Perron and Schenn, he would be playing on the second line.
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