ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - The St. Louis Blues announced forward Vladimir Tarasenko will undergo surgery on his left shoulder and will be re-evaluated in five months.
In June, the 27-year-old had an arthroscopic procedure on his left knee after helping the Blues capture the first Stanley Cup Championship in team history. He had three goals and seven assists in 10 games this season.
Tarasenko left Thursday night’s 5-2 win over the Kings after getting tangled up with Kings defenseman Walker on a partial break with about 6 minutes left in the first. Tarasenko, who had eight points in his previous five games, had two shots in 4:37 of ice time before leaving.
"He’s an important leader for us and it’s tough to see him go down," goaltender Jordan Binnington said after the game. "I think our group did a good job of responding and picking each other up."
It was reported after the Stanley Cup Final that Tarasenko played through a lot of shoulder pain in that series. He did not miss a game in the playoffs, but did sit out from some practices and scored 11 postseason goals.