Injured Blues defenseman Scott Perunovich will be reevaluated after the All-Star break for a lower-body injury suffered Sunday against Los Angeles, interim coach Drew Bannister said Tuesday morning.
“Once we get back, we’ll get a better idea of where he’s at at that time,†Bannister said.
Perunovich missed Tuesday’s game against Columbus, which was ºüÀêÊÓƵ’ final one before the All-Star break. The Blues won’t play again until Feb. 10 in Buffalo.
During Sunday’s 4-3 overtime win over the Kings, Perunovich left the game with 10:37 remaining in the third period after an awkward collision with Jaret Anderson-Dolan at the offensive blue line. Perunovich hovered in the tunnel behind the Blues bench momentarily but then retreated to the dressing room to receive treatment.
Perunovich was not on the ice for Monday’s optional practice nor Tuesday’s morning skate.
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“Any time a player goes out with an injury, it’s not good news,†Bannister said. “I think it’s kind of what we thought it would be, that it would keep him out for a little bit of time here.â€
Perunovich was amid his healthiest professional season to date, as he’s battled injuries since he left Minnesota-Duluth in 2020. He dealt with a torn labrum that kept him out the entirety of 2020-21, left wrist surgery limited his playing time in 2021-22 and shoulder surgery in the preseason made him miss four months in 2022-23.
Now 25 years old, Perunovich has played 50 career NHL games, and 31 of them have come this season.
Without Perunovich, Tyler Tucker drew back into the Blues lineup for the first time since Dec. 21 in Florida. Tucker was a healthy scratch for nine games and missed another seven while on a conditioning loan with AHL affiliate Springfield.
While in the AHL for two weeks, Tucker played in six games and had a plus-2 rating. He had six penalty minutes and seven shots on goal.
MacEachern out for the season
Forward Mackenzie MacEachern will miss the rest of the season after he undergoes surgery on his right shoulder, the Blues announced Tuesday afternoon. MacEachern played in eight NHL games this season but spent most of the year with Springfield in the AHL.
In Springfield, MacEachern had 19 points in 34 games while playing a key part of the Thunderbirds penalty kill.
MacEachern is expected to be ready for training camp in the fall, the Blues said.
The Blues brought MacEachern back into the organization over the summer after he spent one season in the Carolina system. MacEachern spent the first six seasons of his professional career in the Blues organization and a decade with the club if you include the time from when he was drafted in the third round of the 2012 draft.
Due to his two-year, one-way contract he signed with ºüÀêÊÓƵ, MacEachern will still be under contract next season at the league minimum $775,000 cap hit. He will turn 30 years old on March 9.
More hockey
As many of his players travel to warm destinations for the All-Star break, Bannister will be heading north to Ontario and then to Minnesota.
“It’ll be nice to have this break, but I’ll go right back to hockey,†Bannister said. “My plan is to go home, and I’m going to take my daughter down to Minnesota for a hockey tournament. So I’ll be spending time watching hockey in the rinks and being a parent. So I’m pretty excited about that.â€
Bannister is coaching the Blues while his wife and three daughters are living in Canada.
Injured Blues forward Kasperi Kapanen was on the ice Tuesday morning as he rehabilitated his lower-body injury that forced him to miss the last seven games before the All-Star break. Bannister said Sunday that Kapanen could be an option to return to the Blues lineup after the break, along with defenseman Justin Faulk (lower body).