The Blues announced that winger Nathan Walker has been placed on injured reserve after he sustained an upper-body injury in Monday’s 4-1 loss to the Ducks. He’ll miss at least eight weeks. They didn’t immediately announce a corresponding recall since they’re off until Thursday, so one likely won’t come until later in the week.
Walker’s appearance yesterday came following his second healthy scratch of the season for Saturday’s home game against the Mammoth. The injury wasn’t obvious, which makes such a lengthy return timeline a surprising announcement. In fact, it was a fairly normal outing for the diminutive high-energy forward, who posted a -1 rating in 12:21 of ice time and recorded a team-high five hits. That’s in line with the 12:38 of ice time and 3.80 hits he’s averaged per game this season.
Perhaps the Blues are being cautious with a well-liked veteran amid a season where getting reps for younger players is increasingly becoming a priority. With a 9-11-7 record, their .463 points percentage is fourth-worst in the Western Conference, and their -26 goal differential is 31st in the NHL. MoneyPuck gives them an 8.2% chance of making the playoffs, also the second-worst figure in the league.
It’s still tough news for the 31-year-old Walker, who signed a two-year, $1.775MM extension in September. After rattling off three goals in seven playoff games last year, the Australian-born depth forward was off to one of the best starts of his career with a 3-6–9 scoring line in 25 games. That’s good for 0.36 points per game, a mark he’s only eclipsed once before when making double-digit appearances in a season.
Not only do Walker’s 95 hits lead the Blues by a significant margin, but he’s factored in as a depth penalty-killer as well. His possession metrics universally rank down the middle among team ranks. With Walker on the ice at 5-on-5 this season, St. Louis has been outscored 17-14 and outshot 117-109, but has won the high-danger chance battle 58-46. That 55.8% share of high-danger chances ranks third among qualified Blues skaters behind Jordan Kyrou (66.7%) and Pius Suter (56.6%).
Walker had spent most of his time as St. Louis’ fourth line left wing at even strength alongside Oskar Sundqvist and Alexey Toropchenko. With the latter unavailable indefinitely after sustaining burns on his legs in an at-home accident, Jimmy Snuggerud out multiple weeks following wrist surgery, and Suter out day-to-day, the Blues are now without four regular forwards for the time being. They only have 11 healthy ones on the active roster, so unless Suter is ready to play Thursday against the Bruins, a recall from AHL Springfield is virtually guaranteed.
In the meantime, Walker’s long-term absence could mean extended playing time for 21-year-old Aleksanteri Kaskimaki, who was scratched for yesterday’s game after being recalled earlier in the day but is now ticketed to make his NHL debut in Boston.