The Blues have taken another hit up front as the team has announced that centers Tyler Bozak and Robert Thomas have been placed on injured reserve. Thomas suffered a shoulder injury in the first period last night against Montreal while Bozak has missed the previous three games due to a concussion.
Bozak is in his first season with St. Louis after signing a three-year, $15MM deal in free agency this summer. His offensive numbers (18 points in 39 games) have dipped slightly from his time in Toronto but he has still logged over 16 minutes a night. Meanwhile, Thomas locked down a regular spot in the lineup as a 19-year-old and has spent the majority of the season in the bottom six while chipping in with 14 points in 37 contests.
No corresponding roster moves have been announced but with two open spots and only 12 forwards on their current roster, it wouldn’t be surprising to see at least one player brought up soon. With their farm team in action tonight, they will likely wait until after that time to determine their moves.
Regardless of what they do, one of those spots could soon be filled by winger Alex Steen. Tom Timmermann of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch notes that Steen will be with the team on their upcoming four-game road trip, suggesting that he could be getting closer to returning. He has missed the last two games with a shoulder issue of his own and while it was initially thought that he could be out until after the All-Star break, it appears that he may be ahead of schedule now.