The St. Louis Blues have made a roster swap this morning, recalling Dmitri Samorukov under emergency conditions. Matthew Kessel, who recently made his NHL debut, has been returned to the Springfield Thunderbirds.
Samorukov, 23, was acquired from the Edmonton Oilers in the deal that saw Klim Kostin sent out of town at the beginning of the season. Should he enter the Blues lineup, it would be his St. Louis debut and just the second game of the young defenseman’s career.
The 6’3″ Samorukov was a third-round pick in 2017 and is on a one-year, one-way contract worth $775K. He’ll be a restricted free agent this summer, so a late-season showcase might be valuable for his negotiations.
Kessel, meanwhile, signed last spring after his college career ended and had played well enough for the Thunderbirds that he earned a call-up. The 22-year-old averaged 15 minutes in his two NHL contests and recorded three shots on net.