The St. Louis Blues have announced another long-term injury, this time to defenseman Carl Gunnarsson. The veteran will miss the rest of the season with a right knee injury sustained in the Blues’ recent game against the Los Angeles Kings. He is still being evaluated to determine the full extent of the injury. The team also announced that Ivan Barbashev underwent successful surgery on his ankle and will be re-evaluated in six weeks, as reported previously.
Gunnarsson, 34, has been a quiet soldier for the blues the last several seasons, rarely getting into the lineup but being ready whenever he does. A veteran of 629 regular season NHL games, he has just 73 since the start of the 2018-19 season. An injury like this, if it is as serious as originally feared, could potentially end that long career, given Gunnarsson is an unrestricted free agent in the offseason and will turn 35 just after the next season starts.
If it is the end, at least in St. Louis, he’ll leave with the respect of his teammates. Brayden Schenn called Gunnarsson an “absolute warrior” and a “hell of a teammate” after last night’s game. The depth defenseman played in 19 games on the Blues’ 2019 Stanley Cup run, actually scoring the winning goal in overtime of game two against the Boston Bruins. That goal led to one of the most hilarious anecdotes of the playoffs, as Gunnarsson explained after the game he called his shot while standing next to head coach Craig Berube at the urinal during intermission.
For now, he’ll face a long rehab. But he’ll always be a Stanley Cup champion.
Blues depth is really getting tested. All these injuries should at least provide alittle cap space for the trade deadline.
No, it’s cap space that may eliminate the need to do anything else when 91 returns…soon hopefully.
I read yesterday that they have enough for tarasenko as of now, and a retroactive ltir for bozak depending on when he comes back could give them enough to make another lower defensive addition. Most of the fill ins are making minimum for them so theyve been banking so cap these last couple weeks with thomas, barbashev, tarasenko, now gunnarsson on ltir. And possibly bozak
Sign Luke Schenn
Tough break for Boom Boom. Will always remember the Game 2 winner in Boston