Tarasenko to miss five months with shoulder injury

ST. LOUIS - Vladimir Tarasenko will undergo surgery on his left shoulder Tuesday and will be re-evaluated in five months.

Tarasenko had points in five straight contests before leaving the Oct. 24 game vs. Los Angeles in the first period after getting tangled up on a partial breakaway with Los Angeles Kings defenseman Sean Walker.
"By looking at the replay, Vladi extended his arm and it looked like Walker's shoulder got right under his armpit and thrusted up, dislocating his shoulder," Blues General Manager Doug Armstrong said. "And thus, surgery was needed."
Tarasenko played just four minutes and 37 seconds in the game and will be placed on long-term injured reserve.

"He's a top player in our game and he's going to be missed, but our team is built as a sum of all the parts," Armstrong added. "It's going to be a great opportunity for some of our younger players. I think the key for our group now is not taxing a small group of players - I don't think we have (Ryan) O'Reilly, (Brayden) Schenn and (Jaden) Schwartz consume all this ice time - it's going to have to come from other guys. We're going to have to have strength in numbers, and I believe we can get it done."
Through 10 games this season, Tarasenko had posted three goals and seven assists. Last season, Tarasenko had 33 goals and added 11 more in the playoffs, helping the Blues win the first Stanley Cup title in their 52-year franchise history.
"He's a huge player for our team," O'Reilly said of Tarasenko after the Blues' 5-4 overtime win against the Detroit Red Wings on Oct. 27. "It's a tough loss and you can see tonight, it impacts us. We all have to be better for when we're missing him."