Kevin Shattenkirk ‘week-to-week’, to have abdominal surgery

St. Louis Blues defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk will have abdominal surgery in a week to ten days, then will be week-to-week for a return date.

The St. Louis Blues will be without one of the league’s best defenseman this year for an unknown stretch of time after Norris candidate Kevin Shattenkirk suffered an injury in Sunday’s game against the Washington Capitals.

The play in which Shattenkirk collided Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin seemed harmless enough, as you can see below.

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However, the result of that seemingly innocuous hit is that Shattenkirk will require surgery in seven-to-ten days, per the team’s website. Beyond that, the Blues have labeled the blue liner’s return as a week-to-week designation.

This is brutal timing for the Blues, who are vying with the Nashville Predators among others for the Central Division crown. Shattenkirk has been a huge boon to this team, leading all NHL defensemen with 32 assists and ranking second in points with 40 in 49 games played.

While Shattenkirk has reached the 40-point plateau three times prior in his career, he was looking at unprecedented numbers this season given the numbers of game left in the regular season slate.

As unfortunate as the injury is, the Blues at least have the benefit of not having to rush back Shattenkirk from injury. They will remain a playoff team in his absence, albeit a less potent offensive club. If they can get him his operation and plenty of ensuing rest, the Blues can still count on having the blue line sniper back in their lineup easily before the playoffs begin.

The St. Louis Blues are looking to get past the second round of the playoffs for just the second time since 1994 as they have been hit with annual playoff disappointments at the hands of Cup champions like the Chicago Blackhawks and the Los Angeles Kings.

Despite their playoff record, the Blues have sat at or near the top of the conference standings in each of the last few years and much of that is thanks to Shattenkirk, who has been a rock along the blue line, especially on offense, which has been the bane of the Blues since they became a perennial playoff team under the tutelage of head coach Ken Hitchcock.

Look for the Blues to seek cheap help along their blue line in Shattenkirk’s absence. The team has less than $2 million in cap space so making a big improvement could be tricky, but there’s sure to be depth to be found, which should suit the team fine while Shattenkirk recovers.

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