The St. Louis Blues received a first-round pick when they decided to trade Paul Stastny last season, but also obtained the rights to prospect Erik Foley. Foley left college and signed with the Blues in March, but unfortunately still hasn’t played a single game for the organization. The young forward is now expected to miss the entire season with issues resulting from a concussion he suffered during the team’s rookie tournament, according to Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic. Rutherford explains there is no timeline for his recovery at this point.
Foley, 21, is coming off three successful seasons at Providence College and looked like a good bet to quickly rise up the ranks in the Blues organization. Originally selected in the third round in 2015, he has impressed on the international stage and even won a gold medal with the 2017 US World Junior team. His mix of skill and grit is perfectly suited for a bottom-six role in the new NHL, but he’ll not have to overcome a huge obstacle to get that career back on track.
Brain injuries have such a wide variance in recovery times that there is no way to know when Foley will get back on the ice, but hopefully his youth can help him make a return at some point. He will remain under contract with the Blues until the end of the 2020-21 season, at which point he is scheduled to become a restricted free agent.