The St. Louis Blues hoped for a better outcome. However, they received word of the worst-case scenario. Veteran forward Oskar Sundqvist left Monday night's game against the Vegas Golden Knights due to injury. Now, he will miss the remainder of the 2023-24 NHL season.
Sundqvist appeared to favor his knee on Monday before his exit. Further evaluation revealed that the Blues forward tore his ACL in his right knee. Sundqvist will undergo surgery before being reevaluated in six months. Interim head coach Drew Bannister spoke about the situation after the news broke.
“Unfortunately, he got his foot caught there and went into the boards,” Bannister said, via NHL.com. “It's an unfortunate injury for him and certainly we're going to miss him while he's out, but we've got guys in here capable of filling that role, so guys are going to get more opportunity.”
Oskar Sundqvist is popular in Blues locker room
Oskar Sundqvist is not the team's best player. However, he brings a ton of value to the Blues. This was a striking theme from post-game reactions on Monday to the veteran forward's injury. He doesn't score a ton of points, but the things he does do are greatly appreciated by those around him.
“He's a guy that brings everything every game for us,” Blues captain Brayden Schenn said Monday, via The Hockey News. “He does the dirty work, goes to the front of the net and may not get rewarded all the time. He's a solid team guy and hopefully he's OK and hopefully get him back here soon.”
“Always tough. He's a (sic) heart and soul of this team, a warrior that brings it every single night,” defenseman Torey Krug added, via The Hockey News. “You know what you're going to get out of him. Any time you see a guy like that go down, you feel for him.”
Sundqvist was in the midst of his second stint with the Blues. He skated in 71 games during the 2023-24 NHL season. He scored six goals and 21 points for St. Louis. In addition to the Blues, the Swedish forward has spent time with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Detroit Red Wings, and Minnesota Wild. Overall, he has 56 goals and 144 points through 426 career games.
A new opportunity
The Blues have a major hole to fill after the Oskar Sundqvist injury. However, as Bannister mentioned, the team has guys who can step up. In the short term, they'll turn to former first-round pick Zach Dean. Dean made his NHL debut during the 2023-24 NHL season. However, he has played in just one game until now.
“‘Deaner' will get another opportunity here tomorrow,” Bannister said, via NHL.com. “It's good to get him back in the lineup. We're going to get fresh legs in and give him an opportunity to play here.”
This means that Dean will play on Thursday when the Blues take on the Calgary Flames. His first game came on March 21 against the Ottawa Senators. The former first-round pick played nearly nine minutes during that game as St. Louis skated to a 5-2 victory.
The Blues are hoping Dean can carve out a role on the team to end the season. Replacing Oskar Sundqvist certainly won't be easy for St. Louis, though. Hopefully the veteran forward makes a full recovery and is able to skate in the NHL again next season.
Follow Us
Subscribe