On Monday, the St. Louis Blues held practice in preparation for Tuesday’s game against the Los Angeles Kings. Updates were given during practice regarding the health and availability of forwards Oskar Sundqvist and Alexey Toropchenko.
Sundqvist and Toropchenko Updates
Toropchenko is wearing a yellow sweater, Sundqvist in white and lends to indicate Sundqvist is closer to returning than him. #stlblues
— Lou Korac (@lkorac10) October 20, 2025
It’s looking like Sundqvist could be back in the lineup Thursday.
Monty: “He’s close. Might be one step away. If not (Tuesday), Thursday.”
Sundqvist said afterward that he wanted to get a couple more practices in. #stlblues
— Jeremy Rutherford (@jprutherford) October 20, 2025
Toropchenko
Toropchenko has not played since the Blues’ season opener. Even then, he was banged up from an injury sustained during the preseason. While Toropchenko skating at practice is a good sign, the yellow sweater means he is still not cleared for contract.
As a result, it is unclear when Toropchenko will return to the lineup. It is unlikely to be Tuesday. The Blues will likely want Toropchenko to be a full participant in practice before he plays in a game.
Sundqvist
Sundqvist has yet to play in a game this season. However, wearing a white sweater does clear him for a little more contact in practice. This indicates he could be back sooner than Toropchenko.
As noted above, head coach Jim Montgomery is not ruling out the possibility of Sundqvist playing tomorrow against the Kings. However, Sundqvist seems to want to get a few more practices in. It would appear Sundqvist is shooting to return Thursday against the Utah Mammoth.
In the Meantime
Toropchenko’s spot in the lineup has been taken by Alexandre Texier. Based on Monday’s practice lines, that will continue on Tuesday.
Since Sundqvist has not played in a game yet, it is harder to tell who took his spot, especially since Sundqvist was likely to serve as an extra forward to open the season. However, we can assume Mathieu Joseph is the most likely player who took Sundqvist’s spot.
How the lineup looks when both return is unclear at this time. Those decisions will be made based on what is needed at that moment of time.
Main Photo: Terrence Lee- Imagn Images
