When Vladimir Tarasenko was cleared to return to action for the St. Louis Blues as the season restarted, it was a huge boost for a club looking to repeat as Stanley Cup champions. After suiting up just four times and being held scoreless, however, there was obviously something wrong with the superstar winger.
Tarasenko will now leave the bubble in Edmonton to return to St. Louis and consult with team doctors on his surgically-repaired shoulder. An update will be given next Monday, meaning he will not be available for the rest of their first-round series against the Vancouver Canucks.
The 28-year old winger missed games three and four against the Canucks, despite playing nearly 22 minutes in a game two overtime loss. Before the restart, he had last played on October 24, 2019, missing almost the entire 2019-20 season due to his shoulder surgery.