After sitting out the first few weeks with a hand injury, Alex Steen has been activated by the St. Louis Blues and will be in the lineup tonight when they take on the Chicago Blackhawks. To make room for the returning Steen, Wade Megan has been placed on waivers. Megan had played in just one game with the Blues, and will likely be assigned to the AHL should he clear waivers tomorrow.
Steen is an important part of the Blues’ forward group, and he’ll rejoin a team that has lost a pair of matches after going 4-0 to start the year. The team has struggled to find much secondary scoring this season, something that Steen will look to change. With his return, the forward depth should improve as players are slotted into more familiar roles. Still, with Patrik Berglund, Robby Fabbri and Zachary Sanford out long-term, the team will need to get more from their bottom-six.
Megan is an AHL veteran who made his NHL debut last season, but was never likely in the plans as much more than a depth option. His 2016-17 season was impressive, with 66 points for the Chicago Wolves, but he hasn’t been able to carry that scoring ability over to the next level. He’ll serve as a valuable extra piece waiting to get recalled should he make it through waivers.